all about golf

Golf Lessons, Golf Tips and InstructioN for Beginners at LearnAboutGolf.com New Golf Lesson: Better Downswing against a Slice Better Downswing against Slice I've found that most people with a slice problem cut across the ball on the downswing. To learn the correct path for the clubhead to follow, think of a rope attached to a tree above you. From the top of the backswing, you should feel that you're pulling the rope straight down. This forces the right elbow to stay close to your side. It also gives your stroke the correct inside path, and improves your ability to swing out toward the target rather than across the ball. More Golf Tips are here: Golf Tips and Lessons Golf Club Review: Pinemeadow Golf Command BK Irons Review Pinemeadow Golf Command BK Irons The Command BK Irons are built after the very popular TaylorMade R7 Irons and are designed to provide excellent forgiveness and playability for players of all abilities. The design includes a rather large club head - providing for a bigger sweet spot - and a moderate offset to promote a square clubface at impact. Continue reading here: Review of the Pinemeadow Golf Command BK Irons Golf Club Review: GigaGolf GX Squared Ti Driver GX Squared Ti Driver The GX Squared Ti Driver is modelled after the Callaway FT-i which has been very successful. The square shape design increases both horizontal and vertical stability which in turn results in a very high Moment of Inertia (MOI, reduced 'twisting' at impact), thus assuring a long and accurate shot. Continue reading here: Review of the GigaGolf GX Squared Ti Driver Video Golf Lesson: Some detailed thoughts about the golf swing Click here for more tips to improve your whole Golf Game If you have trouble with your golf game you should definitely check out the popular PurePoint Golf Apprentice Program. The 28 day trial is just $1! Click to get plenty more short Video Golf Lessons .

Play of the game Every round of golf is based on playing a number of holes in a given order. A round typically consists of 18 holes that are played in the order determined by the course layout. On a nine-hole course, a standard round consists of two successive nine-hole rounds. Playing a hole on the golf course consists of hitting a ball from a tee on the teeing box (a marked area designated for the first shot of a hole, a tee shot), and once the ball comes to rest, striking it again. This process is repeated until the ball is in the cup. Once the ball is on the green (an area of finely cut grass) the ball is usually putted (hit along the ground) into the hole. The goal of resting the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible may be impeded by hazards, such as bunkers and water hazards.[11] In most typical forms of gameplay, each player plays his or her ball from the tee until it is holed. Players can walk or drive in motorised carts over the course, either singly or in groups of two, three, or four, sometimes accompanied by caddies who carry and manage the players' equipment and give them advice.[14] Each player often acts as scorer for one other player in the group, that is, he or she records the score on a score card. In stroke play (see below), the score consists of the number of strokes played plus any penalty strokes incurred. Penalty strokes are not actually strokes but penalty points that are added to the score for violations of rules or utilizing relief procedures.

History of golf Golf is a very old game of which the exact origins are unclear. The origin of golf is open to debate as to being Chinese, Dutch[3] or Scottish. However, the most accepted golf history theory is that this sport originated from Scotland in the 1100s.[4] A game somewhat similar to golf was first mentioned in Dōngxuān Records (Chinese: 東軒錄), a Chinese book of 11th Century. It was also mentioned on February 26, 1297 in the Netherlands in a city called Loenen aan de Vecht. Here the Dutch played a game with a stick and leather ball. Whoever hit the ball into a target several hundreds of meters away the most number of times, won. Modern golf is considered to be a Scottish invention,[5][6] as the game was mentioned in two 15th century laws prohibiting the playing of the game of gowf. Some scholars have suggested that this refers to another game which is more akin to modern shinty, hurling or field hockey than golf. A game of putting a small ball into a hole in the ground using clubs was played in 17th century Netherlands. Flourishing trade over the North Sea during the Middle Ages and early Modern Period led to much language interaction between Scots, Dutch, Flemish and other languages. There are also reports of even earlier accounts of a golf like game from continental Europe.[3] The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews However, these earlier games are more accurately viewed as ancestors of the game we call golf, as the fact remains that the modern game of golf we understand today originated and developed in Scotland: The first golf club memberships were formed in Scotland. The earliest permanent golf course originated there too, as did the very first written rules, as did the establishment of the 18-hole course. The first fomalized tournament structures also emerged there and competitions were arranged between different Scottish cities. Over time, the modern game spread to England and from there to the rest of the world. The oldest playing golf course in the world is The Musselburgh Old Links Golf Course[7]. Evidence has shown that golf was played here in 1672 although Mary, Queen of Scots reputedly played there in 1567. As stated, golf courses have not always had eighteen holes. The St Andrews Links occupy a narrow strip of land along the sea. As early as the 15th century, golfers at St Andrews, in Fife, established a customary route through the undulating terrain, playing to holes whose locations were dictated by topography. The course that emerged featured eleven holes, laid out end to end from the clubhouse to the far end of the property. One played the holes out, turned around, and played the holes in, for a total of 22 holes. In 1764, several of the holes were deemed too short, and were therefore combined. The number was thereby reduced from 11 to nine, so that a complete round of the links comprised 18 holes. Due to the status of St Andrews as the golfing capital, all other courses chose to follow suit and the 18-hole course remains the standard today.[8] The major changes in equipment since the 19th century have been better mowers, especially for the greens, better golf ball designs, using rubber and man-made materials since about 1900, and the introduction of the metal shaft beginning in the 1930s. Also in the 1930s the wooden golf tee was invented. In the 1970s the use of steel and then titanium to replace wood heads began, and shafts made of "graphite" (also known as carbon fiber) were introduced in the 1980s. Though wooden tees are still most popular, various designs of plastic tees have been developed in recent years, and the synthetic materials composing the modern ball continue to be developed.[9] Golf balls are famous for "dimples". These small dips in the surface of the golf ball decrease aerodynamic drag which allows the ball to fly further.[9] Golf is also famous for the use of flags. These show the position of the hole to players when they make their first drive and are too far away from the hole to aim accurately. When all players in a group are within putting distance, the flag is removed by a "caddy" or a fellow player to allow for easier access to the hole. [edit] World popularity In 2005 Golf Digest calculated that there were nearly 32,000 golf courses in the world, approximately half of them in the United States.[10] The countries with most golf courses in relation to population, starting with the best endowed were: Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Canada, Wales, United States, Sweden, and England (countries with fewer than 500,000 people were excluded). Apart from Sweden, all of these countries have English as the majority language, but the number of courses in new territories is increasing rapidly. For example the first golf course in the People's Republic of China opened in the mid-1980s, but by 2005 there were 200 courses in that country. The professional sport was initially dominated by Scottish then English golfers, but since World War I, America has produced the greatest quantity of leading professionals. Other Commonwealth countries such as Australia and South Africa are also traditional powers in the sport. Since around the 1970s, Japan, Scandinavian and other Western European countries have produced leading players on a regular basis. The number of countries with high-class professionals continues to increase steadily, especially in East Asia. South Korea is notably strong in women's golf.[11] The last decade or so has seen a marked increase in specialised golf vacations or holidays worldwide. This demand for travel which is centered around golf has led to the development of luxury resorts which cater to golfers and feature integrated golf courses. In the United States, the number of people who play golf 25 times or more per year fell from 6.9 million in 2000 to 4.6 million in 2005,[12] according to the National Golf Foundation. The Foundation reported a smaller decline in the number who played golf at all; it fell from 30 million to 26 million over the same period.[12]