Sunday, March 22, 2009

Golfing for Beginners

By Camilla Ricketts

Golf has become much more popular in recent years maybe due in some part to the celebrity of Tiger Woods. Regardless of why golf is a great sport to get started with and is great for exercise. Golfing give you a complete whole body workout using all your major muscle groups and is also good for stress reduction.

Understanding the Game and How it is Played

Golf is played on a golf course made up of either 9 or 18 holes. Each hole is rated by being assigned a par. Par is the number of shots it should take you to finish the hole. Par is calculated by determining the distance and difficulty of the hole. Most golf courses have a range of holes from 3 par to 6 par. If on a par 4 hole you finish the hole in 4 shots then you have "made par".

Eagle,Birdie,Par and Bogie are some phrases used in golf to reference how many strokes it takes to finish a hole. Eagle is 2 strokes under par. Birdie is 1 stroke under par. Bogie is one stroke over par. Double bogie is 2 strokes over. So on a par 5 hole if you shoot a 3 that would be an Eagle.

Strategically placed areas to increase the difficulty of play on a hole are called "Hazards". Hazards can be anything from trees to bodies of water but are usually created with sand traps near the greens. Some beginners seek out courses with little to no hazards but hazards are a regular part of golf and really new golfers should not avoid them as they should learn to deal with hazards in the regular course of play from the beginning.

Keeping your Score

Scores are kept by writing the number of strokes it takes you to finish a hole on your score card, usually provided by the course. Each golfer keeps track of their own score. At the end of play you total the strokes for all of your holes and this is your total score for the round of play. Your aim is to have the lowest score possible for you.

Tips for Golf Beginners

Golf can be a frustrating game especially for beginners. Do yourself a favor and get some basic lessons before hitting the local course. A few golf lessons will go a long way in eliminating problems that arise from developing bad habits. A good golf instructor will teach proper alignment, grip and swing techniques taking a lot of the guesswork out of the game.

It's easier to start playing right rather than trying to correct problems in your swing and technique after you've already developed those bad habits.

Don't take yourself too seriously. Golf is a game meant for enjoyment and relaxation. Only compete with your last score and try to improve upon it. Don't compare yourself to other golfers on the course. Everyone has to start somewhere and those golfers you see out there on your local course hitting par and under started the same as you learning the game and learning to enjoy it. Golf is fun, get out there and play. - 16887

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