There are tons of team sports out in the field, you can choose from the famous basketball, volleyball, soccer, football, etc. However, nothing compares to individual sports like golf. Golf, in contrast to many team sports, is personal. You play against yourself much of the time simply to attempt to break your own past record which tends to make it a lot of fun. It may seem easy to play it but it needs a lot of time to practice different swings and wind directions. 

If you are a beginner who would like to try a few swings, this article will help you out with the basics of golf.

Golf Course

The first thing to familiarize yourself with is the golf course. From the starting point to the section where the hole is located. It is important to know every aspect of a golf course to calculate your strokes, the golf club you are going to use, and so on. The components of a golf course are listed below:

 

  • Tee box or teeing ground – it is the starting point where the player takes his/her first swing. 
  • Fairway – some refer to it as “fair green” or a short grass between tee. It shows how the layout of the hole looks like. 
  • Green or putting green – it varies from shapes and size where the flagstick and hole are located. 
  • Rough – unlike the fairway, it has a longer grass that makes it difficult to hit the ball.
  • Hazards – a part of a golf course that has obstacles to make the gameplay interesting. There are several types of hazards in the golf course from a water hazard, lateral water hazard, fairway bunker, and greenside bunker.
  • Out of bounds – a part where the player hits the ball outside of the parameters of the golf course.
  • The ground under repair – it is an area where the balls hit but no penalty will be added to the player.

Golf swings 

Figuring out how to make a good golf swing is one of the most important components of playing golf. This decides how well the game is going to be and is the secret to winning the game with a few shots effectively. You should know there are three major golf swings:

 

  • Rotation – it is where you swing your shoulders back and forth around
  • Weightlift – shift to the right shift to the left/follow-through
  • Vertical lift / up and down lift – used for leverage to get some speed  

 

Moreover, the second most important thing that you should know in playing golf is to master the basics of golf shots. Some of the most commonly used golf shots are driver, approach, putting, lay-up, chip, punch, flop, and draw.

Golf Rules

  • From the start of each hole to the green and finally, into the hole that is indicated by a flag, the ball must be hit using regular clubs.
  • Players strike the ball in turn with the farthest away from the hole going first at the start of a new hole whoever took the least shots on the preceding hole shall go first.

Golf Equipment

Golf clubs

It is crucial to pick all your golf clubs one by one as it has different roles in a set of clubs that suited for your game. According to the experts from https://golfinsideruk.com/, having the right golf club for better performance during a tournament will seal the deal on winning the cup. Having the wrong clubs may affect your game and probably give more difficulties during the entire game. Every player is only allowed to have 14 golf clubs during the game, it usually consists of: 

 

  • Driver – for use off the tee and par 4 and par 5 (longest shot)
  • Airway wood – used for long shots
  • Irons – used as a second shot on most holes and designed for long shots to short distances. It ranges from 120 to the farthest distance of 170 yards. The higher number irons for shorter shots while the lower-numbered iron for longer shots
  • Wedges – hitting shorts high shots from near the green or from sand bunkers (80-130 yards)
  • Putter – for getting the ball into the hole (shorter shot)

Tees

A small piece of equipment made out of wood or plastic used by players during the first stroke. It helps the ball to be elevated from the ground. 

Gloves

Golfer tends to lose their grip most of the time, and using a golf glove helps the player to have more friction and gain more grip on the golf club while playing.

Golf Bag

This helps the player hold all the golf clubs altogether during the game and is usually carried by a personal caddy. The price of a golf bag ranges from the cheapest material that has a price tag of $100 up to the most expensive one around $500.

 

Golf has benefits for mental well-being as it can help individuals boost their levels of confidence, self-esteem, and stress. It also decreases tension and increases mental ability and problem-solving skills. We hope this article has helped you with the basic knowledge of golf and what you need to have before heading to the nearest golf course.