How to Play Golf
By alk2310
Golf sounds simple: Hit a ball into a cup in as few swings as possible. Anyone can play, but mastering golf is incredibly difficult. One reason for the difficulty lies in the inherent challenge of duplicating the perfect golf swing every time you step up to a ball. The golf swing has many different moving parts, any one of which can make a swing go awry.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Put the necessary clubs into your golf bag. For a novice, you'll need at least a driver, putter, either one of the wedges, and a couple of irons (preferably the 7 and 9).
Go to a driving range and practice hitting balls with each club. Getting a gauge on how well you hit each club will guide you during a game. Be sure to bend your knees slightly and grip the club so that the index finger on your top hand interlocks with the pinkie on your bottom hand. Smoothly lead the club head backward as you shift your weight and bring it back down through the golf ball, making sure to keep your head down until the ball is struck.
Step up to the first tee and choose the proper club for the length from the tee box to the hole (also know as the "pin"). Your scorecard or a sign near the tee box should note the distance. The driver is the most commonly used club to tee off with, since it drives the ball farthest. But if you're more comfortable with another club, don't feel obliged to use the driver.
After teeing off, find your ball and prepare for your next shot, keeping boundaries in mind. Each hole will have an out of bounds area marked alone the sides of the fairway. Standard golf rules state that a 1-stroke penalty will be placed on any shot that goes out of bounds. This rule is strictly enforced in professional games or sanctioned matches, but if you are just playing with friends you can agree on whether to enforce the rule. After finding your ball, once again select the best club for the distance you are away from the pin, based on your practice with the clubs. Use the same stance and grip as before.
Use a sand wedge to hit a ball out of sand traps. For other short shots that are near but not yet on the green, use the pitching wedge. For wedges, get in the stance from step 2, but don't draw the club back as far: use only enough swing to get the ball onto the green. Use your putter for the remaining shots. Bend down and check the slope of the green to know which direction to putt. Once you have sunk the ball, move to the next hole and repeat steps 3 to 5.
Total your score after each hole and at the end of the match. On the scorecard, there will be a number called "par" for each hole. This is the number of swings it should take you to make the ball into the cup. Write down the number of swings you needed for each hole in the box under the hole number you just played. If you make the ball in the cup in the recommended number of times, this is called making par. At the end of the match, the player with the lowest score wins.
Tips & Warnings
There is also a one stroke penalty for hitting the ball into a water hazard. This is another rule that is strictly enforced during professional golf games or sanctioned matches, but not necessarily used for casual games.
About The Author
Anthony is a freelance writer and amateur filmmaker. His work has appeared in various online publications, such as eHow and Golflink. He is currently a senior in college working toward graduating with a B.A. in English-Writing.
