Golf is played on a golf course which has nine or eighteen holes.
Players using golf clubs hit a ball into the holes on the greens.
The players try to complete the course taking as few hits (called strokes) as possible.
What is golf?
Golf is a team or individual sport. Players hit a small, hard ball with sticks called clubs as they progress along a large grassy space called a golf course. There are traps along the course, such as large sand pits (bunkers), ponds or thick clumps of trees. A round of golf includes 9 or 18 holes into which players gently tap the balls. Each hole is located on an area of closely cut grass called a green, where a flag indicates where the hole is.
The aim is for players to hit the ball into a hole on each green. They try to use as few shots as possible to get the ball into the hole because the player who takes the least number of total shots wins the game.
Usually golfers play together in groups so it is a social exercise as they wait till each golfer has hit their shot and as they walk together towards the next green.
A golf course. Flags mark the holes on the greens. ©Getty
Golf Clubs
There are three main types of clubs: irons, woods and putters.
The putt is successful! The ball is about to drop into the hole. ©Getty
Irons have a head made of steel which is set on an angle. Irons are numbered depending on the sharpness of the angle, the higher the number the sharper the angle. Irons are used for hitting the ball shorter distances.
Woods have a wooden head or one made of light weight metal, and are used for longer shots.
Putters have flat, iron heads. They are used on the green to putt (tap) the ball into the hole.
Golf balls are very hard and have small dimples on them. They are 4.26 centimetres in diameter.
How to play golf
Players hit off from an area known as the tee. Up to 4 players can play together. Each player hits a ball down a long stretch of grass called the fairway, towards the green. The green is a smooth, mown area of grass containing the hole. Sometimes a green can be a sandy place.
A golfer tees off and hits the ball so it travels as far as possible in the direction of the next hole.©Getty
Once each player has hit the ball into the hole they move to the next tee and hit off again. The player who takes the least number of shots to complete the course is the winner.
Traps for players
Around the course there are sandy traps and watery areas where a golfer might accidentally hit the ball. It takes more strokes to get the ball out of these areas and back onto the fairway or the green.
The golfer is trying to hit the ball out of the sand trap with as few strokes as possible. ©Getty
The ball is sometimes hit into the trees which are around the course too, so the player has to search among trees and plants to find their ball and hit it out.
Scoring in golf
Each hole is given a number representing the number of shots it should take a good player to get their ball onto the green and into the hole. This is called par, and a hole can be par 3, par 4, or par 5. A 'hole in one' is when a player hits the ball and it goes directly into the next hole.
A group of golfers take their clubs with them as they move to the next hole. ©Getty
A player who takes one less hit than par for a hole scores a 'birdie'. Two less strokes then par for the hole is called an 'eagle'. One more hit then par is a 'bogey', and two more than par is a 'double bogey'.
History of golf
Golf began in Scotland in the 1400s and players hit stones, not balls. There were similar games in Europe but the Scots thought of the idea of hitting the object into a hole. The game spread around the world and there are now golf clubs and golf tournament almost everywhere.
Golf became known in Australia in the 1820s when Scottish people migrated here. The first Australian golf course was built in Tasmania in 1839.
Golf as an Olympic sport
The Rio Games in 2016 was the first time golf was played at Olympics since the 1904 Summer Olympics. Two events were featured, the men's and women's individual events.
It’s a good idea to get information from more than one source!
Read more about golf
http://www.allstaractivities.com/sports/golf/golf.htm
Golf at the Olympics
https://kids.kiddle.co/Golf_at_the_Summer_Olympics
Watch a video about the basic rules
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZDNaKzgFqU
