The Golf Course - A Beginner's Guide

That first trip to the golf course can be very intimidating, as every golfer knows. There's so much to remember, so much to learn...or so it seems. You can ease that self-inflicted pressure a bit by "doing your homework". So, where do you begin? As a beginner golfer, one of the first things you will need to familiarize yourself with is the golf course and the terminology associated with it.

Typically golf courses consist of either 9 or 18 holes, each of which will vary in both distance and length. These variations are what makes each hole unique and challenging.

Upon your arrival at the golf course, you'll need to check in at the clubhouse or pro shop. This is where you will pay for your round. Be sure to check on the "pin placement" for that day. This will tell you where the hole or cup placement is on the green. After taking care of business at the pro shop, you'll load your cart and follow the "cart path" to the first tee. Be sure to follow the course rules when driving the golf cart. Some courses ask that you stay on the cart path, some in the fairways and others have no restrictions.

Be sure to have your "scorecard" before beginning your round. The scorecard contains some very useful information such as the distance or "yardage" from each tee to the green, "par", the optimal score for the hole, the handicap rating (1 being most difficult) and some show the layout of the hole. Some courses will have the yardage and layout of each hole at the tee so be sure to check.

Players will begin at the tee box or "tee". Each hole will have 3 - 5 sets of markers. As a beginner, I would suggest starting at the forward most markers (the ones closest to the green). Your ball should be placed anywhere between the 2 markers and can be placed up to 2 club lengths behind the markers.

Hopefully, after teeing off, your ball will end up in the "fairway". This is the area between the tee and the green that's nicely manicured and the easiest place from which to hit your next shot. There will be some form of "yardage markers" in the fairway which will indicate the distance from that marker to the center of the green. This is very useful information when determining which club to use. The taller grass that surrounds the fairway is known as the "rough". On some courses, as is the case at my local golf course, there will also be lots of trees in this area. As a rule of thumb, it's better to hit a shorter shot in the fairway than a long shot in the woods!

On your journey through the course, you're sure to run into some "hazards". These can be man-made or natural. Some courses have ponds strategically placed throughout the course while others may have a creek or even a lake that was there before the course was built. These are known as "water hazards". Sand traps or "bunkers" can be located next to the fairway or up close to the green. Keep in mind, when you land in a bunker, or any hazard, you cannot ground your club prior to hitting the ball.

"Out of bounds" areas are usually marked with white stakes. Unfortunately, if your ball lands in one of these areas, you must add a penalty stroke, move your ball back to its original location and hit again.

Typically at the end of the fairway, there are markers indicating where you must exit the fairway with the golf cart. Beyond these markers is the "approach". This is the area leading up to the green. The grass is typically the same length as that in the fringe.

The "green" is where you'll finish the hole. The grass is typically cut very close. The area around the green is known as the "fringe". Again, the "cup" or hole is marked by a pin or "flagstick". Once you've putted your ball into the cup, you've finished the hole.

In a nutshell, these are the basics of every golf course. There's no need to "memorize" everything as it will stick with you over time. If you're like me, you'll find yourself silently quizzing yourself while you're on the course. Now, take a deep breath, relax and enjoy the game.

PJ Greene is a golf entusiast and co-owner of a successful driving range and pro-shop

Essential Steps for a More Enjoyable Golf Learning Experience

When I decided to take up golf, I was told, "you'll either love it or you'll hate it". I was somewhat familiar with the game but I had never actually played. My husband, who is an avid golfer, had tried for years to get me to play. He knew if I just tried it, I would love it. I finally gave in and, needless to say, he was right. I love this game!

One very important thought to keep in mind when you're first learning the game is that everyone started where you're starting - even the pros. Some start earlier than others, some may have more natural ability, some have no fear...we're all different but we all started where you're starting.

To get you on your way, I've outlined below some essential steps toward making your journey into the game a little more enjoyable.

#1 - Schedule a lesson
Contact a golf course or driving range and sign up for a lesson or clinic. The golf pro will teach you how to address the ball along with proper stance, grip and swing techniques. These skills are essential for the beginner. We've all heard the phrase, "practice makes perfect" but in this case, as my husband would say, if you practice with the wrong techniques, your practices will make your swing perfectly wrong.

#2 - Familiarize yourself with the game.
I had the luxury of being married to my "coach" so I had instant answers to most of my questions however, I also read books and magazine articles, watched a video or two and even started watching golf on television, something I never thought I'd do. Learn the various parts of the golf course, score-keeping, proper attire, etc. One very important aspect of the game that could use some extra attention is golf etiquette. These are the "do's and don'ts" which can help make or break your day on the course, not to mention everyone else's day.

#3 - Practice, practice, practice!
One can never get enough practice. In the beginning, your swing will be uncomfortable and awkward feeling. You'll work muscles you didn't realize you had! Practice your swing as taught in your lessons. If you're having trouble, it may be helpful to video your lesson - It may be more clear to you if you see yourself in action. Your instructor may even suggest one or more training aids available to help you master the swing. Eventually, your swing will begin to feel more natural and comfortable to you, so much so that you'll be able to tell immediately when you've made a bad swing.

#4 - Equipment
If you really want to get the most from your game, you'll want to arm yourself with the best equipment for you. Now, this doesn't necessarily mean you need to run out and buy the most expensive set of clubs you can find. I started out with just a few clubs. My husband had a driver, a 5 iron and a putter for me to use. They weren't exactly the perfect fit but close enough for the moment. I'll admit, I didn't want to invest any more than necessary because I really didn't know if I would want to play or not. On our first trip to the course, we played the front nine. We didn't keep score because the main focus was making contact with the ball. I discovered during this trip that I could hit the ball. My husband was so excited that he bought me a new driver and 5 wood that day. Later, a new putter. Then new irons. Borrowed or 'hand-me-down' clubs are fine when you're starting out. Replace them as your game warrants or when you feel like you're ready. Either way, I would suggest seeking the advice of a golf professional prior to making a purchase as there is a wide variety of clubs from which to choose.

#5 - Setting Goals/Keeping Score
Eventually you'll become more comfortable and you'll hit the ball more consistantly. Now you'll want to set some goals and keep your score. I'm one of those people who wants to see the results on paper or, in this case, the score card. My score started out well in the 100's for 18 holes. Each time I played I set a goal to score better than my previous round, even if only by 1 stroke. I only average about 12 rounds during the summer so I thought it would take forever to break into the 90's but at the end of my second summer, I made that goal. If you're scoring in the low 120's, set your goal for 115 - 120. Once consistantly there, set it for 110 - 115. This type of goal is motivating to me. You'll need to set reasonable goals that will motivate you. Play when you can and, before you know it, your improvements will be evident on your score card.

I used to ask "how can anyone enjoy chasing a golf ball around all day?" Now I know...the challenge, the scenery, the friendships. It's more than just a game!

PJ Greene is a golf entusiast and co-owner of a successful driving range and pro-shop.

Learn About Golf, Its Origin and History

Have you ever thought about when or where golf originated? Golf actually originated around five centuries ago. In fact, James II of Scotland had banned golf by an act of Parliament in 1457 due to the game's interference with military combat drills. Historians and avid golfers generally agree that the Scots were the first golfers who became somewhat addicted to the game. However, who actually invented golf is still a matter of debate.

Some have suggested that bored shepherds became very skilled at knocking round stones into rabbit holes with their wood staffs. Turning such "entertainment" into a competitive game was seemed inevitable, especially considering shepherds at the time were all men who by nature tend to be quite competitive.

As early as the fourteenth century, various forms of the game were being played in France, Holland, Belgium and Scotland. As such, the debate as to golf's origin is justifiably fueled by several countries not only knowing about golf but also playing it.

However, another fact we do know is that Scottish Baron James VI delivered the game of golf as it is known today. For years, golf was played on extremely rugged terrain where no upkeep was needed as opposed to the golf courses today requiring a significant amount of maintenance and upkeep. In the past, the "course" or terrain consisted of holes cut into the ground in areas where it was acceptably flat.

In 1744, a group of golfers from Edinburgh were the first to establish an organized golf club known as the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. Thirteen golf laws were drawn up for the club's annual competition with the first competition including players from any part of Ireland and Great Britain.

An early golf club formed beyond the boundaries of Scotland, golf's debatable origin, was the Royal Blackheath Golf Club of England which was established in 1766. In 1818, another golf club was founded on the Kersal Moor known as the Old Manchester Golf Club.

Golf clubs began to form in North America by the late 1800's with the Quebec Golf Club and Royal Montreal Club as two of the first established. Golf did not resurface in the United States more fervently until 1888. But, Scotsman John Reid built the first course but not like the courses today. The course was a simple course of only three holes near in New York and, thereafter, the St. Andrews Club of Yonkes was built near this three-hole course but now set on a beautiful thirty-acre site.

Although slow at first, golf quickly became the new favorite pastime in America. Founded in 1891, the Shinnecock Hills was quite modern for its time as compared to some golf clubs. Before the century closed, though, North America saw more than a thousand esteemed golf clubs open.

The game of golf is interesting in terms of its historical value. The path it took to develop from the shepherds playing in the field to the breathtaking, impressive golf courses we are familiar with today leads it to be no surprise that the game is now one of the most popular pastimes throughout the world.

Guy Morris's detailed articles can be found on plenty of web sites associated with golf in Benidorm. Sharing his passion in writings on Benidorm golf courses and Torrevieja golf the writer improved his capability in the field.

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Improve Your Golf Score Quickly with Golf Tips for Beginners

If you're like most people that are new to golf when you first begin to play the game it can be very confusing. Fortunately, there are many golfers, golf websites, magazines and books that like to provide quite a bit of tips and advice in order to help those that are new to the game. This is one of the great things about that fantastic game of golf; it can be very social for everyone involved. But it can also be a bit confusing when a lot of different people provide you with their version of golf tips for beginners.

Naturally, the best tip is to make sure that you enjoy playing the game. There is really no great need to worry whether you are doing everything right. Like any sport or hobby, when you have been playing for a while and have taken a few lessons your golf game and score will gradually begin to improve. There really are only a certain amount of golf tips for beginners that you can really make use of when you are first beginning to play. However, there are a few golf tips for beginners that are both easy to understand and can really help you to improve your game.

The best way to improve your game when you're first starting out is to arrange a few hours with the local golf pro. Many people think that this is not really necessary until they have been playing for a while and realize how bad they want to improve their game. It really is a good idea to begin when you first start out so that you can learn the basics and mechanics of the game quickly and easily. Golf is not a complicated game and if you know the basics and are doing them right then all that is really necessary is to practice and that's the best part of participating in the sport. Unfortunately learning to play golf may cost a bit of money but it is money well spent. If you can master the game's basics right from the start then you will really be able to experience immense enjoyment of the game.

Learning how to get your swing right is one of the best golf tips for beginners. The swing is the basis of both being able to play well and also enjoying your game. If your swing is right then you will be well on your way to getting the fundamentals of your game correct, which is key to improving your golfing score.

As mentioned earlier, perhaps the best tip that anyone can give you is to make sure that you enjoy your game. Get some instruction to help you with the basics but don't forget that it's a game to enjoy. If you enjoy it then you will want to practice and play more and your game will get better and that is one of the best tips that you can get.

Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Golf-Swing-Improvement.com. He provides more golf swing tips, putting tips and more information on becoming a better putter that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

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Basic Rules of Golf Made Easy

The official rules of golf are governed by the Royal and Ancient in St. Andrews. They are the Worlds rules and development body for Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific and The Americas (outside the USA and Mexico). The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the game's governing body in the United States and Mexico.

Since 1952, the R & A and the USGA have worked together to continually review, revise and clarify the golf rules. The idea behind this is to have consistency for rules in golf, so that players all over the World can play with the same laws.

All PGA professional golfers should know every single golf rule as the penalty for not can be very costly for them. But for the casual golfer, there isn't normally much need of going into some of the complicated golf ball or club rules as in regards to equipment specifications.

In this article, I will not go into all of the golf rules and regulations; instead we will look at etiquette and golf rules made easy for the average or casual golfer. Even if you are just playing for fun or if you occasionally enter local amateur golf tournaments, you will get more enjoyment out of the game if you know the more important basic golf rules.

Golf Etiquette
As golf is still considered to be "the gentleman's game", it is important to understand what behavior on the golf course is frowned upon. As golf is played without close supervision, it is up to the individual golfer to show integrity, honesty, and sportsmanship. This is what golf etiquette is all about - it is the spirit of the game of golf. Here are some more specific golf etiquette rules:

* Safety - Don't swing your club when someone is standing nearby and could be hit by your club, ball, or some other object.
* Don't tee off or hit your approach shot to the green until the group in front is well out of reach or have departed the green.
* When your ball is hit in the direction of someone and there is a danger that it may hit them, you are obliged to shout a warning such as "fore".
* If you loose your ball or think that it may be lost, you should first play a provisional ball. When looking for your ball, you should spend no more than five minutes doing so, and you should signal the group behind to play through if you are holding them up.
* Once your group has finished on the green, you should immediately vacate it to let the group behind play. Don't fill in your scorecard on the green, wait until you are well clear of the green to do so.
* If your group is consistently playing slower than the group behind, then let them play through. You should always be ready to play your shot when it is your turn.
* Show consideration to other golfers - don't make any noises, cast a shadow, or make movements when they are taking their shots.
* Tending the pin - if you are nearest to the pin when another player is taking their putt, it is customary to tend the pin.
* After hitting out of a bunker, you should rake away your footmarks and any other marks you make. In fact, golf etiquette dictates that you should leave the bunker in a better condition than you found it.
* On the green, you should repair the mark your ball made when it landed with your divot tool plus one other mark.
* You should always replace or fill in your divots on the fairway.

Basic Rules Of Golf
If you don't want to annoy your golf partners, you should learn the following basics:

* Golf club rules - the maximum number of clubs that you are allowed to carry is fourteen. There is nothing to say that you can't have two drivers or two different types of putter, just that the total number of clubs is limited to fourteen.
* Order of play - the player who tees off first has the "honors". In other words, the player who scored the lowest score on the previous hole. If it is the first hole, you can decide amongst yourselves or toss a coin. On the fairway or green, the player who is furthest from the green or hole goes first.
* When the ball is in play (after teeing off), you are not allowed to touch or move the ball until it is holed out. The exceptions being; on the green you can mark your ball to clean it before putting; when taking a drop, you have to lift your ball; or you have hit the ball out of bounds and you remove the ball.
* When on the fairway or especially in the rough or amongst trees, you can remove loose twigs and leaves from around your ball but the ball must not move when doing so.
* When teeing off, you have to place the ball between the two markers and never in front of them. You can stand outside of the teeing area to hit a ball that is inside, but you can't move the markers if they are in your way.
* When addressing the ball on the tee and the ball falls off, you may replace it without a penalty.
* On the green, you can remove any loose objects from your line of putt.
* When it is your turn to putt, you must wait until the previous player's ball has stopped moving.
* You will be penalized if you hit the flag stick with your ball while putting from on the green, but not from off the green.
* If you hit your ball into a water hazard or out of bounds, you must play another ball from the designated drop zone or from a position any distance behind the hazard (including the original position of where your ball was) but no closer to the hole - you will be penalized a stroke.

These are a few of the golf rules made easy to understand for the casual golfer so that they get more enjoyment out of the game and so that there are no conflicts between players. There are many more that you should learn to have a full understanding of the game. You can download a PDF file of the R & A golf rules from their website and learn a few more every day.

If you found this article useful or interesting, then you will find more golf rules articles at http://www.golf-online-tips.com/rules/

For more golf tips, information, news and resources, head over to http://www.golf-online-tips.com/ There you will find all the free golf tips and golf tips for beginners that you need to learn to golf or to improve your game.

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A Beginners Guide To The Golf Course

Do you want to learn to play golf? Great! In this article I intend to take you on a tour of a typical golf course and to give you a general overview on how the game of golf is played.

A round of golf is usually played on an 18 hole golf course. However, there are some golf courses that may only be 9 holes. The players elect to play either 9 holes or 18 holes. If you are a beginner, I suggest you start playing 9 holes as it allows you to get the feel for the game within a respectable time frame.

The aim of golf is to hit a golf ball with a golf club and get the ball into a hole with the least number of shots (called "strokes"). The person that gets around the golf course in the least number of strokes wins.

Each hole has a "Par", this tells the player the average amount of strokes it should take them to get their ball into the hole.

Players hit off from the Teeing ground, most players call it the "Tee". The player will use a golf ball tee to raise their ball to the height of their liking and then they use a golf club to hit the ball. Their goal is to hit the ball as far up the Fairway as possible. The Fairway is usually mown grass, but may still be uneven.

Each Player then takes their turn to "Tee off". The players will then go find their golf balls. The player who hit their ball the shortest distance will then hit their ball up the fairway aiming to get it on the "green".

The golf green is an area of the course that is smooth and has very short, neatly mown grass. However, the green will usually have a slope on it to make it harder! Somewhere on the green is a hole with a flag sticking out of it. This is your target.

Once the golf ball is on the green, the player will wait their turn and then putt the ball toward the hole aiming to get the ball in the hole. Putting means to hit the ball along the ground. The player with the ball the furthest from the hole will usually go first.

When the player is lining up their shot another player will usually hold the flag stick. This is so the player taking the shot can line it up with the flag. Once the player has hit the ball, the second player will remove the flag. Once all players have managed to get their golf ball in the hole, they record their scores and move onto the next hole.

Sounds easy doesn't it, well there are a few other things you need to be aware of.

Around the course you will come across a number of obstacles that have been created by the course designers to make your game of golf a bit more challenging and memorable.

The first obstacle is called the "Sand Bunker". This is an area of the course that resembles a sand pit, but they are not as much fun. The Sand Bunker is usually in a sunken area of the course and can have high sides to make it harder for you to hit the ball out. If the player hits their ball in a sand bunker, they will need to hit their ball out of it.

The second obstacle is the "Water Hazard". A water hazard can be a small stream, a pond, or a lake. The water hazard brings the psychology of golf into play, and some player swear the water hazard has a magnetic pull that magically attracts their golf ball toward them. If the ball lands in a water hazard, most players will recover their ball and drop it as close as possible on the bank. If the player elects to do this they add a penalty of 1 to their score.

The third obstacle is man made hazards, these can be immovable objects such as light posts or benches, or they can be movable items such as rakes, hoses or golf carts. If a player comes across a man made hazard they can elect to move the hazard, but they are not allowed to move their golf ball. If the golf ball is moved then a penalty shot of 1 is added to the players score.

The fourth obstacle is natural hazards, these can be leaves, twigs, sticks, or stones. The player can move these natural hazards, but they are not allowed to move their golf ball. If the golf ball is moved a penalty shot of 1 is added to their score.

Every golf course has a clearly marked boundary. If the player hits their ball "out of bounds" they must take the shot again from its original location. A penalty shot of 1 is added to their score.

This article has given you a basic understanding of the golf course and how a game of golf is played. But, the only real way you will get to know the game is to play it, so get out there and enjoy it. Happy Golfing!


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