Golf
is one of the ball games that do not have a standardized, permanent playing
area or field (Golf) .
Teams or individual players hit a ball into a hole using various kinds of
clubs. Modern golf is believed to be invented in Scotland, although the
Netherlands and China had games that are recorded in their history similar to
it. The United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of
St. Andrews jointly oversee the internationally standardized the Rules of Golf.
At the back cover of the official rule book of golf, these are the statements
that can be found: “play the ball as it lies”, “play the course as you find
it”, and “if you can’t do either, do what is fair”. These emphasize that golf
aims to promote its underlying principle of fairness in all of its games. The
Professional Golfers Association Tour is one of at least 20 professional golf
tours around the world. The first prize for most of the events organized by the
Professional Golfers Association Tour is not less than $800,000, attracting the
best players of golf coming from various countries. Around 32,000 golf courses
were constructed across the globe, which is one of the proofs of the fast
growth of the sport. About half of the golf courses are located in the United
States.
Frequently, golf courses have a
length of not less than 5,500 meters (golf, 2014) .
The playing fields leading to the cups are called holes. The cup has a diameter
of 11.43 centimeters and is placed into a green, which is an area of
closely-chopped grass with a smooth surface.
The tee is a rectangular area that has a slight elevation. The field
between the tee and the green is called the fairway. It is around 90 meters to
600 meters long. The rough is an area on the field with tall grass. The fairway
is bounded by the rough. Obstacles in the field that may be natural or man-made
are called hazards. Bunkers are defined as sand pits in the playing area.
Hazards include bunkers, mounds, small lakes, and streams. The golf course is
made up of 18 holes that are numbered consecutively.
Golf
players start the game by driving the ball from the tee toward the hole (golf, 2014) . All rules are based
on two fundamental principles. The first is players must play the golf course
as they find it. The second principle is that players must play their own ball
only, and nothing will touch it except the golf club until the play is finished
on the hole. The two basic principles guarantee challenging playing conditions,
enforcing penalties for the loss of the player’s ball, and demanding skillful
shot making.
There
are little variations in the rules of playing golf, but remarkable changes in
equipment occurred over the years (golf, 2014) .
Balls were composed of feathers securely stuffed into a leather bag and the
clubs were manufactured with shafts made of wood in the earliest days of golf.
Back then, a complete set of golf clubs were comprised of three or four woods
used for long drives; ten irons were used for short and intermediate shots,
numbered upward according to the angle of the club face which provides an
increase in loft; and a putter utilized for hitting the ball when it reaches
the green. In modern times, the balls are made of composite materials. These
can be struck and reach more than 274 meters. Golfers are allowed to carry up
to 14 golf clubs in their bags during games. Players today have a wide range of
choices to complete their golf club set. They can pick from 15 various types of
woods which may also be made of non-wood materials. Hybrid clubs are also
available, combining the desired characteristics of traditional irons and woods
that make them easier to strike compared to traditional irons. There are also
wedges that are specialized for plays in the sand and for different degrees of
loft that give complement to standard irons. The technological advances today
are applied in golf balls and golf clubs. These changes influence how the golf
tournaments are played. The hits have more specific reaches and trajectories,
making the game more technical and unique. One game of golf is made more distinct
from other games.
Various numbers of holes were used to be played in golf (Rogers, 2010) . The game was played
with 12, 18, 20, or 24 holes. The sport dates back to the 1500s, so it went
through a lot of modifications already. In 1764, the admired Old Course at St.
Andrews reduced their holes from 12 to 10. Eight of the ten holes were being
played twice by the golfers at that time. That was the start of one of the
biggest changes made in the history of golf. An 18-hole golf course in St.
Andrews was finally constructed in 1857. And everyone followed suit. The first
golf course with 18 holes in the United States was built in Downers Grove,
Illinois. It was in 1892 when a group of friends transformed a sheep farm
located west of town into the first 18-hole golf course in America. A Chicago
citizen named Charles Blair McDonald convinced his friends to build the course.
He learned playing golf in St. Andrews. His next project was in a parcel of
land in Wheaton that covered 220 acres. That site became the Chicago Golf Club,
one of the most exclusive American golf clubs today. McDonald continued
designing golf courses across the United States. The Downers Grove golf course
can still be visited today, although it was reduced to 9 holes. The holes are
still in their original locations after 118 years.
Golf guru Jim Flick stated that “Golf is 90 percent mental
… and the other ten percent… is mental” (Marien) . Numerous golf players are having a hard time
understanding that they should work on their confidence and on the mental side
of playing golf, regardless of their level. Common mistakes are committed by
beginners in blaming lack of practice or equipment, and advanced players
relying heavily on their experiences and techniques without evaluating their
frame of minds before, during, and after playing golf. The golfers do not
directly play against their opponents. They are mainly playing against the golf
course. The golf ball is stationary before it is hit, and opponents cannot
affect the movement of one’s ball. So the results of the game are all about the
actions taken by the players themselves.
Environmental concerns arise in the construction of golf
courses (Saito) .
Vast areas covered with various trees and plants were cleared to build these
playing fields. 76% of the golf courses around the world are located in five
countries: United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, and Australia. It
covers a total area of 17,238 km2 that is estimated to be as big as
the land area of Kuwait. The research covered some of the golf courses in
Japan. The emission of greenhouse gases was measured for these particular
locations. The carbon sequestration by the trees and plants within the golf
courses was also measured. The net carbon footprint for a 30-year lifecycle was
recorded to be about 22,224 t-CO2. The study determined that 43.2%
of the harmful emissions from golf courses can be offset by carbon
sequestration of the vegetation within its area. But N2O emissions
can decrease the beneficial effect of this CO2 uptake due to the
frequency of fertilizer use. Minimizing the loss of forests and adding plants
and trees within the area can reduce the carbon footprint coming from the golf
courses. An increase in the efficiency of golf equipment can also reduce the
emission of greenhouse gases and carbon footprint.
Coming from being a vague and old game, golf acquired popularity
worldwide (Moran, 2013) .
It was quite a straightforward game of having the fewest strokes to put the
ball in the hole. Golf players are numerous, from recreational matches to
televised professional tournaments. Golf courses are also scattered all over
the world. Despite its simplicity, golf is not a game that anyone can play.
Only those who are willing to develop remarkable patience and dedication to the
sport can hone a high degree of skill required to play golf. It is a mental
game of playing against the golf course. The mind is trained to be the golfer’s
ally, not as an enemy. The mental state needed to play golf comes with a lot of
hours devoted to practice. Focus and concentration are key factors in being a
successful golf player.
References:
golf.
(2014). Retrieved December 5, 2014, from Encyclopedia Web site:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/golf.aspx
Golf.
(n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2014, from New World Encyclopedia Web site:
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Golf
Marien, C. (n.d.). The Mental Game (Mental
Approach to Better Golf, Psychology of Golf, How to manage the mental hazards
in golf). Retrieved Decemeber 5, 2014, from Golf-information.info Web
site: http://www.golf-information.info/mental-approach-for-better-golf.html
Moran, F. (2013, March 3). Golf. Retrieved
December 5, 2014, from Britannica Web site:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/238012/golf
Rogers, P. (2010, May 6). Why Do Golf Courses Have
18 Holes? Retrieved December 5, 2014, from NBC Chicago Web site:
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/sports/golf-good-question-93041254.html
Saito, O. (n.d.). Measuring the Lifecycle Carbon
Footprint of a Golf Course and Greening the Golf Industry in Japan.
Retrieved December 5, 2014, from The Sustainability Society Web site:
http://www.thesustainabilitysociety.org.nz/conference/2010/papers/Saito.pdf
