Golfing for Novices: Part One

by Rhys Jones

Golfing has become phenomenally popular over the last 45 years, producing such world-class champions as Greg Norman, Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods. Some first-class courses too have become household names; think of Wentworth, St. Andrews, Augusta and Pinewood.

Why has golf become so popular these days? Its the opportunity to be outside, to get a good whole body workout, network with friends or business colleagues at a leisurely pace, and to play a game that you can never play perfectly.

Your scorecard shows your progress, or lack of it, and this can spur you on to want to play again.

Here follows an elementary lesson for those who know nothing about golf.

The typical round of golf is played on a course of eighteen holes, each or which has its own ‘par’. Par is the total number of shots it should take a player to complete that hole, ie all the tee shots (drives), fairway shots, chips (short shots onto the green) and puts into the hole.

This ‘par’ value is based on the length and difficulty of the hole in question. Pars range from three to six, so if you get the ball into the hole in four shots on a ‘par four’ hole, you made ‘par’. However, if you took three shots, it’s called a ‘birdie’ or five shots a ‘bogie’.

‘Hazards’ or obstructions are usually placed before all the holes. Ponds, sand bunkers and trees are positioned in such a way as to make it more difficult to reach the green. Novice golfers should try to find a course with fewer hazards, which is therefore easier to play.

Players mark their own scorecard with the cumalative total of shots taken for each hole. After playing all the holes, the players add up their own scorecards and the one with the lowest score is the winner.

Please don’t take your score or your lack of skill to heart when you are a beginner golfer, because, although the professionals make it look simple, it takes many years to play the game well.

It makes very good sense to take a few lessons from the course pro, when you are just beginning to learn to play golf, because then you will learn how to stand and swing the golf club correctly.

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Are you new to golf? We have some great tips for the beginner golfer at Golfing Tips for Beginners