Golf for the first time. Golf: features, rules and interesting facts

Golf is a game, the purpose of which is, by striking with different clubs, to "carry" the ball along a specially prepared section of the field - the "hole" - from several tens to several hundred meters long, and drive it into a hole cut in the grass, which is also called the "hole". ” with as few hits as possible. The game, which in golf is called a "round", usually consists of 18 holes (rarely - of 9).

Golfers can move around the field on foot, carrying or pushing a special cart in front of them, in which there is a bag with clubs, or carrying a bag on their back, or they can drive a special electric vehicle - a golf cart. However, it should be borne in mind that on some golf courses the use of carts is prohibited (or their use is limited), and on some, in order to reduce the playing time, on the contrary, you cannot walk. In most clubs, during the round, the golfer can use the services of a caddy - a person who helps the player during the round. Contrary to popular belief, the caddy is not just a "porter", in fact, this is the only person who is allowed by the rules to give advice to the player during the game, and his help can be absolutely invaluable, especially on an unfamiliar field.

Golf is one of the few sports games, for which a standard platform with a strictly defined length, width, and other parameters is not used. Each golf course has its own unique design, although, of course, they have common features.

Any golf course is a set of "holes" (in most cases their number is a multiple of nine, most often 18), each of which consists of:

The starting area "tee" on which there are necessarily two markers that limit the area where the player can set his ball. There can be several tees on the same hole, located at different distances from the target. The furthest ones are often referred to as "championships" and are usually chosen by the players. high level; the closest tees are most commonly used by beginners, children, or older golfers. The tees from which golfers must start during competitions are always indicated in the "regulations of the tournament"; players who go out on the field to play for their own pleasure, decide for themselves with what tee they are able to play; "fairway" of the area that occupies most of the hole, sown with grass of medium length, from which it is convenient to hit. Fairways are both straight and rather strongly curved to the right or left - they are called "doglegs" (translated from English - "dog's leg"); "rough" areas with tall grass, usually located on the sides of the fairway; "bunkers" of sand-filled pits of various shapes and sizes; "water barriers" of natural or artificial reservoirs; A "putting green" (or simply "green") of very short-cut grass, on which the ball can roll as if it were a smooth carpet, in which a 4 ¼ inch (108mm) hole is cut - the "hole". In order to make the hole visible from afar, a flag is placed in it, which the players remove when they reach the green. The green is usually surrounded by a "collar" - a strip of grass cut shorter than on the fairway, but longer than on the green itself.

Initially, the "parents" of golf - the Scots - played mainly on grassy sand dunes on the coast. Fields of this type are called "links". True, today arenas in the image and likeness of the classical ones - very hilly, open to all winds, practically without tall trees and water barriers - are also being built at a considerable distance from the sea, creating dunes from imported sand and planting heather traditional for Scotland to enhance the resemblance. Very common in the world parkland type fields - with a lot of trees, among which fairways are laid, so that you get the feeling that you are playing in a beautiful forest or tropical garden - depending on the terrain. There are also "desert" fields, where there are many areas covered with sand, but not barriers (such areas are called "waist bunkers"); "mountain" - characterized by huge elevation changes; "ice" and many others.

They say that golf is a game in which 95 percent of the brain is involved, and only 5 percent of the body. Before teeing a hole, a golfer must develop a strategy for how to play the hole, which depends on the distance from the tee to the green, the width and degree of fairway “curvature”, the location of bunkers, water hazards, trees and other objects that can affect the flight of the ball, wind direction and speed and many other factors.

Play at each hole begins with a tee shot; depending on the length and difficulty of the hole, a golfer can either tee directly onto the green or aim at a point on the fairway. Usually, for the first hit, the most “long-range” clubs with a voluminous hollow head are used - "woods"(the longest and "big-headed" of which are called "driver"). The second and subsequent strokes (until the ball is on the green) are most often made with clubs with heavy flat heads - "irons"- there are many types of them, and they differ in the length of the handle (it is also called "shaft") and head angle. Having reached the green, the player picks up "patter"- a special stick, after hitting which the ball does not rise into the air, but rolls along the green. The maximum number of clubs a player may take to the field is fourteen.

For the convenience of keeping score, each hole has a so-called "steam"- the "normative" number of strokes for which an experienced player can pass this hole. For example, on a par 3 hole good player tee shot straight to the green and then hit two putts, and on a par 4 hole he tees to the fairway, then to the green, and two putts. Mainly, the pair of the hole depends on its length. A typical par 3 hole is shorter than 250 yards (225 m); the length of the 4-pair is from 251 to 475 yards (225–434 m), the 5-pair is longer than 475 yards (435 m). It is extremely rare to find 6-par holes on the field - their length usually exceeds 650 yards (595 m). Par is also affected by the difficulty of the hole, the location of the hurdles, the shape of the green, etc. The total par of an 18-hole course is most often 72 (usually 4 3-pair, 10 4-pair, and 4 5-pair holes), although par 70, 71, and 73 courses are not uncommon, as well as par 72 with a different layout of holes.

If a golfer hits the target by making one hit from the tee, this is called a "hole in one" (hole in one) or "ace". Other steam results also have names.

NUMBER OF STRIKES IN RELATION TO STEAM NAME DESCRIPTION
-3 Albatross Three strokes less than par
-2 Eagle Two strokes less than par
-1 birdie One stroke less steam
E (flat) Steam The score is equal to a couple
+1 Boggy More steam per beat
+2 double bogey Two strokes more steam
+3 triple bogey Three strokes more than steam
  • Eagle is a red number on a yellow background.
  • Birdie is a red number on a white background.
  • Steam is a black number on a white background.
  • Boggy is a green number on a white background.
  • Double bogey and above - a green number on a yellow background.
  • The total score is a blue number on a white background.

The two main formats in which golf competitions are held are:

"stroke play" (play on the score) is considered total hits taken by the player during the round, and the winner is the one who made the least number of hits; this is the individual format most commonly used by professional golfers. In the event that the players finished the match with a tied score, a replay (or "playoff") is arranged to determine the winner - either according to the principle of "sudden death", that is, until the first hole in which one of the participants makes fewer strokes than the rest; or on a certain number of holes (from three to a full 18-hole round). "match-play" (match game) the struggle is for the victory at each hole. If the opponents have the same result on the hole, the score on it is considered “tie” or “tie”. The winner of the match is the player or team that wins the most holes in a round. If a player or team leads the opponent by more holes than the end of the round (for example, two holes before the end of the lead is three holes), the game is abandoned, since further struggle is no longer worth it. The match may end in a draw (if the opponents have won the same number of holes) or continue until one of them has a one-hole advantage.

In order to equalize the chances of beginners and experienced athletes, there is a handicap system in golf, thanks to which the weaker player receives a certain amount of handicap blows. A handicap is an indicator of the skill of a golfer, the lower it is, the stronger the player is in front of you. Handicaps can be applied in any format of the game, but only among amateurs, there is no handicap system in professional golf.

The origin of the mysterious game of golf.

It is difficult to trace where the roots of the game of golf go.

There is a version that the foundations of this game were laid back by medieval shepherds who hit round stones with their staffs so as not to get bored while grazing sheep. A number of countries have quite good reasons to consider themselves the founders of golf.

For example, the Italians claim that during the time of the Roman Empire, Roman soldiers drove leather balls with sticks bent at the ends to maintain combat uniforms. This game was called paganica, but it was a team game, and you had to hit a moving ball, so hockey probably originated from this game. And on silk scrolls dating back to the era of the Chinese Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), images of women playing suigan were found. And according to some assumptions, Chinese silk merchants could export this game to Europe, where it later became known as golf.

On one of the stained glass windows of the Glotcher Cathedral (14th century), you can see the image of a man with a stick in his hands, as if preparing for a swing. Presumably the name of this game is cabuca, and it was already known in England at that time. In France, at that time, the game jeu de mail was popular, which was a mixture of billiards, croquet and mini-golf. In England, this game was renamed pall mall, since it was first played on Pall Mall in London. The object of the game is to drive a large wooden ball into an iron hoop using a long-handled mallet.

However, we can say that the Russian rounders are also a bit like golf. But the most likely origin of golf was the Danish game kolf, which was first mentioned at the end of the 13th century and can be found in many Danish landscapes of the 15th century. However, as we now know, golf actually originated from a game that began in the 15th century on the east coast of Scotland in the Kingdom of the Five.

Players would hit the rock with what looked like a stick and thus move it across natural fields, overcoming sand mounds, rabbit traps, animal trails and other obstacles that are an integral part of wildlife. And of course, at that time there was no talk of formal tees; the players took the first shot within a meter from the previous hole. Some historians believe that the Dutch game kolven and the Belgian game chole greatly influenced the formation of modern golf.

The Scots met the latter in 1421. However, despite the fact that the club and ball were the main components of these games and countless others like them, they still lacked one piece that is unique to golf, and such a detail is, of course, the hole. One thing is certain - the game that we know today as golf originated in Scotland.

In the middle of the 15th century, Scotland prepares to resist the invasion of the British. However, the population plays golf and football with great enthusiasm and completely ignores military training(first of all compulsory training in archery), as a result of which in 1457 King James II, in an act of the Parliament of Scotland, was forced to ban both sports. The ban was reintroduced in 1470 and 1491, although the people actively ignored it. Only in 1502, after the conclusion of the treaty in Glasgow, the ban was lifted by King James IV (James I of England), who took up golf himself.

Golf's popularity and status grew rapidly throughout the 16th century, with the support of the Scottish nobility, who even built a seven-hole golf course in Blackheath. Soon King Charles I was able to popularize the game, and Queen Mary of Scots, a Frenchwoman by birth, introduced the game to her native France when she came there to get an education. In fact, the term caddy comes from the word cadet - the so-called queen's assistants, the French military who watched the balls, cleared the way ahead and carried the clubs, because golf bags were invented only in 1870.

The first golf course of that time was Light (Leith) near Edinburgh. And by the way, Charles I was on the field when the news came of the Irish Rebellion in 1641. Light also hosted the first international golf tournament, in which the Duke of York and George Patterson, who played for Scotland, defeated two representatives of the English aristocracy.

golf like the new kind sports.

The first golf club was opened in 1744 and was called The Gentlemen Golfers of Leith. There were annual competitions with a silver club as the main prize. And it was here that the first set of rules by Duncan Forbes was announced.

One of the thirteen rules governs "carrying the ball out of the water formed on the field." Later the club was renamed, it became known as the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (“Honorable Society of Edinburgh Golfers”), and in 1768 a club house was built on the territory of the club, which in 1836 was moved to Musselburgh, Lothian (Musselburgh, Lothian).

The first mention of golf in a historic place called St Andrew`s dates back to 1552. A little later, the clergy opened access to the holes for everyone.

In 1754, the St. Andrews Golfers' Society was founded, which annually held its own competitions and used Light's set of rules. Strokeplay (the score is added up for each of the 18 holes) first appeared in 1759, in 1764 the number of holes on the course in St. Andrews was reduced from 22 to 18. Since then, a round of golf has been played on 18 holes.

The first women's golf club in the world was also founded in St. Andrews. And in 1834, King William awarded the club the honorary title of ‘Royal & Ancient’. Thus, the club was recognized as the best in the world. And it is quite justified: here is a qualitative field, here general rules games, in addition, the club is under the patronage of the royal dynasty, but most importantly, it was here that the foundations were laid for the development of golf as a full-fledged sport.

Of course, by that time golfers were playing with real clubs and balls.

Clubheads were made of beech or fruit wood such as apple. Some clubs had forged heads. Shafts were made of ash or walnut. The balls then were tightly compressed feathers with a spherical outer coating.

It should be noted that hand-made equipment was not cheap, and therefore this sport was not available to everyone. It wasn't until after 1826 that materials such as persimmon wood and hickory were exported from the US to make clubheads and shafts, respectively.

Today, by the way, such clubs are highly valued by collectors.

International game of golf.

In the 19th century, the British Empire is at the height of its development. And the phrase "the sun will never set on the empire" very accurately reflects the position of Britain in the world.

Most of the clubs of the time outside the British Isles and America were founded by the Commonwealth. The first club outside of Scotland was the Royal Blackheath near London, opened in 1766.

However, there is an assumption that golf has been played here since 1608. And the first club outside of Britain was called Bangalore in India, its opening took place in 1820.

Thus, the British Empire expanded its possessions, and golf along with it. Later in India, and more precisely in Calcutta, the Royal Golf Club opens, which to this day is the oldest of all currently existing clubs that have arisen outside the British Isles.

Among other clubs worth noting are the Royal Club in Bombay (1842), the Royal Curragh Club in Ireland (1856), the Pau Golf Club in France (1856), as well as the Adelaide Club (1870), Royal Montreal (1873), Cape Town (1885) , St Andrew "s of New York (1888) and Royal Hong Kong (1889). Some historians argue, however, that the opening of the South Carolina club, located in Charlestown, took place long before that, back in 1786.

The Industrial Victorian Revolution brought about many social and economic changes. The development of rail transport has led to mass tourism. Now ordinary people have the opportunity to explore the country, having arrived in a fairly remote place for a day or a weekend.

Golf clubs began to appear throughout the country, and it was possible to try your hand at different courses every weekend.

Until a certain time, golf equipment was made by hand and cost a lot of money. And golf was considered a game for people with a fat wallet. But when, since 1848, clubs with metal heads and shafts, as well as gutta-percha balls, began to come off the assembly line, the game became quite accessible to the average golfer.

All this has led to the fact that the popularity of golf has increased to phenomenal proportions.

Golf becomes a professional sport.

The game developed rapidly, with the first professional players appearing in the mid-1800s. And in 1851, the Prestwick Golf Club was founded, famous for the fact that it was on its course that the first British Open in history was held in 1860, which brought together eight of the best golfers in the country.

Within one day, they completed 12 holes of the course three times.

It is believed that the death of the first great professional player Alan Robertson (Alan Robertson) and gave impetus to the first professional championship where they were going to find a new national champion.

They became Willie Park (Wilie Park), two strokes ahead of Tom Morris (Tom Morris). The latter became a truly legendary golfer after three victories in 1862, 1864 and 1867. However, his son, Tom Morris Jr., managed to break his father's record and won four consecutive victories since 1869.

In accordance with the rules, he received a well-deserved prize to the winner, which was then only 10 pounds, and then skipped a year when the Open was not held, in anticipation of a new trophy. By the way, in 1872, Tom Morris Jr. won his 4th British Open against his own father.

Other notable golfers of the time were JH Taylor in 1894 and Harry Vardon in 1896. Along with James Braid, these three golfers were referred to as the Grand Triumvirate. In addition to participating in paid championships such as the British Open, professional golfers could earn money from competitions by betting with their opponents.

They also gave lessons to beginners, helped design golf clubs and balls, and occasionally acted as a caddy. Development of golf as organized professional look sports took place not only in the United Kingdom, but also outside it, such as in India and the United States.

The first entry fee was used as a prize in 1892 in Cambridge, England. And in 1893, the championship of India and the countries of the East was held - the first amateur championship on an international scale. In 1894, the US Golf Association (USGA) was formed by the five largest American clubs to control games played in the United States and Mexico.

In addition to setting the rules, the association manages the handicap system and supervises field surface surveys. A year later, such championships as the US Open and the US Ladies Amateur Open (amateur championship for women) appeared.

By 1900, there were more than 1,000 golf clubs in the United States. The Chicago course was the first to have 18 holes. It is interesting to note that American golf clubs differed in somewhat specific course landscape than in the United Kingdom.

The game attracted investment from the media and commercial organizations that allowed her to climb completely new level. In 1897, the first monthly magazine called "Golf" began to be published in the United States. Thus, the United States has become the center of professional golf through regularly sponsored championships.

However, the most prestigious events at that time were still considered those that took place on the territory of the United Kingdom. Paradoxically, the favorites of the public were mostly not professionals, but amateurs.

Golf has become world game when in 1900 it was elevated to the rank of an Olympic sport.

The origin of the modern game.

The dawn of the 20th century brought with it several technological innovations. The first related to golf was the one-piece ball invented by Haskell in 1900 with rubber threads wrapped around the core.

This innovation allowed golfers to add about 18 meters to their stroke. In 1905, William Taylor invented the first dimpled ball.

Then in 1910, Arthur Knight introduced the steel-shafted stick, which was used for the next 25 years, despite its slightly clumsy design. Over the next decade, golfers could hit further, hitting more accurately than could have been achieved before with comparatively cheap equipment.

In 1916, the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) was founded in America, and initially tournaments under its patronage were held only in winter. However, by 1944 the tournament began to be held all year round, regardless of the season, thus the championship consisted of twenty-two events.

Uniform parameters for golf balls were first adopted in 1921 in St. Andrews. They should be no heavier than 50 g and no less than 4.1 cm in diameter. Prior to the introduction of this rule, golfers played balls different weight and size. Since then, differences have begun between the game adopted in Europe and the Commonwealth countries, as well as American golf (the rule of which is established by the USGA). But all differences were settled in 1951, when both sides agreed to accept a common set of rules.

However, the controversy regarding the golf ball continued until 1988. Today, around the world, rules are set jointly by St. Andrews and the USGA.

Every four years, their representatives come together and discuss additions to the official golf rules. Later, in 1927, new controversy arose with the advent of the Ryder Cup championship.

Initially, Europe was represented at tournaments by golfers from Britain and Ireland.

Talented Americans won every championship between 1935 and 1985, except for 1957. It wasn't until 1979 that players outside the British Isles were allowed to play for the European Ryder Cup team, and the event took on a real competitive spirit that had been lacking before.

Probably the most prominent pre-war golfer was the American Bobby Jones. Among his achievements is worth noting the trophy Grand Slam; he was the winner of the British and American amateur championships, as well as the US Open and British Open championships in 1931.

Also a bright mark in the history of golf left Sir Henry Cotton (Sir Henry Cotton), who won the third victory in a row at the British Open in 1936, as well as Walter Hagen, four-time winner of this championship. Hagen is famous for his outrageous behavior on the pitch, such as using a Rolls-Royce as a dressing room or even giving a British Open championship prize money to his caddy.

Among the great golfers of that time, Joyce Wethered should be noted, who won five times in a row in English women's championship(English Ladies Championship) in 1924, and Glenna Collett Vare, who won the US Women's Amateur for the sixth time in 1935. In 1933, the opening of the club Augusta took place. And the first US Masters was held here in 1934, the winner was Horton Smith.

And in 1961, at this championship, South African Gary Player finally managed to defeat the Americans. The British also received several trophies, but only starting from the 1980s. When the Second World War began in 1939, tournaments in England were stopped for quite a long time. The War Department committed all rubber and metal production to military purposes and called men into service. The Americans faced the same thing in 1942 when they entered the war.

The Age of Living Legends.

The Women's PGA Association was founded in 1951 (its European counterpart did not appear until 1988) and replaced the Women's Professional Golfers Association.

The first women's open championship was held in 1946 and was won by Patty Berg.

It is safe to say that the most famous golfer of that time was “Baby” Mildred Didrikson Zarias (Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias). She won the US Women's Amateur in 1946, as well as the Women's British Amateur a year later, then open championship in America in 1948, 1950 and 1954.

It would seem that this is quite enough for one person. But she achieved such success in golf, already having three gold medals under her belt. Olympic medals By athletics and several world records set in this sport.

After the war, many professional golfers, except perhaps the great Ben Hogan (Ben Hogan), preferred competitions held in America because of the significant cash prizes.

Recognizing this fact, St. Andrews is increasing the prize money at the British Open, and this is helping to bring the best golfers back to Europe. The sixties were marked by the appearance on the golf arena of such talented golfers as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. We can say that in the seventies they were the only ones who played the game, winning one victory after another at all major championships world and taking part in the most prestigious tournaments of the international level.

Nicklaus, for example, set a record that no one else has managed to break, he won the US Open four times, the US Masters six times and won the US PGA championships five times. If the post-war period can be considered a period of women's emancipation, both socially and athletically, if we talk about golf, then the sixties were marked by the liberation from racial prejudice.

In 1961, the PGA removed from its constitution the rule that only whites could play golf. Charlie Sifford became the first black player to play in the PGA Championship, and Lee Elder became the first to play in the Masters in 1975. However, even in 1990, when the PGA took further steps to prevent racial discrimination, many clubs refused to participate in the Tour.

Perhaps only the victory of Tiger Woods in 1997 at the US Masters was able to change the attitude towards black golfers. But the most famous golf hit was Alan Shephard's putt, made in 1971 right on the moon.

This strike was watched by millions of viewers around the world. Doesn't this fact make golf the first space sport? The stick that Shepherd used to make that stunning shot is now in the USGA museum.

The palm returned to Europe only after the victory of Saverino Ballesteros at the British Open in 1979, and then at the US Masters a year later. Sandy Lyle, Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie have restored Britain's winning position in world golf. The Europeans also confirmed their status and ended a 28-year era of American dominance with a team win at the Ryder Cup in 1985, captained by Tony Jacklin.

The women's equivalent of the Ryder Cup appeared in 1990 and was called the Solheim Cup.

Until 1991, the Europeans occupied a leading position in the Sony World Rankings, and then Ian Woosnam led it. At the time Tom Morris first made £10 for winning the Open Championship, it was hard to imagine that someday golfers would become millionaires.

In 1987, Ian Woosnam achieved this by earning $1 million for winning a tournament in South Africa.

aslan wrote on October 13th, 2016

You will be surprised, but I have played golf many times. I know which stick to choose for the first and last hit, how to aim, how strong the hit should be in a side or head wind, I even know what steam and bogey are! I am the champion of Kabardino-Balkaria in my age category. But all this is in a virtual game) I play golf especially well in GTAV).

In fact, in Russia you can count on the fingers both golfers and fields suitable for playing, and there are only one or two of them in Russia - it is too elitist and inaccessible this sport, even more of a pastime.

But quite recently I managed to participate in a golf master class, and today I will tell you


I was lucky to pick up a golf club for the first time in Finland, the province of Tavastia, at the Loimijoki Golf Club. The area provided for hammering balls into the holes is not small, as it should be for such a game - 70 hectares, on which there are 18 holes and 14 lanes. Previously, there were estates, stables, but in the early 1990s, the new owner of these lands decided to arrange other entertainments here and set up a golf course here. At first, the field consisted of 9 holes, but gradually expanded to its present size, so that it was possible to fully play and hold tournaments.

If you've ever rubbed your fingers on the keys trying to put a ball into a hole, then you should know that the basic principle of the game is to put 9 or 18 balls into the holes in the minimum number of strokes.

To begin with, we, a group of bloggers, go to the store, which is located right next to the club, to steal a bag with clubs. In fact, a coach is waiting for us here, who will show you how to hold the stick correctly, what position you need to stand in and everything else. We were impressed by the prices in the store - this is a game for wealthy people, you know.

Such a carnation costs either one or two euros, this is a ball stand. And the ball itself costs about 4 euros. Imagine - bam on the ball and your 4 euros flew away into unknown distances, and the peg broke, goodbye 500 rubles, and you need to perform a lot of such blows to get into all the holes. I'm not talking like a wealthy person.

First of all, we head to the lawn, where we need to work out short blow. This stage is the last one in golf when you need to put the ball into the hole, but here we learn how to properly hold the club and hit the ball that lies on the lawn.

This very round area is called a green, the grass on it is cut very short, only about a millimeter above the ground, so that the ball can roll into the hole from light blow stick.

To practice strokes here we need a stick called a putter. To complete all the holes, up to 14 different clubs are required, which have different functions - one in order to send the ball as far as possible from the first parking lot, others for shorter distances, and for different surfaces.

Lisa and Vitalik - YouTube bloggers are filming their video, which I will show at the end of the post.

Lisa has an electronic rangefinder in her hands, with the help of which the exact distance from the place where you are standing to the flag that is stuck in the hole you need to get into will be determined. Very handy tool to help you choose the right stick.

But we won't hit that far just yet.

We noticed that among the members of the club, mostly not young players. Either golf is not very attractive to young people, or they do not have much money to be a permanent member of the club.

In fact, even a hole that seems close to you is not so easy to hit, it's not for you to press the keys.
Our blogging company with a coach (in a cap) and Might (on the far right), who showed us this place.

This is where long-distance strikes are practiced. First, we learn to hit the ball with a swing right from the carpet. You have to hit the ball.

First, strikes are practiced with such clubs - iron, their range is from 70 to 150 m.

It is important to hold the stick correctly. Actually, it's not easy. If, out of habit, you start a full cycle, then by the end of the game you can swing so much that your hands will fall off. Fortunately, the game is such that no one urges, the main thing is not speed, but the result.

The trainer shows a master class. You need to be directly under the ball, whether it is on the ground or on a peg. By the way, there are enough broken pegs lying around here.

The stick that I hold in my hands is called wood, it used to be really wooden. Designed for the most long-range strikes, up to 300 meters. The modern club has remained the same in appearance, with a massive head, but now it is made of aluminum, the head itself is hollow. I tried a blow - really long-range.

After working off the blows, we go to other areas on an electric car. For the second time in a day I do something for the first time in my life. Before that, he only drove an electric car in GTA, crushed passers-by, but this cannot be done here.

The batteries that the car runs on are located directly under the seat. They are charged right there in the parking lot from a simple outlet. The control is exactly the same as in the game - it is turned on with a button, there are gas and brake pedals and a lever for switching the direction forward / backward. There are machines from 600 thousand. up to 3.5 million rubles. Would you buy? Tesla will be cheaper)
Photos honestly stole from Lesha alexio_marziano

If you've ever watched a movie that featured golf, you've probably seen that the player has an assistant who carries all his clubs behind him and gives advice on the game from time to time - a caddy. It was difficult to play without caddies - to carry these clubs and still wave them. But over time, electric cars came instead and caddies became a thing of the past. Because of this transport, the very structure of the field had to be redone - to make paths for them, etc.

In general, it is fun to drive such a machine. But this is not a sports car, you won’t break away from your pursuers)

Golf course landscapes are quite varied. The border of the club, for example, runs along this river. Further there is a small pine forest, mounds, lakes, and fields, fields, fields.

As I said, the golf course consists of 18 holes, they, in turn, are divided into series of 2-3 holes. Each series is a small field with water hazards, sand traps, tall grass, a special lawn (green) with holes cut into it and a launch pad.

The launch pad is where the game starts and where the first kick is made. Each area where the hole is located is indicated by such a plate with a map of the area, with designations of features. Here is an example of hole number 2, which requires 3 hits to complete perfectly.

The starting area is marked with two marks showing the permissible boundaries of the zone where a ball peg (tee) can be placed.

The hole itself.

The courses for men and women at Loimijoki Golf are marked with colorful horseshoes. Yellow for men, blue for women.

Artificial lake. Can you imagine how many balls are in it? By the way, they don’t get them out of there, and that’s all - salam alaikum. There are also many of them in the river.

Here is another platform on a hill. It is more difficult and requires 5 hits to pass ideally. Pay attention to the green speck on top of this scheme - this is the green, and there is a hole in this area.

This is how the area where you want to hit looks like from the launch pad. "Do you see the gopher? No? But he is." It is impossible for an inexperienced player to see the flag that is stuck in the hole without a clue.

Let's zoom in, no, it's not visible.

Let's get closer, no, it's not visible.

Let's take a little to the left. Bingo! Here is the flag!

If you look a little to the right, you can see the flag of another hole. Here, in order to see such a hole, you need a rangefinder.

If a club member cannot afford to rent an electric car, then he is his own caddy and carries his clubs on such a cart.

But we are going back, our tour is over.

Golf, as I said earlier, is not a cheap pleasure, since the construction of golf courses and maintaining them in proper condition requires huge financial investments. All these expenses are reflected in considerable membership fees, because this sport is not available to anyone in Russia (hello crisis).

According to statistics, about a third of the members of golf clubs do not play at all: for them, being a member of the club is an image and business communication.

Thank you for reading to the end! How do you feel about golf? Have you played, would you like to play?
If you liked the post, be sure to check out the rest of the posts from Tavastia at the links below.

And finally, the very video in which you can see this golf club.

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"SE Internet" begins a series of publications on the basics and history of the new olympic style sports - golf.

Golf is a popular sport all over the world in which the player with the help of various types clubs must drive the ball into the hole using the least number of strokes. And so 18 times.

Golf is one of the few sports in which the main opponent of any player is not an opponent, but himself and his surroundings.

Golf is one of the few ball games that does not require a standard course. On the contrary, golf is played on courses, each of which has an original design. The only mandatory requirement is the presence of 9 or 18 holes. A hole is called both directly the hole in the ground where the ball rolls, and a specially prepared area several hundred meters long, and consisting of a starting area - a tee (tee), a main area - a fairway (fairway) and a green area with hole carved into it. These zones are distinguished from each other by the presence of obstacles - tall grass (rough), flowers, bushes, trees, sand bunkers and water barriers.

At the beginning of the game, the ball with the player's identification mark is placed on the starting area ("tee"). Often, for convenience, golfers use a wooden or metal support. From the tee, the player must hit the fairway, with a few strokes (depending on the type of court), pass the ball on it and end up on the green - an area with perfect grass, on which the ball rolls without interference. In order to hit the ball into the hole from the green, a special type of stick is used - a putter.

Most golf courses are about 5.5 kilometers long. It usually takes three to four hours to play 18 holes. Players move around the field on foot or in electric cars. Golfers compete individually, in pairs or in groups. Sometimes they are accompanied by caddies - assistants who carry inventory and can give advice to players.

Golf rules

The main principle of golf is: "Play the ball as it lies, play the field as it is, if neither is possible, do what is right."

The game of golf is regulated by a fairly large number of rules, but, again, unlike most other sports, it does not require the presence of a judge or referee (unless, of course, this is an official tournament). Players must know the rules themselves, be honest about the number of strokes and "play the ball as it lies".

An important component of the game of golf is etiquette - a carefully guarded tradition that has undergone almost no changes in the entire history of the game. First of all, these are good manners, respect for partners and opponents, maintaining order on the fields.

Golf score

In the main types of golf, the score is made up of the number of strokes made by the player plus the penalty that may be imposed on him. If you have completed 18 holes in 90 strokes and your opponent in 92, you have won.

The system for scoring and evaluating the level of golfers is based on a par. Par is a predetermined number of strokes that a high-level golfer must complete one hole or the entire course on a successful play.

The par for each hole is determined by its length and difficulty. A standard par-3 hole is less than 250 yards (225 meters) long, a par-4 hole is from 251 to 475 yards (225-434 meters), a par-5 hole is over 475 yards. Par-6 and par-7 holes are rare but found, predominantly in the USA. Their length can exceed 650 yards (595 meters). The steam level of a hole can also be affected by the degree of slope. If the path from the tee to the green goes down, the par may be lower than the length of the hole suggests, if up, then, accordingly, vice versa. Par can also be affected by the location of obstacles and the shape of the green.

The par of a golf course is the sum of the pars for each hole. A typical course par is 70 to 72 strokes, but most golfers rarely manage to reach this figure. The most common combination on golf courses is a combination of four par-3 holes, ten par-4 holes, and four par-5 holes. Other combinations also exist, but they are less common.

If you hit a par-4 hole in five shots, your score will be "+1". In golf they call it "gods". If you manage, for example, to clear a par-5 hole in four strokes, you will get a "-1" or "birdie". If a player drives the ball into the hole with the first shot from the tee, this is called a "hole in one" (hole-in-one) or "ace".

Golf scoring terminology:

Main types of golf

There are two main types of golf - a game on the score, in which the number of strokes on the entire field performed by each player is counted, and a match game, when the opposition on a single hole of players or teams is considered as an independent match, and the score is kept depending on the winnings. holes.

In stroke play, the score is kept for each player on each hole. The scores for each hole are added up to give the overall score for the tournament or round (the scores for the rounds also add up to form the overall score for the tournament). The player with the fewest hits is the winner. This is the way most professional tournaments are played.

In match play, golfers or teams play a mini-match on each hole. The player or team that has used the fewest strokes on the hole wins the hole. In this case, the account relative to the pair does not matter. In this case, you are not playing against the field, as in the game on the score, but directly against the opponent. If you clear the hole in four and your opponent takes five, you win the hole and lead the match 1-0. If your opponent wins the next hole, the score is all-square. If both players complete the hole in the same number of strokes, the hole is "split" and the total score remains the same. If a player wins more holes than are left on the course, he is declared the winner and the match ends.

There are also such types of games as stableford, designed to speed up the game (points are awarded to the player depending on the number of strokes on each hole), skins (players compete on each individual hole for money or for a bet), forces (a team game in which a pair a pair is played with one ball and the partners themselves decide who to hit next), fourballs (a pair is also played for a pair, but each golfer has his own ball, and all four go through the hole at the same time, the result of the participant who uses fewer strokes counts towards the match ).

Tell me, who and when invented the game of golf?



Golf is ancient game, in which the ball was driven into the hole with a wooden stick or stick. The prototype of golf was probably played in all countries where there was something resembling a lawn (shepherds on pastures), and therefore many countries attribute to themselves the fact of the birth of golf.
The first written mention of golf, which is considered to be the beginning of the official history of the game, dates back to 1457. It was then that King James forbade the game of golf, because for the sake of it his soldiers neglected their main duty - training in archery. The ban was expressed in an ordinance of the Scottish Parliament.
The essence of the game is as follows. Using different clubs (wood, iron and putter), at least two and no more than 14 must drive the ball into 18 holes. A hole is called both directly the hole in the ground where the ball rolls, and a specially prepared area several hundred meters long, and consisting of the starting zone (tee) of the main zone (fairway) and a special area (green) where the hole is cut. All these zones differ in the height of the grass and the presence of obstacles. Among the obstacles may be sand traps - bunkers, water barriers, shrubs, flowers, tall grass, etc.
If a golfer makes correct, accurate shots, then from the tee he hits the ball on the fairway, several (depending on the level of play) strokes the ball along the fairway and knocks it onto the green. A green is a playground with perfect grass that resembles a carpet or even more like a carpet. The ball can roll along it without interference and, after being hit by a putter, must fall into the hole. An important component of playing golf is golf etiquette. Golf is a game of true gentlemen, and its etiquette is a carefully guarded tradition that has undergone practically no changes in the entire history of the game. First of all, these are good manners, respect for partners and opponents, maintaining order on the fields. When playing golf, you need to remember 3 main principles: - Play the course as it is. - Play the ball as it lay down. - And if neither one nor the other is possible, do what is right.