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Sports
Learn How to Play
GOLF
You should learn how to play golf. A game of golf is a terrific way to exercise and get outdoors. When you play golf, you learn how to focus your attention and to develop your skill. Golf is the unofficial sport of the business world and is practically a required skill to succeed in a corporation.
The game of golf was invented centuries ago in Scotland or England, and quickly became popular. As far back as 1245 AD, King George of England complained that his subjects were spending too much time on the golf course. In recent years, television has made golf a popular game and introduced us to famous golf stars like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Annika Sorenstam and teenager Michelle Wie. As you know, the object of the golf game is simple, to get the ball into the hole with as few shots as possible. Here you will learn the basics to play the game of golf.
Learn About the Golf Clubs, Grip, Shaft and Face The basic piece of equipment for the game is the golf club. The parts of the club are the grip, the shaft and the face. The golf club has a rubber grip for a firm grasp. It has a long shaft of steel or graphite to flex and provide the kick that makes the ball fly. The face of the golf club is the point of impact for the shot. The grooves on the club face help put spin on the ball. Spin makes the ball fly farther and stops the ball when it lands. Golf clubs differ in the length of their shaft and in their loft. The longer the shaft is, the more powerful the shot. Loft is the angle of the clubface when it sits on the ground, and it varies from 10 degrees of loft on the driver to 56 degrees of loft on the sand wedge. The more loft on the clubface, the higher the ball will travel.
Learn About the Golf Clubs, Woods, Irons, Wedge and Putter The basic set of golf clubs includes three woods, nine irons, a pitching wedge and a sand wedge, plus the putter. The woods have the longest shafts of all the golf clubs in your bag and they are used for your longest shots. They are numbered 1, which is the driver, through 11. The higher the number on the club, the higher it will carry the ball. Despite their name, these days the “woods” are made out of steel or titanium. The irons, made out of steel, help you get the ball onto the green. Just like the woods, the irons with the lower numbers hit the ball longer and lower, but with some loss of accuracy. The lowest number has the longest shaft. The three shortest clubs, the 9-iron, the pitching wedge and the sand wedge, are designed to get the ball in the air, and are used for accuracy, rather than distance. Professional players call these three golf clubs the “money” clubs, because they can save you shots. Last and most important is the putter, which the pro uses for about 40% of all shots in their golf game. It has only 2-3 degrees of loft and brings accuracy for your greens shots.
