The Anatomy of Golf

Have you ever been invited to play a round of golf, and realized when you got there, you have no idea what you are suppose to do? Well, this will help you know your surroundings when you get to the course so you aren't in the dark about you situation.

The game is played on what is a course, of which I previously said. It consists of 9 or 18 holes. Each hole is the target of your ball and you want to get your ball there in the fewest shots as possible. Each time you hit the golf ball this is called a "Stroke."

Teeing GroundWhen you get on the course with your clubs, you start on the first hole at a place called the Tee. Officially it is called the "Teeing Ground," but you are trying to fit in and everyone just uses the shortended version of it. This is the beginning of each hole. It is where you hit the golf ball off a short wooden or plastic peg for a better first shot.

FairwayThe fairway is generally where a player would want to hit on to from their tee shot. If the ball goes off the point of where you wanted it, it could land in a place called the "Rough," which is basically grass that is much higher than that of the fairway. It is much harder to hit out of which is why you would aim for the fairway.

HazardOther than the Rough, there are much worse things on a golf course that can cause trouble to the score you are aiming at. These golf course hazards include water hazards like lakes, and rivers. If you hot your ball in to one of those, you will get charged a one stroke penalty. A different hazard is called a bunker or a sand trap. A bunker or a sand trap is exactly what it sounds like. It is a big whole of sand that traps the ball and makes it harder to hit out of. You would generally want to just hit the ball and try not to hit the sand at all. Other hazards include trees, denser vegetation, and bushes.

Putting GreenAfter getting through the most part of the hole, you come to the nearest part near the actual hole called the "Putting Green." The Putting Green will have the shortest grass on the course and consist of an area where you line up your ball with the hole. But that isn't as easy as it sounds. Each Putting Green is unique with small hills and slopes that can change the direction your ball goes. This is why you must study the hole a bit before attempting to put the all in. Your club, called a putter, will be different from the other clubs. It is a flat faced club which makes the ball roll along the ground towards the hole until the ball comes to rest in the cup.

ScoringWhen you play a hole, you want to have your strokes under a certain level depending on the length of the hole. Having an even amount of stoke with out going over is called "Par".