| Learning to play golf can be a mind boggling | | | | who move around the course together, each person |
| experience. It can seem like you're learning a foreign | | | | taking a turn to play his or her ball. You have to play |
| language, with terms like bogies, eagles and birdies. | | | | the ball as it lies, except in unusual circumstances |
| The key is not to be intimidated, because once you | | | | when the rules allow for the ball to be moved to a |
| get to grips with it, you won't want to stop playing. | | | | slightly better position. |
| The basic golf rules are the same for both men and | | | | In stroke competition, the total number of strokes |
| women. A player is allowed to carry a selection of up | | | | used to move the ball from the tee to the hole is |
| to 14 clubs of varying shapes, sizes, and lengths. A | | | | recorded as the player's score for that individual hole. |
| golf course generally has 18 holes spread over a | | | | The winner is the player who uses the fewest |
| landscaped area that normally includes a number of | | | | strokes to complete the course. In match play, |
| hazards, such as water, sand traps (also known as | | | | scores are compared after every hole, and a player |
| bunkers), and trees. These are designed to make the | | | | wins, loses, or halves (ties) each hole. |
| game more difficult. The varying distances between | | | | As the game has developed, the courses have |
| the holes also makes it more difficult. | | | | become more difficult to play. Saint Andrews in |
| Play on each hole is begun at the tee area, from | | | | Scotland and Augusta National in Georgia have some |
| which players "tee off" or "drive" the ball into the | | | | of the most famous and difficult courses. |
| fairway. To complete a hole, the ball must be putted | | | | If this has inspired you to take up golf, what better |
| into the actual hole or "cup". | | | | way to learn and consolidate your technique than by |
| Golf is usually played in groups of two to four people | | | | going on a golf holiday? |