Being A Member At A Golf Course Has Its Advantages and Benefits

Golf Ball ... Under the Rules of Golf, a golf ball weighs no more than 1.620 oz (45.93 grams), has a diameter not less than 1.680 in (42.67 mm), and performs within specified velocity, distance, and symmetry limits... Like golf clubs, golf balls are subject to testing and approval by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and the United States Golf Association, and those that do not conform with regulations may not be used in competitions (Rule 5-1)... History Hard Wooden balls were the first used golf balls until the early 17th century, when the featherie ball added a new and exciting feature to the game of golf...

Handicap (golf) ... The R& A (now a separate organization from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club), based in St Andrews, Scotland, is responsible for the authorization of handicap systems in all golf playing countries except the United States and Mexico (where United States Golf Association rules apply)... The administration of handicapping systems in countries affiliated to the R& A is the responsibility of the national golf associations of those countries...

Men's Major Golf Championships ... Masters" outside North America) is played at the same course, Augusta National Golf Club, every year, while the other three rotate courses (the Open Championship, however, is always played on a links course)... Each of the majors has a distinct history, and they are run by four different golf organizations, but their special status is recognized worldwide... Major championship winners receive the maximum possible allocation of 100 points from the Official World Golf Ranking, which is endorsed by all of the main tours, and major championship prize money is official on the three richest regular (i.e...

Gap Wedge ... The Karsten Manufacturing Company, maker of the Ping brand of golf clubs, used to label its gap wedges with "U" for "utility wedge"...

Hybrid (golf) ... For many players, long irons (numbers 1-4) are difficult to hit even with modern clubfaces, due to the low trajectory and very small face of the low-loft clubhead. Players tend to avoid these clubs in favor of fairway woods, but such woods, having longer shafts, have a different swing mechanic that is sometimes difficult to master...

Tee ... A standard golf tee is 2.125" (two and one eighth inches = 5.4 cm) long, but both longer and shorter tees are permitted... There are also many biodegradable, ecological and recycable golf tees that diminish the number trees cut down to manufacture the tees and allow golf courses to lower costs by not having to deal with the broken wooden tees on their courses... According to the R& A rule book, for a tee to be legal, "It must not be longer than 4 inches (101.6 mm) and it must not be designed or manufactured in such a way that it could indicate the line of play or influence the movement of the ball." History The development of the tee was the last major change to the rules of golf...

Golf Stroke Mechanics ... For all golfers, it consists of a pre-stroke: (in which golfer choose which club they want and their stance) and the actual stroke. The pre-swing Many golfers' pre-swing looks like this: Golfers start with the non-dominant side of the body facing the target...

Pitching Wedge ... This is for a number of reasons: first, before the term "wedge" became common for high-loft short irons, the pitching wedge was actually numbered as the "10-iron" of a matched set, and to this day it follows the normal loft progression of the numbered irons. Also, even though it has been named a wedge, many matched iron sets for retail sale include the pitching wedge even when not including other wedges...

Professional Golfer ... Professional golfers are divided into two main groups, with a limited amount of overlap between them: The great majority of professional golfers (at least 95%) make their living from teaching the game, running golf clubs and courses, and dealing in golf equipment... The senior professional golfer at a golf club is usually referred to as the club professional, but at a large golf club or resort with several courses his job title is likely to be director of golf... A golfer who concentrates wholly or nearly so on giving golf lessons is a teaching professional, golf instructor or golf coach...

Professional Golf Tours ... Golf is one of the more lucrative sports in the world for both men and women, but it has a very different structure from other sports, especially team sports... For the less successful, trying to make a living from tournament golf can be precarious: tournaments have entry fees and the associated costs of travel and lodging, plus the hire of a caddy... In the early days of professional golf in each region of the world each professional tournament was established by a separate golf club, golf organisation or commercial sponsor...

History Of Golf ... Ling Hongling of Lanzhou University suggests that a game similar to modern-day golf was played in China since Southern Tang Dynasty, 500 years before golf was first mentioned in Scotland... Andrews, one of the oldest Scottish golf organisations, said "Stick and ball games have been around for many centuries, but golf as we know it today, played over 18 holes, clearly originated in Scotland." The word golf, or in Scots gouf, is usually thought to be a Scots alteration of Dutch "colf" or "colve" meaning "stick, "club", "bat", itself related to the Proto-Germanic language *kulth- as found in Old Norse kolfr meaning "bell clapper", and the German Kolben meaning "mace or club"...

Golf Instruction ... Proficiency in teaching golf instruction requires not only technical and physical ability, but also knowledge of the rules and etiquette of the game... Golf instruction is best performed by recognised teachers certified by the relevant bodies; in the United States, the recommended teachers are those who are PGA Class A Professionals although many of the greatest teachers are not affiliated to the PGA ... Instructors use a combination of physical conditioning, mental visualization, classroom sessions, club fitting, driving range instruction, on-course play under real conditions, and review of videotaped swings in slow motion to teach golf...

Par (score) ... Some golf courses feature par-sixes and, albeit very rarely, par-sevens, although the latter are not recognised by the United States Golf Association... Typical championship golf courses have par values of 72, comprising four par-threes, ten par-fours, and four par-fives...

Driving Range ... Driving ranges are particularly popular in Japan where golf courses are overcrowded and often very expensive...

Hazard (golf) ... which may be of three types: (1) water hazards such as lakes and rivers; (2) man-made hazards such as bunkers; and (3) natural hazards such as dense vegetation. Special rules apply to playing balls that fall in a hazard...