Synbios459 said:
I've never played Golf IRL, nor do I know the rules. Would this game be hard to get into?
It's really simple - just hit the ball into the hole using as few swings as possible. I started playing in my senior year of college and now I play at least once a month.
Some golf terminology and rules for you to better understand the game:
ACE: Hole in one.
ADDRESSING THE BALL: Taking your stance and getting ready to hit the ball.
ADVICE: Can't be given on course except by your playing partner in a Four-Ball, or by a caddie.
AIRSWING: Striking at the ball intentionally and missing it. It must be counted as a shot.
ALBATROSS: A score of two on a par five.
ALIGNMENT: The arrangement of the parts of the body and clubface in relation to the target. A part of aiming.
ANGLE OF APPROACH: The steepness of descent of ascent of the clubhead's forward swing which influences the trajectory and distance a ball will travel.
APPROACH SHOT: A stroke made to or onto the putting green, or one made from the fairway in proximity to the green.
ARTIFICIAL OBJECTS: Bottles, packets, cans and such like foreign objects that can be moved without penalty.
AXIS: A straight line around which a body rotates. There are several axes in the golf swing. The one most frequently referred to is the spine, around which the upper body rotates.) Backswing: The motion of the club, hands, arms and body away from the ball creating the potential energy to be delivered downward, outward and forward through the ball.
BACKSPIN: The backward rotation of the ball on its horizontal axis influenced by the loft of the clubface, the angle of approach and the clubhead velocity. A ball struck below its center with any club that has loft, even a putter, will have backspin in the airborne portion of its flight. The greater the backspin, the steeper the ball will fly and more quickly it will stop.
BALANCE: Equilibrium in a static position, i.e., at address (see Dynamic Balance).
BALL: The round object that you hit - occasionally well.
BIRDIE: Scoring one under par.
BLADED: A shot that has a low "line drive" trajectory as a result of having been struck on the lower portion of the clubface on or above the ball's equator. (Skulled shot)
BLOCK: To prevent or delay the rotation of the arms, body, wrists or club in the forward swing.
BOBBING: Lowering then raising, or raising then lowering the swing center during the course of the swing.
BOGEY: Scoring one over par.
BORROW: The amount of compensation in aim taken on the putting green when the player has to deal with a side slope, gravity, grain or the wind's effect on the ball.
BREAK: The curved line a ball travels on the ground because of slope, grain or wind. Also, "break" may refer to the bending at a joint, like a wrist or elbow.
BUGGY: Motorized or wheeled vehicle that carts the player's clubs.
BUMP AND RUN: A shot around the green deliberately played into a bank or hill to deaden the speed while still allowing the ball to bound forward.
BUNKER: A sand filled hazard placed on a fairway or near greens - just for you. A place to dig your way out of. (Sand Trap is not in the rule book - bunker is.)
CADDIE: Person responsible for carrying a player's gear and entrusted with providing advice.
CASUAL WATER: Temporary water not marked as a hazard. Relief may be obtained by dropping the ball. (Not the same as "Formal Water" which is used only on formal occasions.)
CHIP: A shot normally played from a short distance from the green. Also something found in a variation of cookies.
CLEANING THE BALL: A ball may be cleaned whenever it is picked up legally.
CLUBS: A maximum of 14 of any variation may be carried in a competition.
COURSE: The area owned or leased by the golf club for the purpose of playing golf.
CUP: The 10.8cm hole in the putting green.
DIVOT: The piece of turf sometimes cut from the ground when you hit the ball. The turf should be replaced and filled with sand to promote regrowth.
DOUBLE BOGEY: Two over par.
DOUBLE EAGLE: See Albatross.
DRIVER: The longest club in the bag, usually a 1 or a 1 and a half wood.
DROPPING THE BALL: Hold the ball at shoulder height and arm's length to drop it correctly. The ball can be redropped if it still infringes the rules. If it still infringes the rules after being dropped a third time, then it must be placed on the spot it landed on the third drop.
EAGLE: Two under par. Also a large bird of prey.
ECLECTIC: A scoring system where only the best score is counted for each hole over a period of months.
FAIRWAY: The area from tee to green, usually defined by being closely mown.
FLAGSTICK: Supports the flag on the green.
FORE: Yell this loud and clear if it appears your ball may hit another player.
FOUR-BALL: A competition played in pairs, where the best score counts against the best score of the opponents.
FOURSOMES: A competition where two partners hit alternate shots.
GREEN: The carefully mown area of a fairway surrounding the hole. Only use a putter on this surface.
GRIP: The way the hands interlock when holding the club. Also used to describe the leather or rubber handle on the end of a club.
GROSS SCORE: The total number of shots (including penalties) taken for a round.
GROUNDING THE CLUB: The placement of the club behind the ball at address. Not allowed in a hazard.
GUR: (Ground under Repair): Areas marked by the greens staff or a committee from where a drop can be taken without penalty.
HANDICAP: A handicap is allocated to a player according to their ability allowing all players a chance to win. The lower the handicap the better the player's ability. In club play the highest men's handicap is 27 and for women 45.
HAZARD: A bunker or area on the course marked by the club as a hazard is designed to make the course more difficult as it penalizes poor play.
HOLING OUT: Getting the ball into the hole.
HOLE IN ONE: Hitting the ball into the hole from the tee with one shot. Every golfer's dream. Usually only happens on par threes but has occurred on par fours.
HONOR: The player with the best score on the previous hole has the honor and is normally the first to tee off. This can be waived in agreement with other players.
IDENTIFYING THE BALL: Each player has the responsibility to know the make and number of the ball and identically marked balls should not be used in the same group. Some players mark their balls with special marks so that the ball can be clearly identified with theirs on the course.
INDEX: Each hole has a stroke index and a match index. The stroke index usually represents the difficulty of the hole with number 1 being the hardest. The match index is used for handicap matchplay.
IRON: Those clubs other than woods or the putter. Irons have different lofts and lengths with the 9 iron hitting it shorter and higher than a 6 iron.
LOCAL RULES: Committees have the right to specify local rules to suit their course. Can change from week to week and should be read before commencing any round.
LOST BALL: Any ball that cannot be found within 5 minutes of the search commencing must be declared lost. Please note that diving in ponds to recover balls is uncouth MARKER: The person who marks the card of a player.
NET SCORE: The total number of shots taken after the handicap is deducted from the gross score.
OUT OF BOUNDS: The area outside the course usually indicated by stakes or fences.
OVERHANGING BALL: A ball which comes to rest sitting on the lip of the hole. Ten seconds are allowed before another stroke must be played to get it into the hole.
PAR: The number of shots allocated by the club for each hole and for the full round.
PENALTY: One or two shots added to the gross score for infringement of the rules.
PLUGGED BALL: Ball imbedded in its own pitch mark in the ground. It may be dropped without penalty no closer to the hole.
PREFERRED LIES: The local rules may allow you to improve your lie because of the condition of the course. You are usually allowed to clean the ball and more it no more than one card length from the original position.
PROVISIONAL BALL: A second or more ball hit from the same spot as the last shot when the first ball may be lost or out of bounds.
PUTT: A stroke played on the green - usually with a putter.
PUTTER: A club designed for use on the green.
ROUGH: The area outside the closely mown fairway on each hole.
SAND WEDGE: An iron designed specially to get the ball out of a sand bunker.
SCORE: The number of strokes taken on each hole.
SEARCHING FOR A BALL: Players are allowed five minutes to search for a ball before declaring it lost. Groups behind should be called through if they are ready to play.
SLOW PLAY: You are required to keep up with the group in front of you at all times. Slow play can be penalized. It's common courtesy as well.
STAKES: Identified by different colours. Check the local rules to identify what the colours mean.
STAKED TREES: Usually a free drop is allowed from staked trees to avoid damage to them. Check the local rules.
STANCE: Placing your feet firmly and getting ready to play the ball.
STROKE: The forward movement of the club to hit the ball is counted as a stroke. If there is an intention to hit the ball and the player misses, that is also counted as a stroke.
SWING: The movement of the club along an arc, away from the ball and then following through.
TEE: A peg on which to place the ball/ the area set aside at the beginning of the hole to indicate the starting point.
TEE MARKERS: The colored markers placed on the teeing area to indicate the starting line.
WATER HAZARD: An area of water permanently on the course which is marked with stakes or oil lines.
WEDGE: A specially designed iron used close to the green for high, short shots.
