Golf is a very old game.  it is thought that the game of golf originated in Scotland around 1100. 

Where is the oldest playing golf course?  It is the Musselburgh Old Link Golf Course, and guess who played there?  In 1567 Mary, Queen of Scots played there!

I bet you thought golf courses always had eighteen holes.  Not so!  Golfers at St Andrews, in Fife, as early as the 15th century, dictated by the topography played a course that featured eleven holes.  They would play the holes out, turn around, and play the holes back.  This totaled 22 holes.  Later some of the holes were considered too short alnd were combined.  The number was reduced to nine holes, and a complete round was 18 holes.

In 1930 the metal shaft was introduced and the wooden golf tee was invented.  In the 1970's steel and titanium began to replace wood heads and shafts were being made of "graphite" around 1980.

Have you ever wondered why golf balls have "dimples"?  These dips on the surface of the ball decreases the drag and makes it possible for the ball to fly further.

Now you can impress all of your golfing buddies with your knowledge of the trivia of the game of golf.

There are almost 32,000 golf courses in the world.  Almost half of them are in the United States, Scotland, Australia, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Sweden,England,Canada, Wales amd the United States.  These countries have the most golf courses in relationship to population.  Except for Sweden almost all of these countries are English speaking countries.  In the mid 1980's the first golf course in the People's Republic of China opened and there were more than 200 courses in that country by the year 2005.

Since World War I the largest number of professional golfers have come from the United States.  Australia and South Africa are also strong in the sport.  Other countries that have produced leading players are Japan, Scandinavian, and other Western Euriopean countries.  South Korea is the country that is strong in women's golf.

Since golf has become so popi;ar many vacations and travel plans have centered around luxury golf resorts.

In 2005 the National Golf Foundation has reported that the number of people who play golf 25 or more times per year has fallen from 6.9 million  to 4.6 million in 2000.

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A round of golf is 18 holes that are played in the order determined by the layout of the course.  If you are plalying on a nine-hole course then a standard round is made up of two successive nine-hole rounds.  A hole of golf is when you hit the ball from a tee on the teeing box, and after the ball comes to rest, hitting it again.   This is repeated until the ball is in the cup.  After the ball is on the green the ball is putted into the hole.  The goal is to hit the ball into the hole with as few strokes as possible. 

Each player can act as scorer for another player in the group.  The score is recorded on the score card.  The score consists of the number of strokes played plus any penalty strokes.  Penalty strokes are points added to the score for violations of rules or utilizing relief procedures.  Penalty strokes happen most often when a player has hit the ball into a situation from which they cannot or choose not to play the ball as it lies (for ex. in a water hazard or because they have lost their ball.  Penalty strokes are counted toward the player's score as though it was a swing at the ball.  A penalty could be add for ex. if moving an object that effects the ball to  move, or a lost ball. Most infractions could lead to disqlualifications, for ex. cheating or from rule infractions that lead to improper play.

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The goal of the game is to play as few strokes per round as possible.  Scores for each hole are as follows:

TERM ON A SCOREBOARD                    SPECIFIC TERM                           DEFINITION

-4                                                                  condor (triple-eagle)                      4 strokes under par*

-3                                                                  Albatross (or Double-Eagle)         3 strokes under par

-2                                                                  Eagle                                                  2 strokes under par

-1                                                                  Birdie                                                   1 stroke under par

0                                                                    Par                                                         strokes equal to par

+1                                                                  Bogey                                                    1 stroke more than par

+2                                                                   Double Bogey                                      2 strokes over par

+3                                                                    Triple Bogey                                         3 strokes over par

*PAR:  The number of strokes a skilled golfer should require to complete play to the hole.  The par of a hole is determined by the tee-to-green distance.

There are two basic forms of playing golf - Match Play and Stroke Play/Stableford Points Scoring.

MATCH PLAY:  Two players (or two teams) play each hole as a separate contest against each other.  The party with the lower score wins that hole, or if the scores of both players or teams are equal the hole is "halved" (drawn).  The game is won by the party that wins more holes than the other.  If one party has a lead of six holes, and only five holes remain to be played on the course, the match is over.  At any given point, if the lead is equal to the number of holes remaining, the match is said to be "dormie", and is continued until the leader increases the lead by one hole, therefore winning the match, or until the mlatch ends in a tie.  When the game is tied after the predetermined number of holes have been played, it may be continued until one side takes a one-hole lead.

STROKE OR STABLEFORD POINTS:  Every player (or team) counts the number of shots taken for each hole.  In STROKE PLAY the score achieved for each and every hole of the round or tournament is added to produce the total score.   The player with the lowest score wins (this is the game usually played by professional golfers).

In STABLEFORD POINTS PLAY (originated by Dr. Frank Stableford) the player gains points for the score acheived on each hole of the round or tournament  (1 point for bogey, 2 points for par, 3 points for eagle, 4 points for albatross).  The points gained for each hole of the round is added to produce the total points score, and the player with the highest score wins. 

'Official" forms of play are foursome and four ball games.

What is a foursome?  A foursome is two teams of two players each.  There is only one ball and players alternate playing it.  For example players A & B form a team, A tees off on the first hole,  B will play the seconc shot, A plays the third shot, and so on until the hole is finished.  On the second hole, B will tee off (regardless of who played the last putt on the first hole). then A plays the second shot, and so on.  Foursomes can be played as match play or stroke play.

Also played between two teams of two players each is a Four-ball.   Every player plays his own ball and for each team, the lower score on each hole is counted.  Four-balls also can be played as match play or stroke play.

Some of the unofficial variations on team play are: 

SCRAMBLE (also known as Ambrose).  Each player in a team tees off on each hole, and the players decide which shot was best.  Every player then plays his second shot from within a clublength of where the best ball has come to rest, and the procedure is repeated until the hole is finished.

BEST BALL.  Each player plays the hole as normal, the lowest score of all the players on the team counts as the team's score.

GREENSOME, also called "modified alternate shot".  Both players tee off, and then pick the best shot, as in scramble.  The player who did not shoot the best first plays the second shot.  The shot is as in scramble.  The play alternates as in foursome.

GRUESOMES, BLOODSOMES OR GRUESOME GREENSOMES.  A variant of greensome is sometimes played where the opposing team chooses which of their opponent's tee shots the opponents should use.  The player who did not shoot the chosen first shot plays the second shot.  Play then continues as a greensome.

SHOTGUN.  This form is mainly used for tournament play.  A "shotgun start" consists of groups starting at different tees, allowing for all players to start and end their round at the same time.

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What is a handicap?  A handicap is a numerical measure of an amateur golfer's ability to play golf over 18 holes.  Handicap systems are not used in professional golf.

There are two types of competition - stroke play and match play.  In either competition a handicap usually represents the number of strokes above par that a player will achieve on an above average day. 

STROKE PLAY competition.  In stroke play the competitors handicap is subtracted from their total "gross" score at the end of the round.

In MATCH PLAY handicap strokes are assigned on a hole-by-hole basis, according to the handicap rating of each hole, which is provided by the course.  The hardest holes receive the first handicap and the easiest holes receive the last handicap strokes. 

Calculating handicaps are representative of the average over par of a number of a player's previous above average rounds, adjusted for course difficulty.  Calculation of handicaps differs among countries. 

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Rules and Some Regulations - From THE RULES OF GOLF (R&A, USGA)

Greetings from:  J&C Treasures, Inc. - Your #1 Golf Store  - http:  http://www.yourgolfclubpro.com/.  Jeanne MacDonald, President

Fairness is the name of the game!  The official rule book states:  "Play the ball as it lies", "Play the course as you find it", and "if you can't do either, do what is fair".

Below are rules that state:

     every player is entitled and obliged to play the ball from the position where it has come to rest after a stroke, unless a rule allows or demands otherwise.  (Rule 13-1)

     a player must not accept assistance in making a stroke (Rule 14-2)

     the condition of the ground or other parts of the course may not be altered to gain an advantage, except in some cases defined in the rules.

     a ball may only be replaced by another during play of a hole if it is destroyed (Rule 5-3), lost (Rule27-1), or unplayable (Rule 28), or at some other time permitted by the Rules.  The player may always substitute

     balls between the play of two holes.[23]

In addition to printed rules there are guidelines for Golf Etiquette that cover such matters as safety, fairness, ease and pace of play, and care of the golf course.

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GREETINGS FROM J&C TREASURES, INC - YOUR #1 GOLFING STORE.  I am Jeanne MacDonald, President, and I welcome any questions or suggestions of topics for my newsletter.  Email me at:  jmacdonald@carolina.rr.com.

WHAT ARE THE NEW HYBRID GOLF CLUBS?  Do they really make that much difference in your game of golf?  Who developed these new Hybrids?  Gary McCord, the TV announcer and former PGA pro, developed these new Hybrids.  Let's talk about what he did to make this a new and better club. 

First, what is a Hybrid?  A Hybrid is a combination of a wood and an iron.  To accomplish this the manufacturer took an iron shaft and put a new kind of head on it.  So what was different about the head?  The head had the features of a wood - hence the combination of a wood and a iron.  These new Hybrids have a wide sole, with a low-back center of gravity and more mass.  Well, that sounds great, but what makes them so different?  It is the shaft that makes them different.  For example, the shaft length on a 2 iron is approximately 39 inches, and the length on a 5 wood is about 42 inches.  The new Hybrids fall somewhere in between.

How does this help your golf game?  A longer club goes further because the longer club produces more clubhead speed, which tends to make the ball go higher, and that creates a different problem.  That extra speed can make the club harder to control, because iron shafts are thicker than wood shafts.  So how is the problem solved?

A HYBRID CLUB

is more accurate than a lofted wood

will not go quite as far as a lofted wood

is easier to hit the ball because it is shorter than a lofted wood

A HYBRID CLUB

is easier to hit because the head has more mass and a lower center of gravity than a long iron

will make the ball go higher, further and land softer than a long iron

is better out of sand and bad lies than a long iron

Today you have many choices when buying Hybrid clubs.  You have a choice of lofts, different sole widths, and face heights.  You can also get choices in lengths. There are a couple of points to remember in choosing a Hybrid.  Remember that the lower and further back the center of gravity, the higher the ball will fly.  Also remember the longer the shaft the further the ball will go.  But, a downside is that the extra length may make it harder for you to control.

Hybrid Golf Club Irons can be costly to purchase, however, they do not have to be that way.  It is a total waste of time and money to buy expensive golf clubs since you can purchase them at a reasonable price, and often cheaper clubs perform better.  Many times you are paying for the brand name with the expensive clubs.  All clubs are manufactured according to the highest standards.

It is a good idea to learn about golf clubs in order to be able to make the best selection for your money.  Golf clubs are manufactured for beginners to professionals, short and tall players, right hand and left hand players.  There are clubs manufactures to suit every golfers needs.

I HAVE JUST ADDED MANY NEW HYBRID CLUBS TO MY WEBSITE.  BE SURE TO LOOK THEM OVER.  HAPPY GOLFING!!

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