Golf is played by hitting a ball with a club from a tee into a hole, using as few strokes as possible across a course of, usually, eighteen holes. It rewards accuracy and control over raw power, though the modern game has had to grapple with players hitting the ball further than ever, prompting rule-makers to look again at how much equipment should be allowed to help.
Objective
The basic goal is to complete each hole, and the round as a whole, in the fewest possible strokes. In stroke play, the winner is whoever takes the fewest shots over the full round or tournament; in match play, holes are won individually and the winner is whoever is ahead by more holes than remain to be played.
Rules and regulations
- Golf’s rules are set jointly by the R&A, based in St Andrews, Scotland, and the United States Golf Association, and apply almost everywhere outside the United States and Mexico in the R&A’s case.
- Players must play the course as they find it, without improving their lie, and play the ball as it lies, with specific exceptions for situations like an unplayable lie or a ball in a water hazard, each carrying a stroke penalty.
- A round is usually played with no more than fourteen clubs in the bag.
- Distance-measuring devices such as rangefinders are allowed under the standard rules unless a tournament committee specifically bans them through a local rule, a change from the days when all such devices were prohibited.
- Concerned about rising hitting distances at the elite end of the game, the R&A and USGA have also introduced measures allowing organisers of top competitions to require a ball that flies a shorter distance, without changing anything for everyday club golfers.
Equipment and playing area
- Courses vary widely but a standard eighteen-hole layout runs to somewhere around 6,000 to 7,000 metres from the men’s tees.
- Clubs cannot exceed 48 inches in length, other than the putter, and driver heads are limited in size and in how much spring-like effect they can generate off the face.
- Many professional tours have separately adopted a shorter maximum driver length of 46 inches for their own events.
- In India, the Indian Golf Union is the recognised national body, overseeing amateur golf, junior development and India’s representation in international events, while working within the rules laid down by the R&A and USGA.
Scoring
- Each hole has a par, the number of strokes a skilled player should need to complete it, usually three, four or five.
- In stroke play, a golfer’s score is simply the total number of strokes taken over the round, with fewer strokes being better; finishing one shot under par on a hole is a birdie, two under is an eagle, and one over is a bogey.
- In match play, the score is kept in holes won and lost rather than total strokes.
