The popularity of the game of golf has increased tremendously over the past forty-five years, giving us great champions like Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman, and Tiger Woods and world-renowned courses like Pinehurst, St. Andrews, Augusta National and the Blue Monster at Doral.

Why should playing golf have taken off like that? I think it has to be because by playing golf you are being active outdoors with friends or colleagues competing in a leisurely game that you can never perfect.

Your scorecard, over time, will demonstrate your improvement, which keeps you playing time and time again.

This is the first lesson for the novice golfer who doesn’t know anything about golfing.

The typical round of golf is played on a course of eighteen holes, each or which has its own ‘par’. Par is the total number of shots it should take a player to complete that hole, ie all the tee shots (drives), fairway shots, chips (short shots onto the green) and puts into the hole.

The par number is based on the length and difficulty of the hole. Pars range from 3 to 6. If you get the ball in the hole in five shots on a par five hole, you “made par.” If it took you six shots, its called a bogie, if you made it in four, its a birdie.

All the holes on a golf course will have at least one ‘hazard’ to make the game more challenging and therefore more interesting. These hazards are usually: sand traps, trees and bodies of water, which are set up in such a way as to be obstructive. A beginner at golf should seek out a course which has fewer and less obstructive hazards so it is easier to play.

Each player keeps his or her own score, marking the total number of shots for each hole. At the end, each person adds up their scores – the one with the lowest number is the winner.

Please don’t take your score or your lack of skill to heart when you are a beginner golfer, because, although the professionals make it look simple, it takes many years to play the game well.

Take a lesson or two at the start of your golfing ‘career’, because it will help you develop a proper swing and help you get off to a good start.

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