The Beginning

The origin of golf is open to debate as to being Chinese, Dutch or Scottish.  However, modern golf is considered to be a Scottish invention, as the game was mentioned in two 15th century laws prohibiting the playing of the game of gowf.  Every game of golf is based on playing a number of holes in a given order. Lots of people think that golf is the most boring televised sport there is, but I think it's because they don't really understand everything that goes into it.  The good news is golf is very popular.

The Game

Golf is one of the few ball games that does not use a fixed, standardised playing field or area; defined in the Rules of Golf as "playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules.  Every game of golf is based on playing a number of holes in a given order.  The game is won by the party that wins more holes than the other.  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, and thereupon immediately wins by one hole.  The 2 main formulas used in the game are stroke play (also known as brutto or medal) and match play.  The Stroke play formula is an individual way of playing the game as you are competing against the par of the course.  The match play formula is a game during which two players play against each other. 

A players handicap determines the quality of their game, making a player with a lower handicap better than one with a higher handicap.  However, in practice, motivated and ambitious high handicap players strive to lower their handicaps and thus the current official one they show on their cards might not be their real current level, which consequently might put them in a favourable position when playing 'net' formula games.

Summary

Golf is played professionally in many different countries.  Golf is clearly a game that is accessible to all people (provided you can pay the green fees).  Golf is a mind game more than anything else.  Filled with inspirational stories about the great players, great courses and great tournaments, GOLF IS A GAME OF CONFIDENCE encourages golfers, no matter what their level, to reach new heights in their games and their lives.  Golf is the world’s most rewarding sport.

Click Here - To Learn More About All Aspects of Golf

Joe endeavours to supply information and knowledge through the use of a variety of guides

The purpose of a golf swing is to make the golf club hit the ball to a desired position.  The full golf swing is an unnatural, highly complex motion and notoriously difficult to learn.  In fact the basic golf swing is much more physics that strength.  The golf swing is an awkward movement that puts a tremendous amount of stress on the body.  For nearly every weekend golfer, the golf swing is the number one problem out on the course.

The Swing

You will have already noted that each club has a different job to do and part of the basic golf swing is selecting the right club for the right job in the right conditions.The perfect golf swing is a personal thing, and is one that works, time and time again, to send the ball in exactly the same direction and for exactly the same distance, commensurate with club selection, time after time, weather conditions permitting.

Break the swing down into manageable parts - Using Swing Drills

If you've been on a golf course and have tried to use all your strength in the basic golf swing so that you hit the ball as far as possible, then you will have already understood that this does not quite work.  A full swing is a complex rotation of the body aimed at accelerating the club head to a great speed.  The idea behind the one plane golf swing is to have the club in the downswing follow the exact path as the backswing, enabling the golfer to hit the ball in the position it was in before beginning the backswing.

The backswing is a rotation to the right, consisting of a shifting of the player's body weight to the right side, a turning of the pelvis and shoulders, lifting of the arms and flexing of the elbows and wrists.  At the end of the swing, the weight has shifted almost entirely to the left foot, the body is fully turned to the left and the hands are above the left shoulder with the club hanging down over the players' back.

It is usually very difficult to acquire a stable and successful swing without professional instruction and even highly skilled golfers may continue to take golf lessons for many years.  

The causes of common injuries

The common causes of golf injuries include the following:

1. Overuse - caused by hours of practice

2. Miss-hits or duffs - hitting the ground during a swing

3. Poor swing mechanics

4. Over swinging

5. Not doing warm-up exercises

6. Wrong grip.  

It is also important to keep the spine vertical during the follow-through.

Shoulder injuries may be prevented with proper swing techniques which include:

1. Shortening the backswing

2. Strengthening of shoulder muscles

3. Strengthening of chest and back muscles

4. Improvement of swing techniques.  

Summary

It has been said that the perfect golf swing is the one that allows a golfer to hit the ball long and straight.  The golf swing is probably the single most important aspect of achieving a good game of golf.  Having the proper golf swing is going to take a lot of time and practice.  The perfect golf swing is the one that is effortless through good technique.

Joe endeavours to supply information and knowledge through the use of a variety of guides