Jack O’Leary
Mrs. Buccilli
English 11
3 December 2015
The Game of Golf
Introduction
“Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented” (Park”). Arnold Palmer, one of the greatest players in golf, properly summed up this addictive, yet frustrating game we call golf. I fell in love with this tremendous game when I was very young and have not stopped playing the game ever since. My dad introduced me to golf, and has taught me everything I know about the game up to this point in my life. I plan to use everything I learned from my dad to achieve my goal to play golf in college and possibly professionally. Many people believe that golf is not a sport due to its lack of physical contact; however, after
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Some rules are as basic as teeing a ball behind a tee marker. Other rules can be more complicated like the immovable object rule. The rule states that relief without penalty is available from immovable obstructions and unusual ground conditions in the event of physical interference with the lie of the ball, stance or swing. The player may lift the ball and drop it within one club-length of the nearest point of relief contingent upon the chance of occurring (“R&A”). When I first started to play golf with my dad, he let me hit the ball around the course regardless of all the rules I did not follow. As I got older and became better at golf, my dad began to teach me the basic rules I might come across during a round. Now, I am prepared for any situation regarding the rules and regulations in a controversial situation. Knowing these rules is beneficial to players so they do not accidentally break a rule, which would result in extra penalty
For years, golf has been one of the oldest and most traditional sports. As the equipment and golf courses have changed, the etiquette and rules have not. In golf, etiquette has been a major part of the game. Staying quiet on the course and repairing divots are a few examples of proper formality. Common rules include teeing the ball between the tee markers and marking your ball on the green. Along with these guidelines, there are rules that are controversial and seem unfair to golfers.
I did not care much about golf before I decided to come to United States, so my score was not good enough for competing. Although I had several achievements during my freshman year, I knew that my scores, usually ranging around 100, were average for my age and not remarkable. After this first season in Tallulah Falls School, I found a new determination for the sport. I practiced hard during the next summer and prepared for my sophomore year. The golf course had become my second home. When the sophomore season started, I was ready to improve my golf skills and also make some great friends. I started loving this sport with my fantastic teammates, who improved a lot-some from knowing nothing about golf to finishing eighteen holes in a match. Refusing to be slack at practices, our team worked hard to continue our path of improvement-even the harshest of weather would not stop our passionate practices. I remember once, right after the snow, we played the next day. Although the snow had melted by the
Imagine the sun bursting through the trees for the first time of the new day, the smell of freshly cut grass still potent to your nose as you tee the ball up for a round of golf in the cool mist of a spring morning. "That is what brings you back every time, the smell of the air, the coolness of the whether and the beautiful surroundings that make every shot enjoyable." (Suess, PI) This is the game of golf in its finest and most exquisite time to many people and many people it has touched in its long history. Golf is a lifestyle and not just games to people that are avid in playing. The game of golf has a history that is rich in technological advances and personal accomplishments, which through time has shown to shape
Marsden sat down with his swing coach to set up his objectives for his golf career. He realized he had a lot of work to do to reach that goal of winning a Green Jacket. Marsden’s father Jeff, had bought him a membership at Mattaponi Springs, where he would spend countless hours on the range and around the greens. Dyson had a routine he would do every day; he would hit eight perfect shots with each club in his bag. The young man then would move on to the chipping surface, he hit fifty perfect shots that had to land within three feet of the pin. Whenever he had nothing to do, he would be on the range practicing, if he didn’t answer the phone and you needed him he was at the range working. He would put in dedication into his golf game twenty four seven.
There is general agreement that the Scots were the earliest of golf addicts but who actually invented the game is open to debate. We know that golf has existed for at least 500 years because James II of Scotland, in an Act of Parliament dated March 6, 1457, had golf and football banned because these sports were interfering too much with archery practice sorely needed by the loyal defenders of the Scottish realm! It has been suggested that bored shepherds tending flocks of sheep near St. Andrews became adept at hitting rounded stones into rabbits holes with their wooden crooks. And so a legend that persists to this day was born!
I play golf for the pleasure of it; have been doing so for number years, as member, Sharjah Golf Club. I am proud of expertize I have acquired in it. It seems to be a game of hitting a dimpled white ball, placed on a holder, between relaxing walks, with a caddy in tow, whereas it requires knowledge of math, science, engineering and technology for one to be a ‘Tiger Woods’.
There has been quite a lot of significant advancement in golfing history (golf ball, golf clubs) but the biggest and most significant advancement is the rules. The rules of golf has always been the same over the years with the rules being based around regulation, procedures and penalties. Before the rules of golf were made into a book for everyone that plays, golf clubs commonly had their own set of rules. Most of the rules made by other clubs were mostly the same but had some differences by removal of loose impediments (leaves and small stones).
The game of golf is one of the oldest of today’s modern sports. Its exact beginnings are not known; however, some historians trace golf back to the Stone Age while others claim it originated from the “idle antics of shepherd boys knocking small stones into holes in the ground with a crook while their flocks grazed nearby” (Peper 1). Researched back to the time of the Roman Empire, it is also believed the sports-oriented Romans played a forerunner of the game of golf called paganica. This sport involved the use of a bent stick and a ball stuffed with wool played in the open countryside.
A matter of opinion has separated a variety of sports enthusiasts apart, due to the ongoing debate of whether golf is a sport or simply a skill. Famed golfer Arnold Palmer declared, “Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening – and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented. (ThinkQuest.com)” These words state what every athlete experiences and feels when he/she is turning a double play, making the game winning three point shot, or throwing a hail mary pass for a touchdown. Golfers are athletes too, they train for that big moment just like any other athlete, but
Fourteen clubs - four wedges, six irons, a rescue, a three wood, a driver, and a putter - this is golf. It is one of the most mentally challenging sports in the world. It can fool beginners who are deceived by its simplicity. Golf is often underestimated by those who have never attempted to play the sport. While it has often been known as a “rich man’s” sport, in recent years this perception has begun to change. There are a number of other generalizations made when talking about golf, yet these are most always from those who have never experienced, played, or followed the game. One should question how a critic with no knowledge of the activity could state whether or not golf should be considered a sport. Golf is a sport, regardless of what any critic has to say. Studies and experimentation, along with the experience itself, reveal all of the athletic aspects that make golf better than most sports.
In my essay I wrote about golf and would like to review that in a little more detail. I stated that golf is a sport and not just a game. Also, if we look back at what I said about sports, they have to fill a certain criteria that must be filled. Like all sports, if we like them, give us a lot of enjoyment, they may also have a lot of equipment, and all true sports have competition. Enjoyment is crucial in playing any sport, because how can I do something and do it well if I’m not enjoying it?
Chapter 1: Golf - Basic Information Golf is a game played by many people worldwide. Similar to chess, golf requires precision and concentration. Amateurs and professional players enjoy this game, most of them join competitions whole year round. Lots of people say that golf is easy to learn, mostly because of its simple rules. A player just needs to hit a ball into a hole.
History of the Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is the most famous team golf event in the world. The Ryder Cup is played for biannually between the USA and the European team. The tournament was founded in 1927 by Samuel Ryder and has continued to the present day. The competition was originally held between the USA and the British teams, but then in 1973 the rules changed to allow the British team to field Irish golfers. The competition finally extended in 1979 to allow all European golfers to play for the new European team. The competition has been contested once every two years since 1927 except during WWII. Since 1979, the tournament has
Since the age of four, when I was barely old enough to swing a putter, I have loved the game of golf. My dad, passing his love of the game down to me, would take me out every Sunday to Woods Edge Golf Course in Edgewood; he taught me the ins and outs and the dos and don’ts of the sport. One of the earliest memories I have of these trips to Woods Edge is being a mere couple of inches from driving the cart into a pond while dad was teeing off; this would definitely be considered a don’t in the world of golf. I received my first set of clubs for Christmas when I was eight and a year later, a pass to Pin Oak. Boy was I thrilled. I began to golf by myself and learn my own lessons through my experiences on the course. But as I grew as a golfer on my own, my dad was still there tweaking my swing in the back yard and taking trips to Edgewood with me. My dad is a big reason why I have a passion for the game of golf.
Many people take up Golf thinking that it is easy, after all, how hard can it be to hit a little white ball with a stick? This thinking evaporates the first time they step onto a driving range and attempt to hit that little white ball. Golf is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. My experience with golf began in May of 2005 when friends came to stay with us; my wife informed me that I would have to take Roy, her friend’s husband Golfing. I had not been to a driving range (since I was in my teens) and I had never played golf on a course before. It was quite an experience; the weather was cold, rainy and nasty the three times we played while they where here, the game hooked me badly, even with the bad shots and the nasty weather.