THE GAME OF GOLF was first played in Scotland some 400 years ago. Players are required to hit a ball, using a wooden or iron club, from a smooth level point or “teeing ground,” down the “fairway,” and on to a putting green where the target hole is located. The fairway is a strip of clear land along which there are natural hazards—such as ponds and streams, man-made hazards—such as bunkers (sand pits), and rough (areas of uncut grass). Championship golf courses have 18 holes. The object
of the game is to hit the ball into each hole in turn, and to complete the “round” using as few strokes as possible. Players compete individually or in teams, playing the course together in groups of two, three, or four. The two basic forms of competition are match play and stroke play. In match play, the side winning the majority of holes over a certain number of rounds wins the match. In stroke play, the winner is the player who finishes a certain number of rounds having made the fewest strokes.
