The Sport of Golf

GOLF EQUIPMENT: GEARING UP PROPERLY FOR GOLFPost title

2011-10-11T21:22:00.000-07:00

bumgarneresb ©2011

Like any other sports, golf requires that you are geared up correctly to be able

to properly play the game. This article will give you an idea of basic golf

equipment one requires to be able to learn and play golf.

For starters, the basic golf equipment is a golf ball. Golf balls are dimpled tiny

balls, use in to play golf. They are dimpled to reach farther length when

driven by golf clubs. 

Another important golf equipment is a golf club or golf driver. Golf drivers

come in different varieties. This is because a golf course has different

landscapes and different golf clubs are required to make the proper drive.

Depending on the landscape, either sand, grass or cement, a golf club is

essential to make the perfect drive.

Professional golfers usually have a bag  or two of golf clubs to cater to

their golf needs. Most golf stores and sports equipment store sell golf clubs.

Some golf clubs are sold in sets while other are sold individually.


To protect your golf equipment, such as your golf club, a golf bag golf club

cover is essential. A golf bag will, of course, hold your golf club in one place

and will make it easier for your caddy to bring your many golf clubs. Golf bags

can also hold golf balls and other golf equipment like water bottle to quench

your thirst while under the sun or extra shirt or your regular shoes.

On the other hand, a golf club cover covers the edge of your golf club. This is

done so to protect your golf club from unwanted scratches and dents. Dents

can cause your drive to go from okay to bad. Dents in golf clubs can affect the

drive of your golf ball. With these golf equipment, you can take care of the

state of your club and your game.


One golf equipment that you need to invest on is a good pair of golf shoes.

Golf shoes are different from usual rubber shoes or walking shoes. Golf

shoes are created to walk on greens - the type where the sport is played.

Golf shoes usually have pointed rubber under the soles to grip the earth and

sand under your feet.

This way, unnecessary shaking or moving is avoided. This is important

because shaking can cause you to not hit the golf ball or to hit the golf ball

in the wrong direction.

If you plan to play professional golf a good pair of golf shoes is a necessary

golf equipment to add up to your list. Choose one that is sturdy yet

comfortable enough for you to walk into. Golf is a sport that requires walking

from one hole to another or to where your ball landed (you can not use golf

carts on the greens) and thus, if your golf shoes are uncomfortable, you

would have a hard time concentrating on your game.


A golf equipment usually provided by most golf courses (aside from the golf

ball) is the tee. The tee is the tiny pin like thing that you punch to the ground

to stand your ball into. The tee is use in teeing off (the start of your first drive)

thus the name. 

The most amazing golf equipment ever created (for me, that is) is the golf

cart. Golf carts can take you from one hole to the other, though as I said

earlier they are not allowed on the greens, they still lessen the burden of

having to walk under the hot sun.

This golf equipment can be acquired from  golf courses. Golf players are

usually made to use golf equipment such as this to give them a better and

easier time playing the sport.


Many specialty shops and sport shops offer golf equipment. The Internet

is also a good source of golf equipment. Second hand golf equipment are

even auctioned off the Internet, if you are on a tight budget. Check out

your local golf shop, sports shop, specialty shops, E-bay or Yahoo! for

your golf equipment needs.

Golf Holidays to Get Away From It All

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If you have been working too hard for too long and just need to get away and

play some golf, you will want to check out golf holidays package vacations

from your travel agent.  These travel arrangements are often referred to as

"stay and play" plans because you stay at a certain hotel and receive rights to

play at a certain golf course while you are there.

When making these arrangements, make sure there are not special

requirements that will make playing inconvenient or impossible for you.

Some of these plans require you to limit your arrival dates and departure

dates or have other unacceptable limits so read the fine print.

You can take golf holidays to all sorts of locations depending on your

personality and desires.  For instance, you can choose to golf in a course

located near or in a major city, taking in museums or theatres when not

golfing.  Or you might choose to visit a golf course in an area of rugged

natural beauty such as the mountains.

While there, you might take a day to fish instead of golf.  Whatever your

needs, you can find golf holidays packages to meet your needs.

Are you going to take your own golf clubs with you when you travel on

golf holidays?  You probably would prefer to use them rather than the

clubs that can be rented at the course to which you are travelling.  If you

choose to take them with you, you will need to think about the arrangements

a bit.

For instance, do you have a really high quality golf club bag which will protect

those expensive golf clubs.  If not, you'd better get one.  You won't be able to

carry your clubs on if you are flying, so you'll need a bag that can take airport

luggage handling and still protect your clubs.  So get a good one.

When picking a destination for golf holidays, pick the course you wish to play

on first, and then find out about lodging at hotels, resorts, or stay and play

package plans.  Make sure the tee times that are set for you when choosing

a stay and play package are going to work for you.  People who are staying

at a golf course's own resort generally get first serve when choosing tee times.

If it's really important to you to get the tee time you desire, it may be worth it

to you to stay at the resort instead of a less expensive hotel.  Either way, you

are sure to find refreshment and restoration when taking golf holidays.

A History of Golf

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What country invented ‘golf?’ Many countries did. If there were sticks and objects
that could be hurtled along, then there was ‘golf.’ No one knows for certain who
started golf. But everybody knows who plays it now — everyone does.

The origin of the name ‘golf’ is believed to be the Dutch word of 'colf,' which
means 'club.' In the medieval ages, golf was also known as “spel metten colve,’
which literally meant 'game with clubs.'

Nearly every area around the world has some claim to the origination of golf.
Scotland, of course, has its claim. But so do China, Rome, England, France,
Holland, Belgium, even Laos. Every country has a game consisting of sticks and
balls, and every country is correct in its assumption that it invented the game.
But there is no one country where ‘golf’ actually began.

Still, Scotland is widely considered to be birthplace of golf. And it began
haphazardly, a way of hitting a pebble or other roundish object into a hole
by means of a stick or club.

Edinburgh, Scotland, claimed the first golfing society. The Gentlemen
Golfers – later known as the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers and today
in residence at Muirfield – claim their club was already under way in 1744.

The first inter-Scotland club matches were played in 1857. The world would
wait until 1860 for the first British Open to be played.

The British Open was being played 35 years before the U.S. Open. It has been
called “The World Open.” Players from around the globe participate, as they
have for a century or more. The British Open is all-inclusive. The U.S. Open
has been moving in that direction for the last decade. But the British Open
has been accepting a cast from around the world since the turn of the century.

It is not known for certain when golf came to America — only that when it got
a toehold in the 20th century, America became the world leader in great players.
By 1900, the explosion of the game in America was complete. Proof was that, at
the turn of the century, there were more golf clubs in the United States than
there were in Britain.

Tiger Woods came upon the scene in 1996. He won eight times in 1999, nine times
in 2000, and won the four major championships in succession in 2000-2001,
starting with the U.S. Open in 2000. Should his career be as successful in his
30s and 40s as it has been in his 20s, he will assume the mantle of “best player
ever.”

Women have played a very large part in the history of golf, even before the last
half of the 20th century when they finally achieved equality with men. Records
of ladies playing golf exist all the way back to the time of Mary Queen of Scots.

Visit the French Connections website http://www.frenchconnections.co.uk for Golf
Holidays in France.