Golf - a rather simple game really in which the object of the game is to hit a little ball into a little hole in the fewest amount of strokes possible, and repeating the process 17 other times. Of course, in practice participants will find that it is a bugger of a game and nearly impossible to consistently achieve low scores!

Players may play individually or in teams, playing the course together in groups of two, three or four. The two basic forms of play are match play, in which the object is to win the most holes, and stroke play, in which the object is to finish with the fewest strokes.

Required equipment

A ball - A regulation ball must be a minimum of 1.68 inches in diameter and weigh a maximum of 1.62 ounces. Balls may be of any color, though white is preferred. All balls have exactly 336 dimples (go ahead, count them if you don't believe us!) to help improve the accuracy and distance of their flight upon being struck.

Clubs - Used for striking the ball, there are three distinct types and players may carry no more than 14 in a game. The first type are the "woods." Woods are used for long shots, are numbered from one to nine according to shape, and have heads that are usually broad from front to back and made of wood, plastic or lightweight metal. The second type are the "irons." Irons have relatively narrow heads from back to front, are made of steel or some other type of metal, and are numbered from one to 10. These clubs are used for shorter distances, for example a three iron is the distance equivalent of a four wood. The final type of club is the "putter." Putters are used for shots on the putting green (the area directly surrounding the cup).

That's it, no other equipment is required, although many golfers wear special spiked shoes, gloves and silly looking clothing.

Courses

Most golf courses consist of 18 holes varying in length from 100 to 600 yards and containing the following features:

1. The Tee - Where play begins, this area is rectangular in shape with markers for where the ball should be positioned as determined by gender.
2. The Fairway - A closely mown strip running from the tee to the putting green (qv.) along which players try to hit the ball.
3. The Rough - The unprepared areas flanking the fairway, usually mown but not as closely or consistently as the fairway.
4. The Hazards - As if this game wasn't hard enough, hazards are sand bunkers or areas of water placed so as to add to the difficulty of the shot.
5. The Putting Green - The area surrounding the cup, which is usually very closely cropped. The greens are often flanked by bunkers or rough to make missing the green on the fly difficult to recover from without added strokes.

Scoring

A player who completes the hole (in the case of match play) or the course (in the case of stroke play) in the fewest number of strokes is the winner.

Par is the score a perfect golfer would need in order to complete a given hole. Par is generally calculated on the length of the hole and ranges from par 3 up to par 5. Having one stroke under par is called a "birdie," having two strokes under par is called an "eagle," obtaining a "hole in one" is called an "ace." Having one stroke over par is called a "bogey," having two strokes over par is called a "double bogey," having three strokes over par is called a "triple bogey," and anything more than three strokes over par is called "having a bloody bad day."