A Beginner's Guide to the Rules of Golfing

Looking to climb the corporate ladder? Want to hob-nob with the elite? Or perhaps you're just looking for an active new hobby?

Golf and business relations go hand in hand. But it's also a great past time.

If you want to learn more about this all-ages sport, here are the basic golf rules you need to know.

The Objective

The ultimate goal in golf is to get your golf ball into the hole. A typical golf course has 18 holes, each with its own playing area.

The fewer strokes it takes to get your ball into the hole, the better your score is. Each hole is located several hundred yards away from the starting point, or "teeing ground."

There are several different ways to play the game. In the most common format, each person in your group will take their first stroke.

After everyone has taken the first stroke, you each locate your ball and take your next stroke This continues until everyone is finished.

The Scoring

A large part of understanding golf is understanding the scoring. Your score is the number of strokes it takes you to hit the ball into each hole. That means that the person with the lowest score wins.

In some cases, scoring is stated in terms of "par." The par for each hole is the number of strokes a good player would need on that hole.

Each golf course has its own par. Most are somewhere around 72 par for the full course. This tends to include a mixture of par three, par four, and par five holes.

The Basic Golf Rules

As with most sports, the rules of golf can be complex. However, here are the basics you need to know:

1. Moving the Ball

As you're playing a hole, the rule is that you need to "play the ball as it lies." That means you can't move the ball to create an easier shot for yourself.

There are a few exceptions. On standard parts of the course, you can remove leaves that cover your ball. You can also remove artificial impediments like litter and rakes.

If your ball lands in a "hazard" like a pond or a sand trap, the rules are different. You can only move enough material to let you see part of the ball.

The rules are also different on the green: the darker green area surrounding the hole. If your ball is on the green, you can't move it but you can remove anything that blocks its path.

2. Order of Play

At the first hole, your group can tee off in any order you choose. When you make your next strokes, though, the person whose ball is farthest from the hole will play first.

When you finish one hole and move onto the next, the person with the best score on the previous hole will play first on the next hole.

3. Handicaps

You may have heard golfers ask each other, "What's your handicap?" Your handicap is a score that reflects your typical performance: how far above par you tend to be.

Calculating your handicap can be tricky because a handicap with high accuracy accounts for each course's difficulty. The best way to get an accurate handicap is to play at least ten times on the same course and turn in your scores to the clubhouse.

After you know your handicap, you can use this to even the playing field when playing against more experienced golfers.

Practice Makes Perfect

Now that you know the basic golf rules, hit the links and start playing! There are certain aspects of golf that you'll only learn by playing with experienced golfers who can explain situations as they arise.

If you're looking for a great course for your next golf outing, contact our golf club to schedule a tee time to schedule a tee time!