A handicap in golf is not a reference to what’s keeping you from playing a great game.  Your handicap is the numerical measure of an amateur golfer’s ability to play the game over the course of its 18 holes.  This number represents how many strokes above par that a player will achieve on any typical day; this number is subtracted from their total score at the end of the round.

It’s not easy to calculate a handicap but it typically means the average number over par from the player’s previous rounds.

Note that handicaps are not used in professional golf.

Now that you know a bit more about the technical aspects of golf, why not try to apply some of these actual rules to your next game?  Many amateur golfers hit the links with friends or family and just make up their own way of playing as they go along, and of course there’s nothing wrong with that.  But typically rules govern any game for a reason – they’re meant to keep the game interesting and challenging and to make it fair for everyone.

If you understand the reasoning behind handicapping or see how different team plays are arranged, you may find that your game is much more interesting than when you go out and just start hitting the ball and counting strokes.  You may find that team play renews your interest in the game or may find that when you approach a hazard the right way, your score actually improves!  So don’t turn you nose up at these different elements of the game but keep them in mind the next time you’re on the course and you may find your game improves as does your overall enjoyment!

There’s much more to how you can actually play golf than that.  Most just go on the course in an “every man for himself” type of structure but understanding these other forms of play can actually help with your enjoyment of the game itself.

Match play

In what is called match play, two players (or two teams) play each hole as a separate contest against each other.  The party with the lower score wins that hole, or if the scores of both players or teams are equal the hole is “halved” (tied).

Match play is won by the person or team that wins more holes than the other, regardless of the actual stroke numbers.  If one person or team has taken a lead that can’t be overcome by the other team in the remaining number of holes, the match is declared won by the dominating team.  “Dormie” refers to when the lead is equal to the number of holes remaining and in this case play continues until the winning team has enough holes to be declared the winner, or until the other team overtakes them for the lead.

Stroke play

Stroke play is the most commonly played form of golf, even for tournaments.  Players compete against each other with their own score or number of strokes for the entire game.

In tournament play, if there is a tie at the end of the game then there is a playoff between all the tied players.  This playoff might be sudden death or may go for a predetermined number of holes, anywhere from three to eighteen with the player achieving the lowest score then declared the winter.

Skins

Many tournaments are played in skins format, where golfers compete on each hole as a type of separate contest in of itself.  Prize money is assigned to each hole and this money is carried over if the hole is tied.  There are no real winners or losers in skins play, just a rundown of the prize money won by each player.

Team play

Team play seems pretty self-explanatory; rather than competing individually, you form teams and these play against one another.  There are different ways of forming teams and scoring, as follows:

• According to the USGA, a foursome is two teams of two players each and each team has one ball between them.  They alternate playing it.  Foursomes can be played as match play or stroke play.
• A four-ball foursome means that each player has his or her own ball and the lower score on each hole is counted.  Four-ball can be played as match play or stroke play.
• In scramble play, each player tees off on every hole and the players then decide which shot was the best; each player then plays his or her second shot from within a club length of this ball.  This procedure is repeated until the hole is finished.

Realizing these different ways of playing golf can add some fun and excitement to your game as you try new challenges with your fellow players.

Typical courses have three, four, or five par holes; rarely you will see a six or seven par hole.

How is par determined for any given hole?  You might think it’s a cruel joke being played on you by some golf pro that just wants to see you embarrass yourself, but in reality there are many factors involved.  The distance between the hole and tee of course is a factor; par three holes are usually 100-250 yards, par four between 251-475 yards, and par five are typically between 476-690 yards.  Any slope of the course can also affect the par rating – hitting uphill is more difficult than hitting downhill.  The shape of the green and course and placement of hazards can also affect the par.

Scoring

Counting your strokes is just one part of scoring; of course you want as few strokes or points as possible when playing golf.  But getting under par is also desirable for many.  The following are standard terms used to describe strokes over and under par:

-4        Condor                       four strokes under par

-3        Albatross                   three strokes under par

-2        Eagle                          two strokes under par

-1         Birdie                         one stroke under par

0          Par                              strokes equal to par

+1        Bogey                         one stroke over par

+2       Double Bogey           two strokes over par

+3       Triple Bogey             three strokes over par

If a golfer makes a stroke at the wrong ball or hits a fellow golfer’s ball with a putt, that player incurs a two stroke penalty.

For those that are truly serious about the game of golf, it’s good to be familiar with the rules of the game and when and if a penalty should be incurred.

As with so many other parts of the game, the hazards on a course are governed by rules set out by the USGA.  As tempting as it might be, you’re not technically allowed to pick up your ball and toss it out of the sand trap but you’re also not obligated to swim to the bottom of the lake and hit your ball from there!

Bunker or Sand Trap

A bunker is prepared specifically to hold sand; turf and soil have been removed.  Hitting the ball from sand is very difficult as the ball tends to sink into it.  This means that hitting the ball with full force is difficult since the sand behind the ball interrupts the shot.

According to the rules of the USGA, the player cannot test the condition of the bunker, nor can he or she touch the ground within the bunker with his or her hand or a club.  They must play the ball where it lies or deem it unplayable with a penalty stroke, dropping the ball inside the bunker.

Water Hazards

Those small lakes and bodies of water you see on golf courses are more than just decoration – they’re meant to make the game that much more challenging.  Avoiding a water hazard is imperative since of course there’s no way to play the ball where it lies when it’s in water the way you can in a sand hazard.  Of course if the ball falls on the edge of a water hazard a player can play the ball as it lies.  Under penalty of one stroke, the player can also drop a ball at any point, as far back as the player chooses, on a line that keeps the last point at which the ball entered the hazard between the player, and the hole.

• Every player is entitled and obliged to play the ball from the position where it has come to rest after a stroke, unless a rule allows or demands otherwise (Rule 13-1).
• A player must not accept assistance in making a stroke (Rule 14-2).  This means no one can help when the club is in your hand!
• The condition of the ground or other parts of the course may not be altered to gain an advantage, except in some cases defined in the rules.  This mean no digging little ditches between the ball and the green or swiping at high grass with your club to get it out of the way of the ball.
• A ball may only be replaced by another during play of a hole if it is destroyed (Rule 5-3), lost (Rule 27-1), or unplayable (Rule 28), or at some other time permitted by the Rules. The player may always substitute balls between the play of two holes.

There are of course many other rules set out by the USGA, many of which are not important to amateur players out with friends but which of course can disqualify a professional from a tournament if he or she does not abide by those rules.

Etiquette

Did you know that when you bowl in a league, you’re not supposed to approach your lane at the same time as the bowlers in the lanes right next to you?  This is because any movement in their peripheral vision can distract them.  While this isn’t exactly a rule that can get you disqualified from tournament play, it is part of etiquette when playing the game.

There are many guidelines governing what is called golfing etiquette and these guidelines are meant to ensure the safety of the players, the fairness of the play, the pace of play, and the care of the course.  As an example, all players are expected to replace their divots, those chunks of sod that might come out when you hit a ball off the ground.  This will keep the course in good repair but will also keep another player from tripping in such a divot as well!

Other safety guidelines that fall under the rules of etiquette include not hitting the ball until the players in front of you are out of range and alerting other players if they are in the path of an incoming golf ball.  Players should not distract other players with noise of any kind and should keep up a good pace of play so as to not interfere with players behind them.

~ From To the Linksland by Michael Bamberger

How many times have you watched a particular sport and thought to yourself that there was no rhyme or reason or logic to what was happening on the playing field or track?  Maybe you’ve watched a NASCAR event and thought that the cars were just driving around in circles for an hour, or have watched American football and think the players do nothing but run a few yards and then fall down.

When you do find out the rules and the objectives of these sports or games, do you find that they’re much more interesting to watch or get involved with?  Do you suddenly have a better appreciation for what the players are doing and why they’re doing it?

It’s not unusual for anyone to have a much better appreciation of a sport when they learn the technical aspects of it.  This can make the game more interesting and absorbing to watch, and for those who participate it can make it more challenging and enjoyable.  A participant can also be much more successful at the game or sport when they understand different technical aspects of it; if you know more techniques and plays in American football you can be more successful in blocking the defense or in getting the ball across the goal line, and so on.

Understanding some technical aspects of the game of golf is going to be a key component in improving your swing and in improving your score as well.  Far too many players simply get up to a tee and start swinging away with nothing more than a cursory knowledge of the game itself and of how courses are laid out, and then they wonder why they do so poorly at the game itself.

Let’s cover a few technical aspects of the game of golf so that you can improve your swing as well as improving your own score.  Note that the rules of golf are composed and regulated by the United States Golf Association (USGA).  You may be tempted to think that when you’re with your friends or out on your own that you can make up your own rules as you go along, but typically these rules allow for the play to flow smoothly and are meant for all players to be courteous to other players on the course.