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Golf
Generally the Scots are considered to be the inventors of Golf because they used to play a game very similar to the Golf we know today.
Golf hasn’t always been as accessible for everybody as today for a long time
It used to be really expensive since the equipment had to be imported from England. In due time, the majority of people was not so wealthy which made golf a sport only for the aristocracy. In the old days as well as today the golf course is an ideal location for business men and managers to negotiate and finish deals.
Equipment
Clubs
Due to the different state of a golf course up to 14 different clubs are used.Balls
The shell of the ball is made of synthetic materials, the core mostly of ebonite. The surface of the ball usually has dimples and therefore the ball obtains a certain rotation and hence flies farther than without them.Clothing
At any rate one should wear comfortable clothes but it should still heed to the decorum. The footwear should be specially crafted golf shoes with spikes to guarantee solid stability. Gloves are recommended to every player to have a better grip and to avoid blisters.
Golf course
The golf course is always planned by an architect who needs to take into consideration the most important components such as- Tee
- Fairway
and
- Green
as well as
- bunkers
- water hazards
and
- the rough.
Counting in golf
Golf can be played in two different ways. Either one chooses the metering-game, or one prefers the hole-match, whereas for both exist several versions. In the metering-game the own score is in the foreground. This is different at the hole-match where the goal is to beat a direct opponent with the own low score.
Tournaments
The Majors are the four biggest and most important tournaments taking place annually:- The Masters
- The US Open
- The British Open (also called "The Open Championship" )
- PGA Championships
Biennially the Ryder Cup is lined up where the USA and Europe match with each other.
In the years between the Presidents Cup is administered where the USA compete against everyone except Europe because in this period Europe has its own tournament, the Seve Trophy.
The Senior Majors are held annually exclusively for professional players aged 50 or older and are composed of five Major Championships
Development
The Scots are generally considered to be the originators of golf as they played a sport most similar to golf which has prevailed. It all began in the 15th century and until the 20th century there have been many changes concerning equipment, and one golf-club after the other was founded.
With the Grand Slam of golf (four Majors titles) he went down in golf history and this was a dignified ending of his career.
Important players
Tiger Woods
The 31-year old Eldrick “Tiger” Woods from the USA is the professional golfer in sport history. At the age of 21 he already had a most impressive tournament record.
After his career as an amateur player, which began at the age of eight, and where he won the title U.S. Junior Amateur three times in a row (he has been the youngest and only one to win it several times since then), he switched to the professional league in 1996. Here he immediately won in the first year two tournaments of the PGA Tour and hence was elected “sportsman of the year” in the same year (altogether he was awarded this title seven times in nine years).
In the years of lesser performances he rather worked on perfecting his play, then making a brilliant come back. Throughout his career he managed to break numerous records.
Bobby Jones
Robert Tyre Jones jr. from the USA stayed in the amateur league despite his steep career and hasn’t switched to the professional league like most other players. At the age of 28 he retired from playing golf, concentrating on his job as a lawyer and author of different books.
Like most other golf players he started practising in early infancy.
Bernhard Langer
Langer was the first German to receive international credit in Golf. He is a member of the “Big Five”, a group of world-class golfers to be born in the same year (among Legends as Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros).
Just recently he was appointed „Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire“ by the Queen, as to say gentled, because of his achievements in golf.
