The only PGA tournament in Michigan, the Buick Open, is quickly approaching. Most people may not realize that 2006 will be the last year for the contact between the PGA, Warwick Hills Country Club and Buick. The future is very uncertain at this point in time. Many people are anxious for a new contract to be negotiated to keep the tournament at Warwick Hills Country Club. Many golfers join Warwick Hills Country Club because of the presence of the PGA tournament. The Buick Open is considered a part of what the country golf club really is all about. However, even with that said and understood, the future is up in the air. Most golfers do think that things look good for a new contract with the country club and that the Buick Open will stay at Warwick Hills Country Club.
Golf is a sport, in which the individual participants or teams compete, by scoring a small ball into special holes using the clubs and trying to cover a specific distance with a minimum number of shots.
Origin of the game:
It is considered, that golf originated in Scotland and was invented by shepherds, who put the stones into rabbit burrows with the help of staffs (in future, clubs). Presumably, the game existed already in the 14th century and in the 15th century several laws were introduced in Scotland, prohibiting the sport “Golf”. In the 17th century, golf was played in the Netherlands using clubs. The sport in its modern form was implemented in the 19th century in Scotland.
Golf Rules
In a golf game, a player is allowed to use a minimum of two clubs but not more than 14 types of clubs. In each game, the participant should cover a certain number of holes (as a rule, 18) in a certain order. In this case, the hole made in the course is called a hole and the entire ground for the game (as a rule, consisting of a starting zone – teeing area “Tee” (“Target”), main zone – fairway and the special area with the hole made in it - the green (“Golf Course”). Various obstructions such as water barriers, bunkers with sand, bushes, trees and high grass can be present on the golf course. In the beginning, the ball with an identification mark of the player is put on the teeing area (“Tee”). Ideally, the golf player, as a rule, should enter the fairway with the very first hit and maneuver the ball along the fairway through several hits (depending upon the course type) and reach the green area with ideal grass, on which the ball rolls without obstacles. A special type of club, the putter, is used to put the ball from the green into the hole.
Golf Tournaments:
The following mentioned belong to the prestigious professional tournaments for men: Masters, US Open, The Open championship (British Open) and PGA Championship.
Golf Terms:
Putt – lightly strike, the aim of which is to put the ball into the hole and in case of a miss, the ball stopped closer to the hole;
Swing – the main strike in golf, the aim of which is to hit the ball as far as possible and accurately;
Par – the number of strikes required by an experienced golf player passing to the next hole. As a rule, it depends on the distance between holes. It is supposed, that if a par- hole equals 4, then the first strike - from the “Tee” of the previous hole, to the next strike brings the ball onto “Green” of next hole and then the player rolls the ball into hole with the help of two strikes;
Eagle – the player, who strokes the ball into the hole for a number of par strokes minus two (two strokes under par);
Bogey – a player, who struck the ball into the hole for a number of par strokes plus one (one stroke over par);
Caddie - an assistant to the player, whose duty is to carry the sports gear and help the player with advice;
Golf in computer games:
Computer golf simulators are aplenty from elementary flash-games to well-advanced games, simulating real golf courses. A series of Tiger Woods PGA Tour from EA Sports and also the series Links by the firm Microsoft Games are amongst the most popular golf simulators.
Mini-golf:
Miniature Golf or mini-golf is a game which has seen a development from the middle of the 19th century. The course for mini-golf is a green and the path towards the hole has a number of obstacles in the form of stones, sand traps, artificial labyrinths and so on. The task of the player, as in the case of regular golf, is to put the ball within a minimum number of strikes. The game is played only with the “putter” and a swing is prohibited by the rules.
The holes in mini-golf are often decorated, for example, in a historical style, and also have non-standard methods of playing the ball into the hole: canals, tunnels, motor hoists, traps, false tracks, returning the ball to the “Tee” and so on. In spite of the general recreational style of the game, mini-golf competitions are held, including at international level.
Golf is an ancient game, in which the ball was put into a hole using a wooden club or stick. The prototype of golf was played probably in all countries, where something like a lawn was available (shepherds on pastures) and therefore, many countries claim that golf originated from their countries.
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