Golf Lessons

There is a world in every sport, with its own rules and regulations, its own terminologies and jargon. These are some of the terms a golf beginner will hear upon landing on the grassy course:

When somebody says "address the ball," he means that the golfer must take his stance, grip the club and be ready to swing. In golf, "away" refers to the ball that is most remote from the hole. "Par" refers to a standard of scoring excellence hole based on yardage and two putts per green. The word "birdie" does not refer to an flying animal hit by the ball, but a golfer's ability to strike the ball once under the designated par of a hole. A similar bird, "eagle" refers to the ability to strike the ball twice under par for a hole. A "dog leg" is not a literal dog leg, but a hole wherein the route of play meanders to the sides before reaching the putting surface.

When somebody says "fairway," he refers to the mowed route of play between the teeing area and putting green. When someone shouts to shoo someone away, it's called a "fore," a cry of caution to anyone in the way of play. "Handicap" does not refer to a person sitting in a wheel chair, but a deduction from a golfer's gross score which is made to equal his score against par to equate differential abilities to other players. The word "hazard" in golf is not far from its real denotation. It is used to refer to sand traps and watery areas in the golf course. When the game is called "Match play," it is a competition wherein each hole is a separate contest. When the game is "stroke play" the winner is based on who has taken the least number of strokes.

Slowly, a beginning golfer will absorb these terms, and without knowing it, find himself having a comprehensive mental golf dictionary.