
Photo by turbotoddi @ Flickr (CC)
The only equipment we need to play golf is a special ball and a club with which we stroke the ball. There are many different types of clubs but the most popular are called wood, iron and putter. They differ in a shape and material from which they are made. The players change them depending on how long is the distance to the hole and what way they want to stroke the ball. The game takes place on the golf course which is a piece of land with nine or eighteen holes. Each golf course is divided into several areas which differ in the height of the grass. The place in which the game starts is called teeting ground or simply tee, while the others are for example rough, fairway or green. On some golf courses we can also find some hazards like sand bunkers or water hazards. If the course is quite big the players can move from one place to another using golf carts. It is especially convenient for those who play alone, as they do not have to carry the equipment by themselves. Not everyone wants to hire caddies, who are responsible for that matter.
Golf can be played as individual game as well as in the team. The rules of it are not very complicated because the players’ aim is to hit the ball into the holes which are numbered. To win in most cases the golfer has to do it in fewer number of strokes than his opponents. However, stroking the ball in a good way is not as simple as it look like when we watch it on TV. There are few techniques which are used by a golfers depending on how far the ball have to be stroked. Players who want to have a professional golf careers practice many hours a day. Most of them later on works in a golf clubs and teach other players. But there is a small group of golfers whose full-time job is to take part in tournaments. Nowadays people like Tiger Woods gets an enormous amount of money not only for winning but also for advertising his sponsors. That is because golf, as well as any other professional sport which attracts viewers attention, is treated as business. However, as long as the game stays on a certain level and brings joy to people it is not a huge problem.