Decoding GOLF ... !!

I was chatting to one of my friends when GOLF came up. He was of the opinion that its a boring game. Possible reasons for this is that it is a slow game and not many people know how it is played. When I started watching GOLF, I too was under the impression that it is a boring, slow and dull game. But believe me, its one of the most skillful games on the planet. Plus, one of the biggest money earning individual sport on par with Tennis and Formula 1. So what exactly is this game all about?

I don't know how to formulate the work flow of the game. So I will just let my mind rip.

Well, for starters, there are 18 holes in a standard golf course. Now, 18 holes also has a 1 to 1 mapping with fairways. In essence, when you say hole, it actually comprises of the fairway and the green. So what is a Fairway, a Green and a Tee?

There is a small piece of real estate called Tee on each Fairway. It can typically be thought of a circular/square area of radius/side = 3 meters. You have to place a ball holder (I am sure people have seen this in some Tom and Jerry cartoon. A Ball holder can be imagined as a small 1 inch nail which is dug into the ground and you can place the golf ball at the top of the nail) anywhere you want on the Tee. Place the ball on the ball holder and start off in your attempt to putt the ball. Phew!! Now what is a putt? Putt is defined as the attempt to make the ball go inside the hole of a particular Fairway. Now what is a Fairway? Fairway is the distance between the Tee and the Green. Simple. What is a Green? Green is the piece of real estate where the hole is situated. It can be imagined as circular/haphazardical (is that a word) area triple the size of the Tee.

So in short, there are 18 Fairways in a standard golf course and hence 18 Tees and 18 Greens. I hope I have been successful in my endeavor so far.

Each Fairway (from now on Fairway and Hole will be used interchangeably) has a Par value assigned to it (does 'par' ring a bell? I will come to this later). It is typically either Par 3, 4 or 5. Now what do you mean by Par? Well, the par value of a hole means that you need to putt the ball in maximum those many number of shots to not change your score. Confusing? Lets take an example.

Lets say you are on Hole 1 which is Par 4. Your score is Even(zero) at the start of the game. I will come to scores later. Now, you start at the Tee of Hole 1. Typically, Fairway lengths are the functions of the Par value. Par 5 holes are longer than Par 4 and Par 4 holes are longer than Par 3. So when you tee off from Hole 1 of Par 4, you will land somewhere on the Fairway, still some distance away from the Green. This was your first shot. The second shot will take you somewhere closer to the Green, if not the Green. The third shot will be your putt shot where you attempt to put the ball in the hole. Now if you do so in the 3rd shot itself, then you have taken one less shot than required for Par, since it was a Par 4 hole. This will subtract one from your score of Even. Even can be though of Zero. So now your score will be -1. Remember, in GOLF, lesser the score, better you are. The person with the least score wins since he has taken the least shots to putt the balls in the 18 holes of the course.

This is becoming longer than I imagined but I am enjoying it.

So the 18 holes of the course are made up of Par 3, Par 4 and Par 5 holes. I have seldom seen anything other than these 3 values. Typically, when you add all the par values of the holes in a golf course, it should add up to 72. Very few golf courses around the world add up to 70, 71, 73 or 74. So a snapshot view of a golf course can be 10 holes of Par 4, 4 holes of Par 3 and 4 holes of Par 5 which imply 10*4 + 4*3 + 4*5 which adds up to 72. So if you take 72 shots to putt 18 holes, your score will remain Even, hence the English phrase "par for the course" which means average or not bad.

Now the scoring system. In most golf tournaments, there are 4 rounds, each of 18 holes where each round is played on a new day. So typically all major golf tournaments span 4 days. There is a cut off for every day similar to our entrance exam percentile system. Each tournament has its own percentile system. For example, if the percentile value for a tournament is 50%, then all players within 50% of the score of the leader make the cut for the next day. The remaining players don't make the cut and are eliminated. Of course, there is much more the percentile system than just this. I have just written the most basic elimination system.

So the scores. Every player starts off on the first day at the score of Even (denoted by capital E and most often in BLACK. E denotes zero). If on a Par 5 hole, you take just 4 shots to putt the ball in the hole (from Tee to the hole), then you have taken 1 shot less. So your score at the end of that hole is -1 (most often, scores less than zero are denoted in BLUE). If you take 1 shot less than the par value, it is called a BIRDIE. If you take just 3 shots to putt the ball on a Par 5 hole, it means you have taken 2 shots less. This is called an EAGLE and it subtracts 2 from your score. If you take 3 shots less then it is called a DOUBLE EAGLE and implies you subtract 3 from your score. In almost 100% of the cases, you cant putt the ball in 1 shot on a Par 5 since Par 5s are the longest holes/fairways. You need to be Heman/Shaktiman (or a cartoon) for that to hit the ball right from the Tee into the hole (Par 5s are upwards of 500 yards).

On the flip side, if you take 6 shots to putt the hole on a Par 5 hole, it means you have taken 1 shot extra. This is called a BOGEY. It adds one to your score. (Most often, scores greater than zero are denoted in RED) If you take 2/3 shots more, it is called a DOUBLE/TRIPLE BOGEY. It means you need to add 2/3 to your score. And the most common score in golf is Par. This is when you take the same number of shots as the Par values. So on a Par 5 hole, you will take 5 shots to make a Par. Par does not change your score. So the champions have more of eagles, birdies and pars rather than bogeys and double bogeys.

The equipment comes next.

Every golf player carries a heavy bag with himself. Since he devotes his entire time on analyzing what shot he will play, he leaves the task of carrying the bag to another person. This person is called the CADDIE. You will generally see a person walking with the golfer carrying his bag. Now what does this bag contain? Lots of stuff.

By lots of stuff, I mean lots of clubs. Yes, golfing clubs. Golfing clubs are divided into 3 parts. Woods, Irons and Putters. Woods are those clubs which have a solid base at the bottom (looks like a sophisticated version of a hockey stick). A very thick one. Woods are used when the golfer wants the ball to cover a lot of ground on the fairway. Typically, Woods are used for Tee shots since the hole is very far away from the Tee and the golfer wants to get as close to the hole as possible. There is variety in Woods too. There is a universal scaling nomenclature for golfing clubs which I am not too sure about. For example, there is stuff like 1 wood, 2 wood and 3 wood which essentially means that the base of the club differs in some respect. I don't know how it differs. Typically, Woods help the golfer cover around 250 yards. Similarly, there are Irons. Irons are used when the golfer does not want to cover a lot of distance, Irons help the golfer cover around 90 - 200 yards. Why such a big gap? It is because irons also have many flavors. Like Woods, Irons also come in the type of 1 iron, 2 iron ... right up to 9 iron. 1 iron has the capability to cover the maximum distance while 9 iron will cover the least. Putters are used on the Greens when the hole is very close. You just need to push the ball and not hit it. That's when putters are used. Whenever you see a golfer position himself close to some hole, it means that he is using a Putter. Putters don't have numbers but most golfers carry more than 2 or 3.

So, adding up everything, 3 Wood clubs, 9 Iron clubs and around 3 Putters. This gives you around 15 clubs to carry in the huge bag. Pity the Caddie. Mind you, caddies get paid a lot. So if you fail in your endeavor to learn Golf, you might be interested to give Jeev Milkha Singh a ring.

Some errors that golfers can make on the course.

There are some patches on the fairway that are troublesome like trees, bunkers and water. When a golfer tees off, he might not always land the ball in a suitable position for the next shot. There are lots of trees on all Fairways. In fact, a Fairway can be thought of an avenue with trees on both sides. If the ball falls among the trees, then his next shot may become difficult since he has to negotiate the trees and then head towards the hole. The shot might hit the trees and fall at the same place. One shot wasted. Remember, every shot counts to your score. On a Par 5, if your tee shot ends up in the trees and you take 2 more shots just to get out of the trees, then it means that you have consumed 3 shots and you have just 2 more shots to putt in order to avoid your score being incremented. Then there are bunkers. Bunkers are trenches of sand mostly found near the Greens. The problem with them is that once the ball falls in a bunker, you need a lot of ability to get it out of the bunker and at a spot close to the hole. Most often, golfers goof up bunker shots which leaves them far away from the hole. Irons are used to get out of bunkers and they are mostly the high numbered ones since the hole is very close to the bunker. Water is the most interesting according to me. Most of the holes on the golf course also have a small pond (even small lakes), sometimes close to the hole, sometimes not. If the ball falls in the water, you cannot go inside the water to hit the ball :). The golfer is allowed to place a new ball somewhere close to the place where the ball fell in the water. Of course, this means that the new ball is now placed on the course and not the water. But the golfer has to give up one shot in the process. For example, if on a Par 4 hole, the golfer's tee shot landed on the fairway and his second shot landed in the water (which is close to the Green), then he will place a new ball somewhere close to the Green. But in doing so, his shot count will be 3 and not 2, since he was provided the liberty to get the ball out of the water.


Now about the golf course. Not many of us know that there is a lot of thought and planning that goes into the designing a golf course. Yes, a golf course is designed and most of the golf courses in the Americas, Europe and Asia are almost wonders of the world. I may be exaggerating but one of the reasons the popularity of golf has gained is due to the fact that people flock to the courses to enjoy nature's bounty besides enjoying some high class golfing acumen of top players. Every golf course has pretty ponds (almost on every hole), small waterfall streams, bunkers (trenches of sand), serene and green fairways, pretty trees and a clubhouse (where golfers rest after the day's play). Golf has also become an extremely fashionable sport. The clothes and the entire attire of golfers make people sit up and take notice. More so with the women players :)

Now about the tournaments. The golfing universe is governed by a body called the PGA (Professional Golfer's Association) in the US. In Europe, its called EPGA and the woman's counterpart is called the LPGA. There are 4 Majors in Golf synonymous to the Grand Slams in Tennis. The only difference is that the Golf Majors happen only in the US and nowhere else. The Majors are Augusta Masters, US Open, the PGA championship and the Open Championship. There is the thrilling Ryder Cup which takes place once every 2 years alternating between US and Europe as a venue where the top 15 players from the US take on the might of the top 15 players from Europe. It has the same needle as the Ashes or an India-Pakistan encounter or a Brazil-Argentina match up in soccer. It is my personal favorite although the Augusta Masters comes a close second. The number of people that turn up for the Ryder Cup is amazing especially on the last day of the tournament when tension runs high among players. I think I will need another post for the Ryder Cup. I can go on and on with the Ryder Cup.

Some common terminology now.

Front 9 refers to the first 9 holes.
Back 9 refers to the last 9 holes
Hole in 1 means that on a Par 3 hole, the golfer's tee shot directly put the ball in the hole, which is an amazing feat, more to do with luck rather than ability. This also means that he has made an EAGLE, since he took 2 shots less than the par value and now his score needs to be subtracted by 2.


The golf course is a sea of green but immaculate planning takes place to keep different shades of green at different places. For example, the Tee is a light green patch of grass. The fairways have comparatively thick grass and also a darker shade of green. The Green (the place where the hole is) is the most contrasting. Almost 90% of the Green (again, the place where the hole is) is a very light shade of green starting from the hole and flowing outwards. The Green is like a circle inside a bigger circle where the non-common part between the two circles is lined with the darker shade of green as that of the Green.

When you see a golfer hitting a shot on TV, you can see some graphic like the following:

Tiger Woods -4
Hole 12 423 yards Par 5
2nd shot 2I
193 yards to the hole/pin

This can be deciphered as: The current score of Tiger Woods is -4. He is on Hole 12 which is a Par 4 and it is 423 yards long. He is playing his second shot of the hole. From where he is at the moment, he is still 193 yards away from the hole. This also means that his Tee shot (first shot) made a whopping 423-193 = 230 yards. 2I means that he is using a 2 iron club to hit the ball.

You can also see something like the following when a golfer is attempting to putt the ball in the hole on the Green.

Phil Mickelson -11
Hole 4
For Birdie

Note here that when a golfer is actually attempting a putt, all other details are not shown in the graphics. Since he is on the Green itself, the length of the hole is not required coz he is very close to the hole now. Neither is the par value required since "For Birdie" tells you that if he makes the putt, then he has done so in 1 shot less. If he makes the putt, then his score will become -12 and he will move onto the Tee of Hole 5. If he misses, then the next graphic that comes up will be:

Phil Mickelson -11
Hole 4
For Par

If he makes this put, then there will be no change to his score and he will move to the Tee of Hole 5. If he misses then he has to attempt the BOGEY putt.

At the end of the playing day, the card of the golfer may look like something like this:


Front 9
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Par 4 5 4 3 4 5 4 3 4
Score 4 4 4 3 5 5 3 3 3

Back 9
Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Par 4 4 4 3 5 5 4 4 3
Score 4 3 5 2 4 5 4 4 3

This can be read as follows:

Hole 1 was a Par 4 hole and the golfer took 4 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score Even
Hole 2 was a Par 5 hole and the golfer took 4 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score -1
Hole 3 was a Par 4 hole and the golfer took 4 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score -1
Hole 4 was a Par 3 hole and the golfer took 3 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score -1
Hole 5 was a Par 4 hole and the golfer took 5 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score Even
Hole 6 was a Par 5 hole and the golfer took 5 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score Even
Hole 7 was a Par 4 hole and the golfer took 3 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score -1
Hole 8 was a Par 3 hole and the golfer took 3 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score -1
Hole 9 was a Par 4 hole and the golfer took 3 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score -2
Hole 10 was a Par 4 hole and the golfer took 4 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score -2
Hole 11 was a Par 4 hole and the golfer took 3 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score -3
Hole 12 was a Par 4 hole and the golfer took 5 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score -2
Hole 13 was a Par 3 hole and the golfer took 2 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score -3
Hole 14 was a Par 5 hole and the golfer took 4 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score -4
Hole 15 was a Par 5 hole and the golfer took 5 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score -4
Hole 16 was a Par 4 hole and the golfer took 4 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score -4
Hole 17 was a Par 4 hole and the golfer took 4 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score -4
Hole 18 was a Par 3 hole and the golfer took 3 shots to put the ball in the hole. Score -4

It can also be observed that the golfer made 6 birdies (on Holes 2, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 14) which makes his score -6. He also made 2 bogeys (on Holes 5 and 12) which makes his score +2 and he made 10 pars (on the remaining holes) which don't change his score. So his overall score is -6 +2 = -4 as seen as the score after the 18th hole.


Now the greats of the game.

I don't know a lot of them but Jack Nicklaus (The Golden Bear), Arnold Palmer and Hale Irwin are legends of American golf. Some of the more contemporary American names are Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples, Davis Love, David Duval, Corey Pavin, Tom Watson and Chris DiMarco. Some great European players are Colin Montgomerie, Seve Ballasterous, Sergio Garcia, Bernhard Langer, Jose Maria Olazabal, Padraig Harrington, Nick Faldo and Lee Westwood. There are some greats outside America and Europe as well like Ernie Els, Greg Norman, Nick Price and Vijay Singh (he is from Fiji and not India). Some of our dear Indian players are Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa and Shiv Kapur. The women's game also has a lot of greats but I know only two ... Annika Sorenstam and Laura Davies. The problem with remembering names with women is that you are hardly looking at the names ;)

Well that's about it. I don't know if I have missed something but I think I have covered the basics of the game. I will end with a short summary of the game.

• A golf course contains 18 holes.
• Each hole consists of the Tee, the Fairway and the Green.
• The hole is on the Green.
• You start at the Tee and end at the Green.
• The distance between the Tee and the Green is called the Fairway.
• The distance between the Tee and the Green ranges from 150 yards to 600 yards depending on the Par values.
• Clubs are classified as Woods, Irons and Putters.
• Each hole has a Par value assigned to it. It is either 3, 4 or 5.
• Shots made by a golfer are called Double Eagle (-3), Eagle(-2), Birdie(-1), Par(0), Bogey(+1), Double Bogey(+2) and Triple Bogey(+3).
• Troublesome areas on the golf course for a golfer are trees, bunkers and water.
• The person who carries the golfer's bag of clubs is called CADDIE.
  

Cheers ... !!