Sunny laid back Sunday morning, extended weekends or a vacation, discussion on none of these is complete without a mention of golf. What exactly is Golf? Well it's an outdoor ball game wherein the aim would be to hit the ball into a series of holes in the minimum feasible strokes. A round of golf consists of 18 holes. Now the number of strokes you need to hit one hole is your Par. Each hole has a teeing area around it, which consists of a fairway, a rough sideway and a green well-mown region around the hole. Then you will find the "not so wanted" barriers like sand traps, water etc which are called the bunkers.

It is believed to have originated from an ancient game known as chole, supposedly meaning, "ball". Most of the people believe that Scotland is where Golf was born, probably out of a banned 15th century game known as ‘gowf’. Nevertheless many folklore relate it as an acronym for Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden. The modern Golf came into being once more in Scotland in the later half of the 19th century. Later on over the 20th century golf saw a facelift with a variety of golf equipments and techniques being invented.

Golf has woven itself in the social fabric as the game of the elite and high-end businessmen. Would you believe if we tell you that many US company school add golf to their management curriculum? It's a game of social status. After all one has to shell out large sums on newest equipment, the correct clothing and also the green fees of the golf course. This has still kept golf away from the reach of typical man. Nevertheless, the massive popularity of the game can be judged by the extremely fact that there are over 32,000 golf courses in the world!

Players move around the golf course with their caddies who manage the equipments of the players. The player whose ball is farthest from the hole gets a chance to play first when every individual player has had his chance of playing the ball once. The game is won by the person or the team that scores the maximum holes. It could be played by teams in foursome or by people. A extremely fascinating term taking rounds in the golfing community is "Golf handicap." This is the score of proficiency of various players, which affect their net score, thus permitting players of various capacities to play against each other.

Individuals say golf is not played by rules but by etiquettes. Nevertheless, you will find a couple of laid down rules. The most fundamental are "play the ball as it lies", "play the course as you find it", and "if you cannot do either, do what is fair". A Golfer can play a number of types of shots like tee shot, fairway shot, bunker shot, puts, pitch, flop, chip and a golf swing. A golf swing is the most complex shot that involves ideal coordination of the complete anatomy of the player.

Over the years golf equipment has grown in term of sophistication and method. From golf balls, tees and clubs to golf carts, bags shoes, etc; it is a entire large marketplace out there. The British officers initial started professional golf. Now you will find a number of Golf tournaments like PGA tour, Ryder Cup, U.S. Open etc. In this time and age when pollution is a big issue, the vast golf courses prove to be the breathing lungs of cities and towns where they are located. They nurture the local flora and fauna and provide a welcome respite from the concrete jungle.