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The word golf is derived from the Scottish word, Goulf which means to strike or hit. Golf is a sport with a set of simple rules but requires great skill and talent to play like a pro. The objective of the player is to hit the ball in every hole of the golf course using the least number of strokes possible. A player can use a variety of clubs to achieve this feat, some of which are irons, putter and driver. A golfer cannot carry more than 14 clubs in a game.
This sport does not need a standardized playing ground. All the golf courses throughout the world differ in size and hole positioning. Most golf courses are usually either nine or eighteen hole courses. Golf is also one of the oldest sports known to man with origins not easy to determine but if popular history books are taken to be true, the game originated in Scotland in the early 12th century.
The popularity of this game has exponentially increased through out the years and now many alternatives to golf have been introduced such as disc golf, sholf and miniature golf.
Some of the well known golf stars are Loreana Ochoka, Annika Sorenstam, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. According to the Golf Digest, there are more than 32,000 golf courses through out the world, most of which are located in the United States of America.
From the earliest recorded documents, we know that John Daly used a wooden ball in the fifteenth century however by the sixteenth century; goose feather balls wrapped in cow or horse skin hide came into existence. To make the ball harder, a lot of water was applied on it make the leather shrink and the feathers expand.
In the nineteenth century, the ‘Guttie’ was created from the elastic sap found in gutta trees in the tropical regions. The rubber was first melted and then molded into a sphere however this ball did not travel as well as the feather balls did.
By the late nineteenth century, the “Bramble” pattern had been introduced on the exterior of these balls in order to improve the distance it traveled. Along with this the balls were now being produced by machine in vast numbers thus killing the hand-made golf ball business completely.
Companies use a variety of materials and techniques to create modern day gold balls though all golf balls are dimple patterned on the exterior to improve its aerodynamics. These dimple patterns affect factors such as velocity, straightness, spin control, distance, and trajectory.
Two kinds of drag affect the ball when they are airborne. Laminar and turbulent. Laminar flow is the result of a non dimpled ball separating from air which results in the ball not being able to carry. Turbulent flows occur when dimpled balls are not able to make the air split which results in an increase of pressure drag.
Types of clubs:
Woods are used to drive the ball hard over great distances. The have a long lance and a big head to maximize the speed of the club. Although this club has evolved into being created out of steel , titanium, carbon fiber and scandium, they are still called ‘woods’ to emphasize on its use.
Irons are used for the difficult and skillful shots. They get their name from the fact that they are originally made out of cast iron. Irons with a higher loft are known as Wedges. Wedges are used for shots of short distance which require high loft. They are used to make more accurate shots as compared to woods.
Then we have the Hybrid woods, which are a cross between woods and irons. These are multi purposed clubs which can perform a variety of tasks. They replace the 3,4 set irons which saves room in the golfer’s bag for extra clubs of his choice. The hybrid woods are usually relied on getting a golfer out of a difficult situation.
Chippers are usually pitching wedges or sand wedges which are used for the last ten or twenty yards of the fairway to drive or lob the ball as close to the hole as possible.
Finally, you have the Putters with the sole intention of holing the ball. They provide almost no loft and are used to drive the ball accurately to its destination.
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Source by Al Muder
