Each golf course can vary in shape, length, difference in height and size but the goal remains the same, that of going from tee to green with as few strokes as possible.
Golf, hole
The structure of the hole remains the same, each hole has 5 basic parts: Starting Tee, Fairway, Rough, Obstacles and Green.
Knowing these components better will help your game on the court. Starting tee
This is the area of the course where the first stroke of each hole is made. It is easily recognizable because you will see a well-kept area of grass where there will also be pairs of “tee markers” of different colors.
You will always find this area in a flat spot to allow you to make the first shot from an optimal position. The tee markers tell you where to start playing the hole according to the level. The backmost ones are for male professionals (often black or white), then amateur men (usually yellow), female professionals (often blue), and then female amateurs (almost always black).
red). Further on you may find the departures for the senior or children categories (orange and green). When making shots from the starting tees, a tee is normally used, this serves to support the ball, lifting it from the ground.
Obviously you can do without it, but why not help yourself? Fairways This is the area of the course located between the tee and the green. This area has well-kept grass and is cut regularly to facilitate the execution of shots.
Basically the fairway is the target of the first shot and the perfect place to make shots to the green. Fairways are modeled and are the soul of a hole design. Rough The rough is an area of tall, dense grass surrounding the fairway.
It is not an ideal area from which to hit your ball because tall grass can greatly affect the result of each swing. The rough is often not cut, in some parts of the world (for example in Scotland) it is left to grow naturally or, at most, cut only once a year.
The obstacles There are various types of obstacles in the field that are meant to make the game more difficult, that’s why they can award you penalties if you encounter them. The bunker is an obstacle that can be found anywhere on the hole, both on the fairway and around the green.
Bunkers are holes filled with sand, hitting them with the ball does not cause any type of penalty (except if you put down your club to feel the consistency of the sand before a shot). If you want to read how the bunker was born click here.
Water hazard or out of bounds areas are areas that can cause you penalties. The water hazard can be a pond, pond, stream, or any other type of water area that may be found in the center or side of a hole. Out of bounds areas are indicated by white stakes and are considered out of play.
If a ball lands in an out of bounds zone it incurs a penalty stroke and the next stroke must be made by going back to the previously played spot!!! Green This is the area of the pitch where you will find the flag! The greens have the shortest cut grass ever to allow you to have a perfect surface in order to better roll the ball towards the hole.
Greens can have various shapes and sizes with more or less slopes. The shape, slopes and rolling speed of the ball must be taken into consideration when you have to putt the ball into the hole!
