Golf 101(果爾夫一般常識)
林明圖
(Morie Lin, Rev. 0, 4/24/2017)

1. Name Calls

There was a brief period of time in Scotland where golf and horse racing shared the same playing ground alternately, and teaching Latin at a university was then the most respected profession.

One day, a well dressed golfer found his ball in a bunker. The ball still lay in the trap after his many attempts. Out of embarrassment, he turned to the spectators. "You know, I teach Latin at the university!" One from the cloud shouted back, "I don't care what you are, but I know you are just a big Dow-Sai-Beh (in Taiwanese)."

In golf, one may lose his or her regularities upon knowing the true identities of the fellow competitors. Usually, the players would use alias names to hide their true professions and ranks for the sake of fairness. In the old days though, the king frequented a match play against his stable men for a few pennies. I wonder how they called each other on the playing field. May be they just didn't talk to each other.

2. Etiquette

Etiquette is very important on the golf course. So much so that the "do's and don'ts" adapted by the golf clubs world-wide are generally presented in the first sections of many golf books. Elder and recreational players of Asian origin in particular must be mindful of the following common notions and, as a minimum, act accordingly:

i). Always punctual at the first tee. That the agony of having to wait the fellow players to show up can ruin the whole day of those who are waiting.

ii). Never to ask the fellow players to hit first on the teeing ground. By doing so, it can be interpreted as vexatious and pushing. No one like to be rushed in golf. Through the fairway and on the green, the ball farther from the hole shall be played first.

iii). On the putting green, the line between the hole and the ball, and its extensions from both ends are sacred to the players. Don't stand on the extended line when the player is about to put.

iv). Never to say "hit another one!" after seeing a miss shot by the fellow player. The player is the sole judge as to whether his or her ball will be playable. A ball lies perfectly on the fairway or on the putting green can be declared unplayable if the player has chosen to do so.

Perhaps the best way to learn the game is to watch the PGA tour events on TV. Good postures as well as perfect swings of the professionals can be imitated free of charge if one knows where and what to watch. For average golfers, it's definitely a bargain.

3. Competitions

Making a bet among golfers are common as an incentive to play better. A golf course usually consists of an eighteen holes layout within a defined boundary of approximately 120 acres. During the design process, the course designer will concurrently create an imaginary scratch player who will par each holes of his design. Everyone are supposed to compete against this par player for the prize money. That golf is known as a game of indirect competitions is because the players are not compete directly with one another. The winner is the one who beat the designer's par player the most.

Be it a tennis match or a body-contacts sport, one may never applaud the successful blow from the opponents. The reason why golf is such a gentleman's game is that one will appreciate the good shots made by the fellow competitors.

4. Handicap Systems

One of the most important features of golf is its adaptability to competition between players of varying abilities. Thanks to a handicapping system in golf, a beginner can play on equal terms with an expert golfer. Let us take a look at the score card of an 18 holes par 72 golf course and assume you are an 18 handicapper. If you bogeyed every holes or your total is 90, you tied with the par shooter even you are just an average player.

One day, a blind man asked Gary Player for a match play when Gary was at his prime many years ago. The dialogue followed:

"What is your handicap?"
"No handicap necessary!"
"Oh! Do you know who I am?"
"Of course."
"Well, If you insist, just tell me where and when."
"OK, tomorrow night 10:00 p.m. at my home course. And bring a flash light with you
since there is no electricity at the course."

Do you know who won the match? I don't.

5. The Decisive Moment

The decisive moment of a club swing can be defined as the instant when the club face meets the ball because the pattern of the ball trajectory will depend on where the contact is made. A perfect swing of a driver at 120 miles per hour will propel a ball around 300 yards with a low back spin to facilitate the lift up of the ball. An iron shot on the other hand can produce a back spin of approximately 4000 revolutions per minute. The force component perpendicular to the club face is for the distance and that tangent to the club face is for the spin.

The margin of error in a club swing is quite small and improvements can only be made through rigorous practices.

6. Percentage

Golf is a game of percentages and the trophy usually goes to the one who has made fewest mistakes. Countless instruction books are available for those who want to improve their game. The key factors for a golf swing, for example, can be summarized as follows:

a). State of the mindset
b). Having a target to aim
c). Keeping eyes on the ball
d). Maintaining a steady head
e). Straight left arm through the swing
f). Straight right arm after pull down
g). Wrists cocked during the back swing
h). Grip
i). Extended follow through
j). Finishing high

Chances are that one may not implement correctly some of the factors and end in having a bad shot. The majority of the professionals would consider the "Grip" the most important. An expert player can produce a slice or a hook shot on purpose to avoid any obstructions.