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Flashcards in Misc Beginner Info Deck (32)
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1
Q

How many clubs are you allowed to have on the course?

A

14 (however you probably won’t need that many, especially at first). Also, borrowing clubs is against the rules in most circumstances (if you’re playing by the rules).

2
Q

What does an “S” label on a club mean?

A

Stiff or stiff-flex (as opposed to regular-flex). Generally the faster and more aggressive the swing, the more stiff is appropriate.

3
Q

When should you have a club fitting?

A

When you get serious about the game and are able to make consistent contact.

4
Q

Are clubs with loft a good thing?

A

Unless you are particularly strong and well coordinated (e.g. a baseball player, tennis player, etc.), opt for woods with more loft. The extra loft generally means it will be easier to get the ball in the air and also can reduce sidespin so shots fly straighter. So go for drivers with at least 10 degrees of loft and fairway woods that start at 17 degrees, not 15 degrees.

5
Q

What’s the difference between a chip and a pitch and when do you use them?

A

When you have a short shot to the green, you’re going to hit either a chip or a pitch. What’s the difference between the two? A chip shot stays low and runs along the ground, and a pitch flies higher and doesn’t roll as much. Use a chip when you don’t have to carry the ball over an obstacle, like deep rough or a bunker, and you have a lot of green between you and the hole. Use a pitch when you have to carry over something or need to stop the ball faster. The extra height on a pitch shot causes the ball to land softer and stop faster.

6
Q

In addition to your clubs what else should you have in your bag?

A

Plenty of tees and balls and a mark ball repair tool.

7
Q

How do you line up with the tee markers to tee off?

A

Either line up even with them or up to two club-lengths behind them. Never in front of them. The course may have 3 set of tees - forward tees, middle tees and back (or championship) tees. Other courses may have as many as five, six or seven sets of tees. You can find the corresponding yardage for each set on the scorecard - blue tees are designated on the scorecard by the Blue line. You should be able to reach the par-3 holes from the tee or reach par-4 holes in two shots. (This is about distance, not actually getting your ball on the green).If not, move up to an easier (shorter) set of tees. There is no shame in playing from a forward set of tees rather than playing from the championship tees, hitting weak slices in to the woods and slowing down the pace of play for everyone. Beginners of all stripes would use the forward tees. There is also a calculation you can use to determine the recommended tees based on your average drive, after you get the hang of it.

8
Q

What is “honors”?

A

The player who has “honors” plays first from the teeing ground. This can be decided randomly (draw straws, rock-paper-scissors, whatever). On ensuing tees, the player with the best score on the preceding hole goes first, second-best score goes second, etc. Ties carry over so you keep your place in rotation until you beat someone on a hole.

9
Q

What is the order of shots on the fairway?

A

He who is “away” (or “out”) leads the way. The player who is farthest from the hole always plays first, from any position on the golf course other than the tee box. The exception is when all members of the group have agreed to play “ready golf,” meaning hit-when-ready. Ready golf can be played when a group is trying to speed up the round.

10
Q

When can you touch the ball (after it’s been hit)?

A

There are exceptions spelled out in the Rules of Golf, but if you want to play by the rules, a good rule of thumb is this: Don’t move the ball, don’t touch it, don’t pick it up unless you are certain that you are allowed to do so under the Rules.

One exception that is always in place: You are allowed to pick up and clean the ball when it’s on the putting green.

11
Q

How is out-of-bounds marked? What is the penalty? What about lost balls? What is the proper way to make sure you don’t cause a delay for the group behind you?

A

Out-of-bounds should be clearly marked around the golf course, usually through the use of white stakes or white lines. The penalty for OB is stroke-plus-distance; that is, add one stroke to your score, then go back to where you hit the shot from and hit it again. Of course, that takes time. At busy golf courses you won’t have that time because there is likely to be a group behind yours waiting to play. So when you think you’ve hit a ball out of bounds, you’ll need to play a second ball (called a “provisional ball”) off the tee so you won’t have to retrace your steps if the first ball really is OB.

Make sure to announce to your playing partners that you are hitting a provisional, then re-tee after everyone else has hit and play your provisional tee ball. If you find your first ball and it is actually in bounds, then you play the first ball. If you can’t find your first ball, or find it out of bounds, then play your provisional ball (in which case your provisional ball off the tee counts as your third stroke, so your next shot will be your fourth).

The same applies to lost balls. If your shot goes deep into the woods, the penalty for a lost ball is stroke-plus-distance, so hit a provisional. (Balls hit into water are treated differently).

12
Q

What are some general rules to make sure that you don’t slow your or other groups down?

A

Slow play has always been an issue on golf courses , and it’s even more important as a beginner to be aware of your pace of play. You don’t want to keep golfers behind you waiting, just as you probably don’t want to be kept waiting yourself by slow groups ahead.
Always be prepared to play when it is your turn to hit. Don’t wait until it is your turn to decide which club to use, or to determine the line of a putt; use the time while others are hitting to make those decisions, so that when it’s your turn you can step right up and play.

If your group is slower than the group immediately behind yours - if your group is holding up another group - it’s good etiquette to allow the faster group to play through. Not all groups will want to do this, but many will, and all that do will be very grateful for your show of etiquette.

13
Q

How are water hazards marked? What is the penalty and how do you play a ball hit into a water hazard?

A

Water hazards should be clearly marked on golf courses. Yellow stakes or lines indicate a water hazard; red stakes or lines indicate a lateral water hazard (a lateral water hazard is a water hazard that runs alongside, rather than across, the line of play).

You can try to play a ball that is in the water, but that’s generally a bad idea. Instead, for “regular” water hazards, take a 1-stroke penalty and drop a ball at any point behind the spot where your original ball crossed into the water hazard, but on the same line of play (think of it this way: look at the flag, and look at the spot where your ball crossed into the water hazard; now imagine a straight line drawn back from the flagstick to that spot; then imagine that line extending back behind you - that’s the line on which you must drop).

For lateral water hazards, drop within two club lengths of the spot where the ball crossed the margin of the hazard (no nearer the hole), or on the opposite side of the hazard at an equidistant spot.

Note: It’s a time-honored tradition in golf for beginners and other high-handicappers to carry “water balls.” You don’t want to lose a nice, shiny, brand new ball, right? Golf balls ain’t cheap! But if you’re a beginner trying to play across a water hazard, that new ball of yours is at risk. A “water ball” is an older, used ball that you won’t mind as much hitting into the water as you would a brand new golf ball. So if you run across a water hazard that scares you, whip out that water ball and give it your best shot!

14
Q

What are the basics of sand bunker etiquette?

A

Always rake sand bunkers after you’ve hit your shot to smooth out the sand so that ensuing golfers don’t have to play out of your footprints. (And by the way, another basic rule to know is that, when in a bunker, you are not allowed to ground the club; that is, your club must not touch the sand except in the process of making the stroke.) Unless otherwise instructed by the golf course or tournament, place the rake outside the bunker, parallel to the line of play.

More detail: When entering the bunker, find the lowest spot around the edge of the bunker that is convenient to your golf ball (do not walk down a steep face where you could damage the turf or leave higher footprints).

You can carry the rake with you (which will speed up the process and lesson the foot damage) but you may not touch the sand with it except to drop within reaching distance before playing the shot. You cannot do anything that could be construed as “testing the condition of the hazard.”

To rake, begin raking of the signs of play, pulling the tines toward you as you move back to where you entered the bunker. Be careful not to pull too much sand toward you. The idea is to restore an even surface without displacing too much sand (you can push outwards a few times if you are pulling too much sand towards you.

15
Q

What’s the difference between a ballmark and a divot?

A

A ballmark (also called a pitch mark) is an indentation the ball makes on the green when the ball thumps to the surface. A divot is a scrape or chunk of turf sliced off (or dug up) by iron shots on the fairway. Both should be repaired. Repairing a divot might mean picking up the displaced sod and placing it back or it could mean pour sand or seed into the spot of the divot if provided on the golf course.

16
Q

How do you repair a ballmark?

A

Take the repair tool (it may be incorrectly called a “divot repair tool”) and place and insert the prongs into the turf at the edge of the depression (not into the depression itself). Using a gentle twisting motion, push the edge of the mark toward the center.

This is the step where golfers who incorrectly “repair” ball marks usually mess up. Many golfers believe the way to “fix” a ball mark is to insert the tool at an angle, so the prongs are beneath the center of the crater, and then to use the tool as a lever to push the bottom of the ball mark back up even with the surface. Do not do this! Pushing the bottom of the depression upward only tears the roots, and kills the grass.

Once you’ve worked around the rim of the ball mark with your repair tool, pushing the grass toward the center, there’s only one thing left to do: Gently tamp down the repaired ball mark with your putter or foot to smooth the putting surface.

17
Q

What does “hole” mean in golf?

A

It has two meanings - the hole in the ground on each putting green - the cup into which you are trying to place your ball. And the entirety of each tee-to-green unit of a golf course (a full-size course has 18 holes). A golf hole always begins at the teeing ground, and always ends at the putting green. In-between is the fairway, and outside these areas is the rough.

18
Q

What are the general varieties of golf holes (e.g. Par-x)?

A

Par-3: Up to 250 yards for men, 210 women
Par-4: 251-470 yards for men, 211-400 women
Par-5: 471-690 yards for men, 401-575 women
There are 6-par holes but they are scarce. The par for each hole is the number of strokes it is expected for an expert golfer to complete play of that hole, which always includes 2 putts.

19
Q

What is a “par-3 course”?

A

A course comprised of shorter holes that take less time and strokes to play. Also called an “executive course.”

20
Q

What does it mean when a putt “breaks?”

A

When a putt veers off a straight line because of the contours of the putting green which is not perfectly flat.

21
Q

What are cuts of a rough?

A

A rough can be any height or condition and may or may not be maintained. Many golf courses have roughs of different severity depending on how far off-target your shot is. If you miss the fairway or the green by just a couple feet, for example, the grass might only be slightly higher than the fairway or putting green grass. Miss by 15 feet, though, and the grass could be higher still. These are referred to as different “cuts” of rough; a “first cut” of rough will be pretty short; a “second cut” or “primary cut” of rough will be more punitive.
Areas of rough that are left natural and unmaintained often vary in severity depending on weather conditions. A rainy season will make such rough much thicker and taller; a dry season might keep such rough from becoming very punitive.

22
Q

What does “GUR” mean?

A

Ground under repair - A part of the golf course that is temporarily unplayable due to repairs or maintenance issues. Typically, white lines are painted on the ground around a “GUR” to designate it, and you are allowed to remove your ball from the area.

23
Q

What is the Starter’s shack?

A

Also known as a “starter’s hut.” If a course has one, it’s somewhere near the first teeing ground. And if a course has one, you should visit it before teeing off. The “starter” who occupies the starter’s shack calls groups to the first tee when it is their turn to begin play.

24
Q

What are “links?”

A

Many golfers use “links” and “golf course” interchangeably. But “links” is actually a specific type of golf course.

A traditional links course will have many - perhaps all - of the following features:

  • The course is built along the seaside;
  • The soil is sandy and drains easily;
  • The course is laid out naturally, so that unusual bumps and slopes in the fairways and greens remain, rather than being smoothed over;
  • The rough features natural seaside grasses;
  • Bunkers are numerous, and while they range from very small to very large, are typically deep (to keep the seaside breezes from blowing the sand away)
  • Fairways are rarely (if ever) watered - except by nature - and play firm and fast;
  • Links courses usually have few if any trees;
  • The course routes out and back. The No. 1 hole begins at the clubhouse and the front nine plays straight out so that No. 9 is farthest hole from the clubhouse; the direction turns back in at No. 10 and the course ends with No. 18 back at the clubhouse.

Golf originally developed on the links of Scotland, and many of the most famous golf courses in Britain and Ireland are links courses.

25
Q

What is “marking your ball?”

A

The phrase “marking your ball” can refer to writing or drawing something on the golf ball for identification purposes, or it can refer to placing a ball marker on the ground to mark the ball’s position while you lift the golf ball.

26
Q

How do you mark your ball on the putting green?

A

Unlike other areas of the golf course, on the putting green you can lift your ball for any reason. But you must always mark the ball’s position when doing so. Some reasons to lift a ball when on the putting green:

  • a) When you want to clean the ball;
  • b) When you want to align the ball’s graphics with your putting line;
  • c) When you believe your golf ball might be in the way of another player, or a distraction to another player;
  • d) When another player asks you to do so.

Marking the golf ball on the putting green is a common occurrence. So you better know the correct procedure.

Step 1
Place a small coin (or similar ball marker) directly behind your golf ball on the putting green.

Step 2
Pick up your golf ball. Important: Make sure your ball marker is on the ground before lifting the ball. Never lift the ball and then place a marker where the ball was. Place marker first, lift ball second!

Step 3
When ready to replace your golf ball on the ground, put it back on the green directly in front of your ball marker.

Step 4
Pick up your ball marker. As with Step 2, make sure you do Step 4 in the proper order. Which is: Place ball back on ground, then lift your ball marker.

27
Q

What are additional considerations for marking your ball on the green?

A

Do I have to put my ball marker behind the golf ball on the putting green?

No, you are not required to place the ball marker behind the golf ball before lifting your ball on the putting green. You can place your ball marker in front of the ball or beside it, so long as you replace the ball in the correct position later. However, we recommend always placing the marker behind the ball. This is tradition, it’s the way almost all golfers do it, and you’ll avoid confusion by following the same convention.

Considerations and reminders
As with all activities on the putting green, be aware of other players’ putting lines and be careful not to walk across another player’s line.

Marking the ball on the green is addressed in the rules in Rule 16 and Rule 20. Failure to mark the ball before lifting it results in a 1-stroke penalty. If the ball is replaced in the wrong location (e.g., you place the ball down beside your ballmarker rather than in front of it) and you putt from that wrong location, it’s a 2-stroke penalty. Different scenarios are addressed in the rules cited and linked above, so give them a read. But the easiest thing to do is to always remember to mark the ball before lifting, and always put the ball back in its correct location.

28
Q

What are the names for various strokes under and over par?

A

1-under: Birdie
2-under: Eagle
3-under: Double Eagle (very rare) AKA albatross
1-over: Bogey
2-over: Double bogey
3-over: Triple bogey
(other overs continue: quadruple bogey, quintuple bogey, etc).

29
Q

If you finish with a double eagle on a par-5 how many strokes did it take?

A

2 strokes

5 strokes minus 3

30
Q

If you get a Birdie on a par-4, how many strokes did it take?

A

3 strokes

31
Q

Can you get an eagle on a Par-3?

A

Yes, but you’d call it a hole-in-one or an ace.

32
Q

What do circles and squares around the number of strokes mean?

A

A circle represents a below-par hole and a square is above-par. It’s not really a recommended method though because it makes the scorecard sloppy and for non-pros your scorecard will probably be full of squares anyway.
Also, on the PGA tour, some golfers like to use 1 circle for a birdie, 2 for eagle or better, while 1 square equals a bogey and 2 means a double-bogey or worse.