Greetings! Welcome to my blog. My name is Sean. Those who know me should know that I really love golf.
I am currently a senior at Hawaii Baptist Academy. I have been playing golf since the early age of seven. I have qualified for the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Post-Season Tournament every year since the seventh grade. This blog will summarize the latest trendy golf merchandise of the week, along with my reviews of them.
But before I go any further, for those who know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about this sport, I will give you a newbie’s guide.
GOLF HISTORY
Well, pick up your pencils, and let’s start with a little history time! Trust me, it’ll be enjoyable.
According to the International Golf Federation, the modern form of golf supposedly started in the 15th Century in Scotland, which is a LONG time ago (that’s more than 6 Centuries ago!). Back then, there weren’t very many people playing the sport. But after years went by, some guy named Old Tom Morris decided to not only take up the sport but to make his own shop and sell clubs, grips, etc. People started to take notice of him, and soon enough the power trio (Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones, and Babe Zaharias) of the next era was formed. Alright, enough of that!
THE EQUIPMENT
Well, as you may know already, the fancy clubs, bags, and apparel that we golfers use today weren’t being used in the 15th Century. In fact, the very first ball was supposedly made of feathers.
Decades later, as technology advanced and people got smarter, they made better balls that could fly straighter and farther. Now, the world’s top professionals are driving golf balls off the tee for more than a whopping distance of 3 football fields! That’s a combination of their incredible muscular strength and amazing technology.
A standard set of clubs consists of a driver (for the most distance, used to hit off the tee), fairway woods (for shorter distances, used to hit off the fairway), irons (3 thru pitching wedge, used for approach shots to the green), wedges (ranges from 48 degrees to 64 degrees, used around the green), and finally the putter (used on the green, most notably used in Mini Golf).
PLAYING THE GAME
Most courses you go to will have 18 holes, with a par of 72, and this is made up of variety of par-3’s,
par-4’s, and par-5’s. What’s a par-3, 4, or 5? For example, let’s take a par-4. On a par-4, the main objective is to get your golf ball into the hole in 4 shots or less. And your final goal is to make it around the course in 72 shots or less.
The last question that I’m going to answer this week is: “Is Golf Even A Sport?”
It’s quite remarkable of how many people, especially students, ask me this question in a variety of ways.
Consider this:
- Of today’s modern popular sports played, golf is among the oldest. People have been playing since the 1400’s. Yes, that’s before Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
- Even though many golfers around the globe use riding carts to play, it still involves miles of walking, body strength to hit the ball, and a ton of mental concentration.
As I conclude my first post, I hope you have enjoyed learning about golf. I’ll be back next week to update you guys on all the latest trendy golf merchandise.
As always…
