{"id":439,"date":"2016-04-26T21:03:33","date_gmt":"2016-04-26T20:03:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hellopunter.com\/?page_id=439"},"modified":"2017-04-09T10:52:36","modified_gmt":"2017-04-09T09:52:36","slug":"golf","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hellopunter.com\/wiki\/sport\/golf\/","title":{"rendered":"Golf"},"content":{"rendered":"

Society seems to have a love-hate relationship with golf \u2013 as in, you either love it or you hate it. Here at Hello Punter we love it, and no matter what group you sit in you can still enjoy a punt, right? Below we\u2019ll outline the key points about the sport.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"masters
\n <\/p>\n

History<\/h3>\n

There are numerous arguments as to where, why and how golf started \u2013 and not enough room or time here to go through them all. Our favourite tale, however, starts us off in the midst of the Ming Dynasty, where a 1368 parchment known as \u2018The Autumn Banquet’ depicts a man swinging a club at a ball, aiming at what appears to be a golf hole.<\/p>\n

From the Chinese courts the game supposedly found its way to Europe in the Middle Ages, known as various sports before becoming the modern golf that we know. And what a joy it has become!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About<\/h3>\n

So then, about golf: the game is played individually (normally \u2013 though we\u2019ll get to that below) over 18 holes. Basically \u2013 in case you\u2019re unsure \u2013 the aim is to get the ball in the hole in as few hits as possible.<\/p>\n

Players start off each hole by teeing off from two markers signing the start. From here, the aim is to play through the fairway directly to the green. Now, the green is the section at the end of each hole containing the physical hole, and is often defended valiantly by hazards like sandpits and lakes. Add in slopes, bending fairways and rough patches and you have the various elements \u2013 along with length \u2013 that affect the difficulty of a hole.<\/p>\n

There are of course plenty of rules, but the primary law to be abided by is listed on the back page of the official rule book: Play the ball as it lies, play the course as you find it, and if you cannot do either, do what is fair.<\/p>\n

On top of this come technicalities, such as Par (how many hits it\u2019s expected a hole should take) which varies from three to five, and an individual\u2019s Handicap, which can get pretty complicated for the uninitiated.<\/p>\n

Regarding the former, there are certain names for achievements under par. For example, if the hole is a par-4, and you complete it in three shots, it\u2019s called a birdie. Two shots under par, meanwhile, is an Eagle and a hole-in-one would be an Albatross.<\/p>\n

For Handicaps, we\u2019re referring to an amateur\u2019s numerical measure of ability. The lower their score, the closer they would get to achieving the Par on a full course. However, this is unlikely to arise in the betting world so we\u2019ll leave it at that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Competitions<\/h3>\n

There are an amazing amount of golf courses in the world \u2013 around 3,000 in the UK and closer to 20,000 in the States \u2013 but only some of these would qualify for professional, tour competitions. Professional golf’s circuit is arranged by certain tournaments or tours as opposed to domestic or international leagues like other sports.<\/p>\n

Currently about twenty are in existence, though gaining access is not easy. The most well known tour is run by the Professional Golfers Association (PGA), but there are also the four Majors (a bit like tennis) and the four World Golf Championship events.<\/p>\n

The four Majors (not run by the PGA) include the Masters<\/strong> (April each year), the US Open<\/strong> (June), The Open Championship<\/strong> (July) and the PGA (of America) Championship<\/strong> (also July). On top of this there is the Ryder Cup<\/strong> if you want to be involved with the team\/patriotism side of things!<\/p>\n

The Masters<\/strong> is unlike other tournaments in that it is at the same location each year \u2013 Augusta National Golf Club. This private course in Georgia is a thing of beauty, and throws up surprises every year with a number of killer holes.<\/p>\n

The Ryder Cup<\/strong>, meanwhile, is a biennial event competed between teams from Europe and the United States. The first one was held in 1927, and the occasion has gone on to become a hard-fought and widely watched affair. The way teams are picked by the two adversaries has varied, but now is normally done via performance and captain\u2019s picks.<\/p>\n

The LGPA is the women\u2019s version of events, though this is less centralised and does find it harder to be officially recognised across the sport. Nevertheless, it is responsible for the primary tournaments in women\u2019s golf \u2013 ANA Inspiration, Women\u2019s PGA Championship, US Women\u2019s Open, Ricoh Women\u2019s British Open and The Evian Championship.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Betting<\/h3>\n

In golf, as in most sports, it\u2019s critical to focus on how one player\u2019s strengths, and weaknesses, will affect play on any given occasion. You can find more on our betting pages, but key things to look for are Driving Accuracy, Driving Distance, Putting Average and Scrambling (when a player hits par or better on a hole after not making it to the green in regulation shots).<\/p>\n

Another thing worth considering is the event itself and how this can change your approach and focus. For example, if you\u2019re betting on the U.S. Open you need to bear in mind that the design of the course favours accurate drivers of the ball, where some other courses are leant towards putters. Of course, it\u2019s probably best to bet on someone who\u2019s good at both of those.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Society seems to have a love-hate relationship with golf \u2013 as in, you either love it or you hate it. Here at Hello Punter we love it, and no matter what group you sit in you can still enjoy a punt, right? Below we\u2019ll outline the key points about the sport.   History There are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":326,"parent":11,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nGolf Wiki | Hello Punter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Society seems to have a love-hate relationship with golf \u2013 as in, you either love it or you hate it. 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