An Overview of Golf

Series Summary

Though Musselburgh, Scotland is home to The Old Links, oldest golf course in the world, golf is rumored to have begun in the Netherlands in 1297. After seven hundred years it still follows the same basic premise: hit a ball into a hole using a stick and the person who hits it the least to get it into that hole wins. Today a golfer may have any number of sticks, called clubs, made up of wood, graphite, or titanium. Each club has a specific use depending on the type, whether it is the driver for the opening long ball hit, the wedge for shots out of the sand trap, the putter for the last, relatively short shot into the hole located on the green, or a variety of irons for anything in between.

Golf is a game of finesse more than brute force, consequently not only is technique keenly important but also a fine set of rules of etiquette has been established that anyone from John Q. Public to Greg Norman and Tiger Woods are wise to adhere to.

In this free online video series learn from golfer Ken Portnoy as he teaches golf tips and techniques including: the scoring system; the difference between woods, low irons, and high irons; basic club grip; proper foot position; the golf swing; penalty strokes; golf course etiquette; how to play it as it lies; golf warm up; chipping; and relaxing while you play.

Video Transcript

" This is Ken and I'm here to talk to you about the basics of beginning golf. Now golf is a game that a lot of people play on the weekends. It is a game of strategy and of skills. The basic idea of golf is to take a little ball, which you tee off, and to get it into a hole, which is like anywhere from a three hundred to five hundred yards away from where you tee off... to do it in a few strokes as possible . Usually you are playing with a few people, and the person with the lowest score is the person who happens to win that round. There are eighteen particular holes in golf. Some of the whole is what they call par three, par four, and par five. What's the difference? The par three is that you basically you should get the ball in the hole in three strokes that's a par. Par four you get it in on four strokes. A par five you get it in five strokes. Thank you very much."