⛳Rules Golf

Golf is a precision sport in which each player strikes a ball with clubs to send it into a series of holes in as few strokes as possible. A course usually has 18 holes, each with a par (a reference number of strokes). The player who takes the fewest strokes wins.

Get the ball into each hole using as few strokes as possible across the whole course.

• •Play the ball as it lies and the course as you find it.
• •Count every stroke you play: a practice swing does not count unless you accidentally make contact with the ball.
• •The player farthest from the hole usually plays first.
• •If the ball goes out of bounds or is lost, apply the stroke-and-distance penalty.
• •A penalty area (water) or a bunker has its own relief rules.
• •On the green, you may mark and lift your ball to clean it.

In stroke play, you add up all strokes (and penalties) taken on each hole and then over the whole course; the lowest total wins. A hole's score is named relative to par: birdie (-1), bogey (+1), eagle (-2). In match play, total strokes are not counted, only holes won. A handicap may be subtracted from the gross score to obtain a net score.

A standard round is played over 18 holes; some competitions are played over 9 holes or several rounds (for example 4 rounds in a professional tournament). The format (stroke play, match play, Stableford, etc.) varies by competition.

In stroke play, the player with the lowest total number of strokes wins. In match play, the player who wins the most holes wins, the match ending as soon as it can no longer be tied.