Different types of Golf Courses:

Links Golf Course:

A links golf Course is built near a sandy coastline, as you can see from the locations of the links golf courses in Ireland. They are very open and exposed to wind, making golfing difficult for golfers. The rough is made up of tall grasses. The only water the course gets is naturally occurring i.e. rain.  The course usually has many bunkers because of the availability of sand.

 

Parklands Course:

A parklands course is the most common course in Ireland. They are found usually inland. They have lush, green fairways, trees and greens. They often include water hazards such as rivers or lakes.

Desert Course:

A desert course is a course that has been artificially watered to create. They are found in hot and dry countries such as Spain and then the oil rich Middle – Eastern countries. They are very expensive to run. From above, they look like ribbons of green in a sea of brown sand.

                                   
                                    




http://www.1golf.eu/en/club/parklands-golf-club/
http://www.golfbytes.com/index.cfm
http://v1.sport360.com/article/40-years-sport-uae-how-emirates-golf-course-became-dubais-desert-gem

 

 

The Golf Course:

A golf course usually has 18 holes. A hole begins with a tee box. A tee box is a flat area that is usually raised where you take your first shot. A player usually uses a tee when hitting from the tee box. A tee makes hitting the ball a bit easier.

 

 

A players first shot usually lands on the fairway. The fairway has short grass on it. On either side of the fairway though, there is rough; tall grass and trees. If your ball lands in the rough it is usually because you hit a poor tee shot. The rough makes your next shot very difficult.

                                                                         Fairway vs. Rough:

 

On approach to the green (an area of very short grass containing the hole), you will notice a flag. This flag is to help you know where the hole is. The flag is known as “the pin” and its’ location on the green often changes. In big competitions, the flags’ location changes every day.

 

By your third shot you are usually on the green if the hole is a par 4 and if the hole is a par 5, you are usually very close. Once you get your ball onto the green, you are expected to use a putter to “putt” the ball into the hole.

Watch this video by Dave Stockton that illustrates some of the skills for putting:

References:

http://www.goldenocala.com/blog/golf/how-to-determine-your-course-handicap/      http://www.living-lifestyle.co.za/rituals-and-superstitions-a-guide-to-understanding-golf/  http://www.golffold.com/hitting-out-of-the-rough/

http://www.stad.com/index.php?city_id=3302664        

 

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuZZtbseDH8   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Introduction:

Golf is a sport where players use golf clubs to strike a golf ball. The aim of the sport is to get the ball into a cup at the end of the hole (the distance from the teeing surface to the back of the green). The cup is 4.25 inches (11cm) in diameter and the golf ball is not less than 1.6 inches (4cm) in diameter. There are usually 18 holes on a golf course and sometimes, if there are only 9 holes, each hole is played twice.                                  

To strike the ball, a golf club is used. There are many different types of clubs used:

Driver: A driver is a long club with a big head (460cc).

 It is used to “drive” the ball long distances.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wood: Woods generally consist of a 3 Wood and a 5 Wood. They can have varying degrees of loft and have a slightly smaller head size than a driver.

Irons: Usually a person has 7 irons. They are 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, SW, PW. From the 5 iron upwards, the club length usually gets gradually shorter and the angle of the club generally gets bigger. This means that as you increase in club number, the ball will generally travel a shorter distance but will go higher (if you keep a constant swing).

 

 

 

 

 

Putter: A putter is a club with a 90° face. It is used for “putting” the ball into the cup on a green.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The game originated in 15^th century Scotland. We know this because the king at the time actually banned the sport saying it was a distraction for his archers. Until 1502 when he lifted the ban and began to play golf himself!! 

The oldest golf course is Musselburgh Links Golf Course in East Lothian, Scotland and the oldest surviving set of golf rules are from Leith, Scotland. They were written in 1744.

In the beginning, Golfers used wooden clubs and sand to "tee" up the ball. These have since been replaced with plastic tees and clubs nowadays that are made from metals such as Steel, Graphite and Titanium which makes them very expensive.

 

References:

http://www.rackethallhotel.com/golf.htm                        

http://athleticgolftraining.com/tag/golf-improvement      

http://thesandtrap.com/b/clubs/ping_g15_iron_review            

http://www.abcgolf.co.uk/golf-clubs/putters/prodlist_ct56.htm   

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golf

Team America:


                                                     
                                                 Jim Furyk - Pennsylvania

                                                       Bubba Watson - Florida

 

Matt Kuchar - Florida

 

 

Rickie Fowler - California

 

 

Phil Mickelson - California

 

 

Jordan Spieth - Texas

 

 

Zach Johnson - Iowa

 

 

Jimmy Walker - Oklahoma

 

 

Hunter Mahan - California

 

 

Keegan Bradley - Vermont

 

 

Patrick Reid - Texas

 

 

Webb Simpson - North Carolina

 

 

 

American Teams' Nationality:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team U.S.A.:                 VS.                   Team Europe:

Jim Furyk              (5) Pennsylvania              Rory McIlroy           (1) Northern Ireland

Bubba Watson      (7) Florida                        Sergio Garcia          (3) Spain

Matt Kuchar           (9 Florida                         Henrik Stenson        (4) Sweden

Rickie Fowler        (10) California                  Justin Rose              (6) England

Phil Mickelson       (11) California                  Martin Kaymer        (12) Germany

Jordan Spieth        (13) Texas                       Graeme McDowell (18) Northern Ireland

Zach Johnson       (16) Iowa                         Victor Dubuisson     (23) France

Jimmy Walker       (19) Oklahoma                 Jamie Donaldson    (28) Wales

Hunter Mahan       (21) California                  Thomas Bjorn         (30) Denmark

Keegan Bradley    (26) Vermont                    Stephen Gallacher (34) Scotland

Patrick Reed         (27) Texas                        Ian Poulter              (37) England

Webb Simpson      (33) North Carolina         Lee Westwood         (41) England

AVERAGE WORLD RANKING = 15           AVERAGE WORLD RANKING = 21

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

 

http://golfweek.com/news/2010/aug/25/jim-furyk-disqualified-barclays-missing-pro-am/?print

http://www.fansshare.com/focus/bubba-watson/

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/devil-ball-golf/men-watch-merion-no-3-matt-kuchar-220841322.html

http://www.rightonpar.com/2011/04/06/masters-monday/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/usopen/10119718/US-Open-2013-Phil-Mickelson-jets-in-to-Merion-and-takes-off-with-sublime-67.html

http://www.sikids.com/kid-reporter-blogs/2013/05/09/jordan-spieth-golfs-rising-star

http://whatsinthegolfbag.com/whats-in-the-bag-zach-johnson/

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/QdD0ZpbaDEm/TOUR+Championship+Coca+Cola+Round+Three/ksWnYoGZQNn/Jimmy+Walker

http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Hunter+Mahan/Shell+Houston+Open+Round+1/E7yZbu5aLRL

http://www.pga.com/news/pga-tour/notebook-keegan-bradley-promises-work-cutting-down-spitting

http://www.nbc26.tv/story/26282327/patrick-reed-named-to-2014-united-states-ryder-cup-team

http://www.pga.com/news/pga-tour/webb-simpson-hopes-experience-merion-will-help-him-defend-us-open-title

 

Hello again to The Golf Blog. The following is a list of the European and American Ryder Cup teams. The Ryder Cup is due to start on the 25th of September, tomorrow!!
Team Europe:

 

Thomas Bjorn - Denmark 

 

 

 

Jamie Donaldson - Wales

 

 

Victor Dubuisson - France

 

 

 

Stephen Gallacher - Scotland

 

 

Sergio Garcia - Spain

 

 Martin Kaymer - Germany

 

 

 

 

Graeme  McDowell - Northern Ireland

 

 

                                                        Rory McIlroy - Northern Ireland

 

 

                                                           Henrik Stenson -  Sweden

 

 

                                                             Ian Poulter - England

    

 

 

 

                                                             Justin Rose - England

                                         

                                                            Lee Westwood - England

 

 

 European Teams' Nationality:

 

 

  My next post will include details of the American Team!!

 

 

 

 

 

References:

http://www1.skysports.com/golf/news/12232/8930711/tour-championship-henrik-stenson-leads-at-east-lake-after-opening-64-tiger-nine-back

http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/racetodubai/golferofthemonth/newsid=144814.html

http://www.cricketnet.co.za/golf/us-pga-tour/news/140224/Dubuisson_makes_big_PGA_Tour_splash

http://www.wamgolf.com/the-golf-nomad/2011/11/martin-kaymer-comes-from-behind-to-win-wgc-hsbc-champions.html

http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Sergio+Garcia/Volvo+Golf+Champions+Previews/JH6GW2npa-X

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/golf/389694/Jamie-Donaldson-banks-on-Welsh-connection

http://www.veooz.com/news/aHEJXl0.html

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/golf/26349804

http://www.cumbriacrack.com/2012/04/05/lee-westwood-seeks-glory-in-augusta-carlisle/lee-westwood/

http://www.rydercup.com/2010/europe/team/poulter_profile.cfm

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/golf/17905791

http://www.utahpeoplespost.com/2014/07/rory-mcilroys-winning-ball-auction/

 

 

 

 

Introduction

Hello and welcome to Ciarans golf blog. I am an Irish student and as part of my transition year, one of my tasks is to write to write a blog about a topic of my choice; golf. I have recently become interested in golf, mostly due to the success of the current Irish golfers such as Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Shane Lowry and the recent appointment of Paul McGinley as the captain of the European Ryder Cup. The main content of my blog will be the Ryder Cup which begins in three weeks on the 26th of September. My next blog post will detail both team selections (U.S.A. and Europe) which I hope you will read,
            Thank you for reading, Ciaran.