Golfing equipment

Golf is a game where individual players or teams hit a ball into a hole using various clubs, and is one of the few ball games that does not use a fixed standard playing area. It is defined in the Rules of Golf as "playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules."

Golf originated in Scotland and has been played for at least five centuries in the British Isles. The oldest course in the world is The Old Links at Musselburgh. Golf has been played on Scotland's Musselburgh Links since 1672, and earlier versions of the game have been played in the British Isles and the low-countries of Northern Europe for several centuries before that. Although often viewed as an elite pastime, golf is an increasingly popular sport that can be played for one's entire life.
Golf is played on a tract of land designated as the course. The course consists of a series of holes. A hole means both the hole in the ground into which the ball is played , as well as the total distance from the tee to the green . Most golf courses consist of 9 or 18 holes.

The first stroke on each hole is done from the tee, where the grass is well tended to facilitate the tee shot. After teeing off, a player strokes the ball again from the position at which it came to rest, either from the fairway or from the rough until the ball comes to rest in the cup. Many holes include hazards, which may be of two types: water hazards and bunkers. Special rules apply to playing balls that come to rest in a hazard, which make it undesirable to play a ball into one. For example, in a hazard, a player must not touch the ground with his club prior to playing a ball, not even for a practice swing. A ball in any type of hazard may be played as it lies without penalty. If it cannot be played from the hazard for any reason, it may be removed by hand and dropped outside the hazard but only not more than a distance of two club lengths and a penalty of two strokes. If a ball in a hazard cannot be found, it may be replaced by dropping another ball outside the hazard, with one stroke penalty. Exactly where a ball may be dropped outside a hazard is governed by strict rules. Bunkers are hazards from which the ball is more difficult to play than from grass. As in a water hazard, a ball in a sand trap must be played without previously touching the sand with one's club.

Various clubs are designed with the face having differing loft . It is loft that makes a golf ball leave the ground on an ascending trajectory, not an upward direction of swing: with the exception of the tee shot, the club actually hits the ball in a horizontal or slightly downward motion. The impact of the clubface compresses the ball. Grooves on the clubface impart a counterclockwise spin, known as backspin, on the ball, that when combined with the rebounding effect of the ball, give it lift. Typically, the greater the loft, the higher and shorter the resulting ball trajectory.

The newest type of golf shaft to date that came out in 2006 is the Triangle Golf Shaft. Triangular in design the triangle golf shaft boasts the most aerodynamic design and yet the best ridgidity for maxium control. Some people refer to triangle golf shafts as "Trigraphite Shafts".

The ruling authorities of golf, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and the United States Golf Association reserve the right to define what shapes and physical characteristics of clubs are permissible in tournament play. Several recently developed woods have a marked "trampoline effect", a large deformation of the face upon impact followed by a quick restoration to original dimensions which acts as a slingshot, resulting in very high ball speeds and great lengths of tee shots. Current USGA and R&A regulations differ with respect to acceptable limits of the "trampoline effect". Therefore, a few club types may not be played in tournament or professional play under USGA jurisdiction, but are allowed elsewhere.

Woods
[1] Driver
[3] Spoon
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Irons
[1] Driving Iron
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Wedges
[56 degree] Sand Wedge (SW)
[52 degree] Gap Wedge (FW)
[60 degree] Lob Wedge (LW)

The major tournaments in golf are the British Open, The US Open The US PGA Open and the Masters in the USA Augusta.

Correct up to 2006

Golf players with most championship wins
Name Country Masters U.S. Open The Open PGA Total
Jack Nicklaus 1962-1986 United States 6 4 3 5 18
Walter Hagen 1914-1929 United States 0 2 4 5 11
Tiger Woods 1997-2005 United States 4 2 2 2 10
Ben Hogan 1946-1953 United States 2 4 1 2 9
Gary Player 1959-1978 South Africa 3 1 3 2 9
Tom Watson 1975-1983 United States 2 1 5 0 8
Harry Vardon 1896-1914 England 0 1 6 0 7
Gene Sarazen 1922-1935 United States 1 2 1 3 7
Bobby Jones 1923-1930 United States 0 4 3 0 7
Sam Snead 1942-1954 United States 3 0 1 3 7
Arnold Palmer 1958-1964 United States 4 1 2 0 7
Nick Faldo 1987-1996 England 3 0 3 0 6
Lee Trevino 1968-1984 United States 0 2 2 2 6
Seve Ballesteros 1979-1988 Spain 2 0 3 0 5
James Braid Scotland 1901-1910 0 0 5 0 5 1
Byron Nelson 1937-1945 United States 2 1 0 2 5
J.H. Taylor 1894-1913 England 0 0 5 0 5
Peter Thomson Australia 1954-1965 0 0 5 0 5