Guide for Beginning Golfers

The Ace may be a high playing card in a deck of cards but it is also a most coveted prize in the game of golf. The Ace or proverbial hole in one is considered an eagle on a par 3, which is the more common par for an Ace or hole in one to occur. FYI – a birdie is the golf terminology for one under par and an eagle is two strokes below par, either of which is a substantial accomplishment on any golf hole. On extremely rare occasions, a hole in one has also been recorded on par 4’s, which would be considered a double eagle or Albatross ( three under par ), as affectionately called in the United Kingdom ( England, Ireland and Scotland ). In most extremely rare occasions a score of one has been recorded on par fives, and I’m assuming the score would be considered a triple eagle or double albatross. If there is an official name given for a hole in one on a par five I am not privy to it because of the extreme rarity of the occurence. The Guinness Book of World Records notes a number of holes in one on par fives as does Golf Digest archives on occasion.

The picture below is the notable par 3 12th hole At Augusta National Golf Course where the Masters is played every year. A great time for an Ace and it has been done but these occurences are few and far between.

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One of the important but often overlooked aspects of golf is the terminology used in playing the game. Par, Ace, Bogie, Double Bogie, Eagle, Sandie, Greenie, Nassau, etc. are all golf terms to be acquired when learning to play and will be addressed in a future post. But what is “The Nassau” you say. Well I’m glad you asked.  Nassau is not only a popular vacation destination in the Bahamas but in terms of golf it is a friendly wager amongst friends to make the golf round a little more interesting. The term Nassau, if I’m not mistaken, was derived from its creation at a country club in Nassau County, New York, in fact I believe it was The Nassau Country Club.  

Who Is The Golfer in The Photo Below ? Anyone venture a guess ? Sign up and let me know who you think it is and where he’s playing ?

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In parts 1 thru 7 we discussed all aspects of a persons first golf round from the reservation of the tee time to arrival at the course and the first tee box jitters and you, hypothethically, have now advanced the ball to the greenside area. As noted in Part 7 you can chip the ball with your irons or wedges and get close if you have some green and an opening to the flag location to work with. If you are in front of a sand trap or have some other obstacle between you and your target it may call for another type of shot. I DO NOT proclaim to be a golf professional but I can impart knowledge to you that works for me after 30 plus years of playing, reading and experimenting with the different aspects, strategies and shots required to play the game of golf.

As stated earlier if there is an obstacle in the way of your approach, such as a sand trap or tree, it will require a different strategy which will depend on the distance from clearing the aforementioned obstacle to reaching the flag or hole location. The most important thing is to concentrate on the shot on hand and follow thru to a finished position. The strategy I use to get over an obstacle quickly is to set up with a higher lofted club such as the sand or lob wedge with the club nearer my left foot and laid open so the ball pops up faster than normal. The term laid open means the club face is approaching a flat position with the blade pointing upward in relation to your stance and the ground. I also break my wrists back sharply and quickly which also promotes height and less distance, which is not your goal for this type of shot. Remember to follow thru to a finished position or there is a good chance you will leave the shot short of your intended landing area. You can try this shot even if there is no obstacle in your way and get a feel for the line of ball flight you will achieve for future reference under actual conditons. How close you get to your target will be determined by the distance away and the amount of follow thru combined with the speed of your swing thru the ball at impact. Accuracy and distance will come with practice but the main goal is to get over the obstacle and onto the green and not in a sand trap, tree, water or other hazard that may lie in front of you. This is one of the tougher shots required in golf so if you master this one it will help your game and score tremendously. Next Part 9 – The Putt. Happy Golfing to all !

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