"SE Internet" begins a series of publications devoted to the basics and history of the new Olympic sport - golf.
Golf is a popular sport all over the world in which the player, with the help of various types The golfer must hit the ball into the hole using the least number of strokes. And so 18 times.
Golf is one of the few sports in which the main opponent of any player is not his opponent, but himself and what surrounds him.
Golf is one of the few ball games that does not require a standard tee. On the contrary, golf is played on courses, each of which has an original design. The only mandatory requirement is the presence of 9 or 18 holes. A hole is called both the hole itself in the ground where the ball is rolled, and a specially prepared area several hundred meters long, and consisting of a starting area - tee, a main area - fairway and a green area with with a hole cut into it. These zones are distinguished from each other by the presence of obstacles - tall grass (rough), flowers, bushes, trees, sand bunkers and water barriers.
At the start of the game, a ball with the player's identification mark is placed on the starting tee. Golfers often use a wooden or metal support for comfort. From the tee, the player must hit the fairway, drive the ball along it with a few shots (depending on the type of site) and end up on the green - an area with perfect grass on which the ball rolls without interference. In order to hit the ball into the hole from the green, a special type of club is used - the putter.
Most golf courses are about 5.5 kilometers long. It usually takes three to four hours to play 18 holes. Players move around the field on foot or in electric cars. Golfers compete alone, in pairs or in groups. Sometimes they are accompanied by caddies - assistants who carry equipment and can give advice to players.
Rules of golf
The main principle of the game of golf is: "Play the ball as it lies, play the course as it is, if neither is possible, do what is fair."
The game of golf is governed by a fairly large number of rules, but, again, unlike most other sports, it does not require the presence of a judge or referee (unless, of course, it is an official tournament). Players must know the rules themselves, be honest about the number of strokes and “play the ball as it falls.”
An important component of the game of golf is etiquette - a carefully guarded tradition that has not undergone virtually any changes throughout the history of the game. First of all, these are good manners, respectful attitude towards partners and opponents, maintaining order in the fields.
Golf Score
In the major games of golf, the score is calculated from the number of strokes a player makes plus any penalty that may be imposed on him. If you complete 18 holes in 90 strokes and your opponent completes 92, you win.
The system for scoring and assessing the level of golfers is based on a pair. Par is a predetermined number of strokes in which a golfer high level must complete one hole or the entire course if the game is successful.
The par for each hole is determined based on its length and difficulty. A standard par-3 hole is less than 250 yards (225 meters) long, a par-4 is a hole from 251 to 475 yards (225 - 434 meters), and a par-5 is over 475 yards. Par-6 and par-7 holes are rare but found mostly in the USA. Their length can exceed 650 yards (595 meters). The degree of slope can also affect the steam level of a hole. If the path from the tee to the green goes down, the par may be lower than the length of the hole suggests; if it goes up, then vice versa. Par can also be affected by the placement of obstacles and the shape of the green.
A golf course par is the sum of the pars for each hole. Typically the course has a par of 70 to 72 strokes, but most golfers rarely achieve this figure. The most common on golf courses is a combination of four par-3 holes, ten par-4 holes and four par-5 holes. Other combinations also exist, but they are less common.
If you complete a par-4 hole in five strokes, your score will be +1. In golf this is called "gods". If you manage, for example, to overcome a par-5 hole in four strokes, you will receive a “-1” or “birdie”. If a player hits the hole with his first tee shot, this is called a hole-in-one or an ace.
Golf Score Terminology:
Basic types of golf
There are two main types of golf - a counting game, in which the number of strokes on the entire field performed by each player is counted, and a match game, when the confrontation on a single hole of players or teams is considered as an independent match, and the score is kept depending on the victories won. holes.
In stroke play, a score is kept for each player on each hole. The scores for each hole are added up to form the overall tournament or round score (the round scores are also added up to form the overall tournament score). The player who spends the fewest hits is the winner. It is according to this scheme that most professional tournaments are held.
In match play, golfers or teams play a mini-match on each hole. The player or team using the fewest strokes on a hole wins that hole. In this case, the score relative to steam does not matter. In this case, you do not play against the field, as in a score game, but directly against your opponent. If you complete the hole in four strokes and your opponent completes it in five, you win the hole and lead the match 1:0. If your opponent wins the next hole, the score is equal - all-square. If both players complete the hole in the same number of strokes, the hole is "split" and the total score remains the same. If a player wins more holes than are left on the course, he is declared the winner and the match ends.
There are also such types of games as stableford, designed to speed up the game (points are awarded to the player depending on the number of strokes on each hole), skins (players compete on each individual hole for money or for a bet), force ( team game, in which a pair plays with one ball and the partners themselves decide who will make the next shot), fourballs (a pair also plays with a pair, but each golfer has his own ball, and all four play the hole at the same time, the result of that participant counts towards the match, which uses fewer strokes).
At 7:30 this morning, golf's 112-year pause in participation ended. Olympic Games. Let us remember that the last time golfers competed for Olympic medals was in 1904 in St. Louis.
Of course, golf has gone through a long path of changes and improvements over the years. And in inventory. And in the design and maintenance of fields. And in the Rules.
By the way, the changes in the Rules are not that drastic. Much of the stuff about hitting the ball, taking a playing stance, and solving problems with obstacles came to the Rio Olympics virtually unchanged from the days of St. Louis. And just as advice was banned in 1904, it is still banned now. Overall, it's surprising how much of the Rule Book has remained unchanged over the years. Of course, if we talk about principles, and not about formulations.
Significant changes to the Rules affected the field. For example, in 1904, the green was the portion of land within 20 yards of the hole, excluding hazards. And the very concept of “obstacle” had a slightly different meaning back then.
In those days, an obstacle was defined as “any banker, water (except accidental), sand, paths, railway tracks, thorny thickets, bushes, ground dug up by rabbits, hedge or ditch. Those. not just a banker or a water hazard, as it is now.
Of course, modern Olympians are unlikely to have to eliminate the influence of railroad tracks. However, around the field there are many areas called "native", which are sandy areas. These places are not bankers in the modern sense, although in 1904 these were barriers of “clean water”.
There are, however, some things that make the game easier for modern Olympians. For example, today, when making a long putt, a player may ask to hold the flag. This was prohibited in 1904! Moreover, if a player's ball was on the green (i.e., within 20 yards of the flag), then he was prohibited from playing until the flag was removed from the hole. A violation was punishable by one penalty stroke.
A complex field (and no one would dare call the field in Rio simple) always implies the possibility that the ball will end up in an unplayable position.
Modern “golf olympians” can choose three options in such a situation (Rule 28): repeat the shot from the previous place, drop the ball along the flag-ball line at any distance behind, or drop the ball within two clubs, no closer to the hole. In 1904 they could only go back along the line from the flag. And it cost them not one penalty (as now), but two! There was, however, one relief - the ball could be placed on the tee. I can imagine what advantages this could give to modern players!
Modern Rules are more severe against those who send their ball out of bounds. Such a player receives a penalty of “loss of stroke and distance.” Those. he must repeat the kick from the previous place and score himself an additional penalty. In St. Louis, the only thing the player lost was distance. He was not entitled to an additional penalty.
In 1904 the situation with playing with the wrong ball was also easier. If a player discovered that he had played someone else's ball, he simply had to return to his own ball and play it. No fine was imposed. For modern players, this costs two penalties.
From the above, one could conclude that in the last Olympics it was much easier for the players. However, let us give an example that refutes this. In Rio, if a player hits a shot from outside the tee, he will receive two penalties and will have to correct his mistake immediately. It seems like too harsh a punishment for a mistake in placing the ball of a few centimeters! However, in St. Louis, the same mistake was punishable by immediate and unconditional disqualification!
These are the differences that have accumulated over the 112 years of waiting for the Olympic golf tournament. The rule that has remained unchanged over the years is that the winner in the counting game is the one who spends the least number of strokes to complete the tournament rounds. And we look forward to stepping onto the Olympic podium after a 112-year break.
Based on materials from randa.org
Balikoeva (Verchenova) Maria Vitalievna is a Russian golfer. The first Russian woman to become a full participant in the Ladies European Tour in 2007
Photo - Natalya Pakhalenko
Ball stands appeared less than a hundred years ago. Before this, golfers with my own hands made small piles of sand.
OLYMPIC GAMES
Golf competitions at the Summer Olympics were held at only two Olympics - 1900 and 1904 - then were cancelled. Voting was held to include this sport in the program summer games 2012, but then this proposal was rejected.
Golf was then shortlisted for inclusion 112 years later at the 2016 Summer Olympics and was accepted by the IOC in Copenhagen on October 9, 2009, by a vote of 63 to 27.
RUSSIA
Golf in Russia has not yet become widespread, due to the fact that in Soviet times it was not cultivated in the country, and also because the construction of golf courses requires large capital investments (from one million dollars to 4-5 million).
The first 18-hole golf course appeared in Nakhabino near Moscow only in 1994 and for a long time remained the only one. The next stage in the development of golf in Russia begins in 2004-2006. active construction of golf courses.
Balikoeva (Verchenova) Maria Vitalievna is a Russian golfer. The first Russian woman to become a full participant in the Ladies European Tour in 2007 Photo - Natalya Pakhalenko
Sport game, in which individuals or teams compete by hitting a small ball into special holes with sticks, trying to cover the allotted distance in the minimum number of strokes.
It is believed that the game of golf originated in Scotland and was invented by shepherds who used staves (future clubs) to drive stones into rabbit holes. Presumably the game existed already in the 14th century, and in the 15th century several laws were passed in Scotland prohibiting the game of goof. In the 17th century, balls were played with sticks in the Netherlands. The game in its modern form took shape in the 19th century in Scotland.
In each game, the participant must complete a certain number of holes (usually 18) in a certain order. In this case, both the hole in the ground and the entire playing area are called a hole. There may be various obstacles on the playing area - water obstacles, sand bunkers, bushes, trees, tall grass.
The rules are based on the principle of fairness. As stated on the cover of the official edition of the rules: “Play the ball as it lies, play on the court that is available, and in any case act honorably.” In addition to the official rules, golfers should follow the rules and customs of golf, known as golf etiquette. Rules of etiquette concern such issues as safety, fairness, pace of play and the player's obligation to maintain the safety of the golf course. And although there are no penalties for violating etiquette, players try to comply with it in order to maintain interest in the game and the opportunity for newcomers to gain experience.
And they were then cancelled. Voting was held to include this sport in the program 2012 Summer Games, but then this proposal was rejected. Then golf was included in the list of candidates for inclusion in the program after 112 years on 2016 Summer Olympics and was accepted at the session IOC V Copenhagen October 9 2009 By 63 votes to 27 (together with golf, the program of the Rio Games included rugby sevens) .
Competitions
Medal standings
| Total number of medals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | A country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Countries
see also
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Excerpt describing Golf at the Olympic Games
I knew Venice, naturally, only from photographs and paintings, but now this wonderful city seemed a little different - completely real and much more colorful... Truly alive.– I was born there. And I considered it a great honor. – Isidora’s voice began to gurgle in a quiet stream. – We lived in a huge palazzo (that’s what we called the most expensive houses), in the heart of the city, since my family was very rich.
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