The basic golf rules are the same for both men and women. A player is allowed to carry a selection of up to 14 clubs of varying shapes, sizes, and lengths. A golf course generally has 18 holes spread over a landscaped area that normally includes a number of hazards, such as water, sand traps (also known as bunkers), and trees. These are designed to make the game more difficult. The varying distances between the holes also makes it more difficult.



Play on each hole is begun at the tee area, from which players "tee off" or "drive" the ball into the fairway. To complete a hole, the ball must be putted into the actual hole or "cup".

Golf is usually played in groups of two to four people who move around the course together, each person taking a turn to play his or her ball. You have to play the ball as it lies, except in unusual circumstances when the rules allow for the ball to be moved to a slightly better position.

In stroke competition, the total number of strokes used to move the ball from the tee to the hole is recorded as the player's score for that individual hole. The winner is the player who uses the fewest strokes to complete the course. In match play, scores are compared after every hole, and a player wins, loses, or halves (ties) each hole.

As the game has developed, the courses have become more difficult to play. Saint Andrews in Scotland and Augusta National in Georgia have some of the most famous and difficult courses.

If this has inspired you to take up golf, what better way to learn and consolidate your technique than by going on a golf holiday?