Golf Essay, Research Paper

Golf is about 10% physical and about 90% mental. A golfer has an inventory of

various moods while on the course, awareness of these moods and being able to

control them is what can make or break a golf game. A very crucial point in golf

is determining your club distances. Many golfers really don?t know how far

each club can be hit. In addition to knowing how far you must hit a club, a

golfer must also be educated on how to play under different weather conditions.

One area that can really make emotions take off is putting. Putting is a part of

the game that takes the most concentration because there really is no single

correct way to putt. Determining your club distances can be a bit tricky at

times because many variables can come into play such as wind, altitude,

temperature and excitement level. Winds depending on their speed can make the

ball go long, short, to the left or to the right. Also the higher the altitude

the further you will hit the ball. For example, a golfer teeing off on a par 3

(179yards) with a 10 mile per hour wind behind him may have to use a 7 iron

instead of a 5 or a 6. This is because the wind could push or carry the ball an

additional 10 to 15 yards farther. Weather conditions can come into play as

well. The sun in particular can make the course conditions very dry and hard.

When the landscape of a golf course is dry and hard the ball will have a

tendency to bounce and role a significant distance farther than normal. In

contrary, when the conditions are wet, like after it rains, the ball will stick

or not go very far from were it landed. For example, a golfer may have played

two rounds of golf on two different days, the first may have been a beautiful

sunny day with dry conditions and the other may have been a day after a night of

rain, in turn made the conditions of the golf course change dramatically. This

dramatic change has altered the way this golfer must play. The first day was

worry free because conditions were ideal, but playing the second day the golfers

had to anticipate where their ball was going to land and maybe use a longer club

because the air is saturated and more dense than usual. Another aspect of the

game is knowing how far each club in bag can be hit. At average a 3 iron should

be hit around 190 yards, 4 iron around 180 yards, 5 iron around 170, 6 iron

around 160, 7 iron around 150, 8 iron around 140, 9 iron between 115 and 130, PW

(pitching wedge) 110 and a SW (sand wedge) up to a 100 yards. The putter is in a

class of its own, it can?t be hit as far as any of the other clubs but it is

the most important club in the bag. There is no style when it comes to putting;

it?s getting it in the hole that counts. There are so many different kinds of

putters available and so many different stories about how a proper putting

stroke should be executed. The fact of the matter is about 80% of tournament

players use a grip were the upper hand is on the grip with the index finger

clear of the grip and with the lower hand on the grip allowing all the fingers

to hold the grip. Ball positioning is very important the ball should be in the

middle of the stance, the putter face should be square to the ball and the

putter face should be at a ball to target line with your eyes directly over the

ball. Knowledge on how to play under different weather conditions, knowing how

far each club in your bag can be hit and the know how on putting are all very

crucial in the game of golf. If a golfer is cultured in all three, he/she will

be on the right track to becoming a better golfer. Even if the ball doesn?t go

straight!