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85-558: Founded in 1894, it was unique at the time in that it was established and operated by women only. The following year, MCGC became an early member of the United States Golf Association and was the first New Jersey venue to host a national championship. Two of the club's presidents have also served as United States Golf Association presidents. On April 10, 1894, a group of women met in Morristown to plan their new enterprise of

170-407: A teeing ground or "tee box" that is set off by two markers showing the bounds of the legal tee area, fairway , rough and other hazards , and the putting green surrounded by the fringe with the pin (normally a flagstick) and cup. The levels of grass are varied to increase difficulty, or to allow for putting in the case of the green. While many holes are designed with a direct line-of-sight from

255-435: A "bogey golfer" (handicap around 20) would be expected to play than a "scratch golfer" relative to their handicap. The goal is to play as few strokes per round as possible. A golfer's number of strokes in a hole, course, or tournament is compared to its respective par score, and is then reported either as the number that the golfer was "under-" or "over-par", or if it was "equal to par". A hole in one (or an "ace") occurs when

340-443: A "driver". Shorter holes may be initiated with other clubs, such as higher-numbered woods or irons . Once the ball comes to rest, the golfer strikes it again as many times as necessary using shots that are variously known as a "lay-up", an "approach", a "pitch", or a " chip ", until the ball reaches the green, where the golfer then " putts " the ball into the hole (commonly called "sinking the putt" or "holing out"). The goal of getting

425-736: A Paddle Facility (renovated in 2016) complete with indoor entertaining space and a fire pit on the deck; an Olympic size swimming pool, Poolside Bar and Grill, and fully stocked Golf and Racquet Pro Shops.   The Clubhouse features four dining spaces, the Raynor Room, the Sun Room, the Pub Room and the Patio (renovated in 2017).  Executive Chef Adam Plitt has created seasonal menus suitable for fine dining and casual dining year round. The club hosts special events for members and their invited guests throughout

510-421: A backpack, and often bags have retractable legs that allow the bag to stand upright when at rest. The golf swing is outwardly similar to many other motions involving swinging a tool or playing implement, such as an axe or a baseball bat. However, unlike many of these motions, the result of the swing is highly dependent on several sub-motions being properly aligned and timed. These ensure that the club travels up to

595-468: A bent stick to hit a stuffed leather ball. One theory asserts that paganica spread throughout Europe as the Romans conquered most of the continent, during the first century BC, and eventually evolved into the modern game. Others cite chuiwan (捶丸; "chui" means striking and "wan" means small ball) as the progenitor, a Chinese game played between the eighth and fourteenth centuries. A Ming Dynasty scroll by

680-642: A complete rewrite. The new rule book came into effect in January 2019. The underlying principle of the rules is fairness. As stated on the back cover of the official rule book: There are strict regulations regarding the amateur status of golfers. Essentially, anybody who has ever received payment or compensation for giving instruction, or played golf for money, is not considered an amateur and may not participate in competitions limited solely to amateurs. However, amateur golfers may receive expenses that comply with strict guidelines and they may accept non-cash prizes within

765-536: A complete round; with most holes having a par of 4, and a smaller number of par-3 and par-5 holes. Additionally, courses may be classified according to their play difficulty, which may be used to calculate a golfer's handicap . The two primary difficulty ratings in the U.S. are the Course Rating, which is the expected score for a zero-handicap "scratch golfer", and the Slope Rating, which is a measure of how much worse

850-460: A course is unique in its specific layout. Many golf courses are designed to resemble their native landscape, such as along a sea coast (where the course is called a links ), within a forest, among rolling hills, or part of a desert . Golf is played for the lowest number of strokes by an individual, known as stroke play , or the lowest score on the most individual holes in a complete round by an individual or team, known as match play . Stroke play

935-410: A cross between woods and irons, and are typically seen replacing the low-lofted irons with a club that provides similar distance, but a higher launch angle and a more forgiving nature. A maximum of 14 clubs is allowed in a player's bag at one time during a stipulated round. The choice of clubs is at the golfer's discretion, although every club must be constructed in accordance with parameters outlined in

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1020-598: A full round of 18 holes. Early Scottish golf courses were primarily laid out on links land, soil-covered sand dunes directly inland from beaches. The word "links" derives from the Scots language and the Old English word hlinc ("rising ground, ridge"): traditionally these are coastal sand dunes but sometimes open parkland. This gave rise to the term "golf links", particularly applied to seaside courses and those built on naturally sandy soil inland. The first 18-hole golf course in

1105-412: A golf course. The group which formed was headed by Miss Nina Howland, as president with others officers including Mrs. H. McK. Twombly and Mrs. William Shippen, Miss Fields and Mrs. Charles Bradley. The group rented 20 acres of land and their first course was laid out with only 7 holes. As of November 1894 the club was the only one in the nation both managed and organized solely by women. The membership of

1190-410: A golfer sinks their ball into the cup with their first stroke from the tee. Common scores for a hole also have specific terms. In a typical professional tournament or among "scratch" amateur players, "birdie-bogey" play is common; a player will "lose" a stroke by bogeying a hole, then "gain" one by scoring a birdie. Eagles are uncommon but not rare; however, only 18 players have scored an albatross in

1275-453: A great deal of difference in how well the ball is hit and how straight it travels. The general goal of a player making a full swing is to propel the clubhead as fast as possible while maintaining a single "plane" of motion of the club and clubhead, to send the clubhead into the ball along the desired path of travel and with the clubhead also pointing that direction. Accuracy and consistency are typically stressed over pure distance. A player with

1360-406: A men's major championship. One of the rarest feats in golf is the condor, which has never occurred in a professional tournament. Only five condors have been verified to have ever occurred, although none of the courses involved were professionally accredited. There are two basic forms of golf play, match play and stroke play. Stroke play is more popular. Two players (or two teams) play each hole as

1445-563: A national handicap system for golfers, conducts 14 national championships, including the U.S. Open , U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open , and tests golf equipment for conformity with regulations. The USGA and the USGA Museum are located in Liberty Corner, New Jersey . In 2024, the USGA moved its Testing Center from Liberty Corner, New Jersey to Pinehurst, North Carolina. The Testing Center

1530-448: A national championship conducted by the USGA. In 2011, Sarah Hirshland became the senior managing director of business affairs for the USGA. In April 2018, she was promoted to chief commercial officer. She brought the USGA partnerships with major corporations and negotiated a billion-dollar deal with the Fox TV network . In August 2018, she left to become the 20th chief executive officer of

1615-573: A national governing body, which would administer the championship and also the Rules of Golf for the country. On December 22, 1894, the Amateur Golf Association of the United States was officially formed, and was shortly thereafter renamed the "United States Golf Association". Theodore Havemeyer was the first president, and the U.S. Amateur trophy is named in his honor. The first U.S. Amateur

1700-404: A player's score as if there were extra swing(s) at the ball. Either one or two strokes are added for most rule infractions or for taking relief from various situations, with the "general penalty" defined as two-strokes, and disqualification for severe or repeated rule breaches. Examples include: Golf clubs are used to hit a golf ball . Each club is composed of a shaft with a lance (or "grip") on

1785-430: A replica of the U.S. Open trophy and won a trip for two to Pebble Beach for the next year's event. Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit a ball into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games , cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping with the varied terrains encountered on different courses

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1870-400: A separate contest against each other in what is called match play . The party with the lower score wins that hole, or if the scores of both players or teams are equal the hole is "halved" (or tied). The game is won by the party that wins more holes than the other. In the case that one team or player has taken a lead that cannot be overcome in the number of holes remaining to be played, the match

1955-476: A sports venue in New Jersey is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . United States Golf Association The United States Golf Association ( USGA ) is the United States national association of golf courses , clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A , the USGA produces and interprets the rules of golf . The USGA also provides

2040-469: A straight drive that travels only 220 yards (200 m) will nevertheless be able to accurately place the ball into a favourable lie on the fairway, and can make up for the lesser distance of any given club by simply using "more club" (a lower loft) on their tee shot or on subsequent fairway and approach shots. However, a golfer with a drive that may go 280 yards (260 m) but often does not fly straight will be less able to position their ball advantageously;

2125-452: A stroke; it is fundamentally important in being able to play a stroke effectively. The stance adopted is determined by what stroke is being played. All stances involve a slight crouch. This allows for a more efficient striking posture whilst also isometrically preloading the muscles of the legs and core; this allows the stroke to be played more dynamically and with a greater level of overall control. When adopting their stance golfers start with

2210-424: A typical group will have 1–4 people playing the round. The typical amount of time required for pace of play is about two hours for a 9-hole round and four hours for an 18-hole round. Playing a hole on a golf course is initiated by putting a ball into play by striking it with a club on the teeing ground (also called the tee box, or simply the tee). For this first shot on each hole, it is allowed but not required for

2295-479: A typical par-3 hole is less than 250 yards (230 m) in length, with a par-4 hole ranging between 251–450 yards (230–411 m), and a par-5 hole being longer than 450 yards (410 m); for women these boundaries are lower, and for professionals they are much increased. The rare par-6s can stretch well over 650 yards (590 m). These distances are based on the typical scratch golfer's drive distance of between 240 and 280 yards (220 and 260 m). Although length

2380-411: A violation of Rule 3–2, this practice speeds play as a courtesy to others, and avoids "runaway scores" and excessive frustration. Alternatively, in competition, the committee may designate a maximum score possible for a hole for the same reasons, while formalizing the surrender or "pick-up" rule. The total distance from the first teeing ground to the 18th green can be quite long; total yardages "through

2465-586: A women's counterpart in 2018. Professional golf in the US is mainly run by the PGA Tour , the LPGA , and the PGA of America . However, the USGA organizes the 10 national amateur championships. The leading events are open to all age groups, but are usually won by golfers in their early twenties: There are two championships for players under age 19: And two for senior golfers: Because

2550-587: Is The Open Championship , which was first played on 17 October 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club, in Ayrshire, Scotland, with Scottish golfers winning the earliest majors . Two Scotsmen from Dunfermline , John Reid and Robert Lockhart, first demonstrated golf in the U.S. by setting up a hole in an orchard in 1888, with Reid setting up America's first golf club the same year, Saint Andrew's Golf Club in Yonkers, New York. A golf course consists of either 9 or 18 holes, each with

2635-476: Is a key part of the game. Courses typically have either 9 or 18 holes , regions of terrain that each contain a cup , the hole that receives the ball. Each hole on a course has a teeing ground for the hole's first stroke, and a putting green containing the cup. There are several standard forms of terrain between the tee and the green, such as the fairway, rough (tall grass), and various hazards that may be water, rocks, or sand-filled bunkers . Each hole on

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2720-563: Is another possible ancient origin, albeit being more polo -like. In addition, kolven (a game involving a ball and curved bats) was played annually in Loenen, Netherlands, beginning in 1297, to commemorate the capture of the assassin of Floris V , a year earlier. The modern game originated in Scotland , where the first written record of golf is James II 's banning of the game in 1457, as an unwelcome distraction to learning archery. James IV lifted

2805-412: Is deemed to be won by the party in the lead, and the remainder of the holes are not played. For example, if one party already has a lead of six holes, and only five holes remain to be played on the course, the match is over and the winning party is deemed to have won "6 & 5". At any given point, if the lead is equal to the number of holes remaining, the party leading the match is said to be "dormie", and

2890-456: Is described as 18-hole, par 70 course on 150 acres. The course has 6,522 yards of golf from the championship tees with a rating of 71.6 and a slope of 129. Greens tees and fairways consist of bentgrass maintained at a championship level. The course also features a practice putting green, a driving range (renovated in 2011) and a short game area. Club facilities include har tru and hard surface tennis courts and platform tennis courts, as well as

2975-566: Is documented as being played on Musselburgh Links , East Lothian, Scotland as early as 2 March 1672, which is certified as the oldest golf course in the world by Guinness World Records . The oldest surviving rules of golf were compiled in March 1744 for the Company of Gentlemen Golfers, later renamed The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers , which was played at Leith , Scotland. The world's oldest golf tournament in existence, and golf's first major,

3060-440: Is holed no matter how many strokes that may take. In match play it is acceptable to simply pick up one's ball and "surrender the hole" after enough strokes have been made by a player that it is mathematically impossible for the player to win the hole. It is also acceptable in informal stroke play to surrender the hole after hitting three strokes more than the "par" rating of the hole (a "triple bogey" – see below); while technically

3145-424: Is known as "conventional". There are many variations of conventional including overlap, where the golfer overlaps the off hand index finger onto off the dominant pinky; interlock, where the offhand index finger interlocks with the dominant pinky and ring finger; double or triple overlap and so on. Recently, "cross handed" putting has become a popular trend amongst professional golfers and amateurs. Cross handed putting

3230-582: Is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, the other three being played in the United States: The Masters , the U.S. Open , and the PGA Championship . While the modern game of golf originated in 15th century Scotland , the game's ancient origins are unclear and much debated. Some historians trace the sport back to the Roman game of paganica , in which participants used

3315-439: Is the idea that the dominant hand is on top of the grip where the weak hand is on the bottom. This grip restricts the motion in your dominant hand and eliminates the possibility of wrist breakdowns through the putting stroke. Other notable putting styles include "the claw", a style that has the grip directly in between the thumb and index finger of the dominant hand while the palm faces the target. The weak hand placed normally on

3400-535: Is the most commonly seen format at all levels, especially at the elite level. The modern game of golf originated in 15th century Scotland . The 18-hole round was created at the Old Course at St Andrews in 1764. Golf's first major , and the world's oldest golf tournament, is The Open Championship , also known as The Open, which was first played in 1860 at the Prestwick Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland. This

3485-450: Is the primary factor in calculating par, other factors are taken into account; however the number of strokes a scratch golfer should take to make the green remains foremost. Factors affecting the calculation include altitude, gradient of the land from the tee to green, and forced " lay-ups " due to dog-legs (sharp bends) or obstacles (e.g. bunkers, water hazards). Getting the ball onto the green in two strokes less than par, and hence meeting

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3570-407: Is typically positioned more to the "front" of the player's stance (closer to the leading foot) for lower-lofted clubs, with the usual ball position for a drive being just behind the arch of the leading foot. The ball is placed further "back" in the player's stance (toward the trailing foot) as the loft of the club to be used increases. Most iron shots and putts are made with the ball roughly centered in

3655-406: Is used to transport golf clubs and the player's other or personal equipment. Golf bags have several pockets designed for carrying equipment and supplies such as tees, balls, and gloves. Golf bags can be carried, pulled on a trolley or harnessed to a motorized golf cart during play. Golf bags usually have both a hand strap and shoulder strap for carrying, others may be carried over both shoulders like

3740-695: Is where all golf clubs and golf balls manufactured in the United States and Mexico are tested for conformance to the Rules of Golf.   The USGA was originally formed in 1894 to resolve the question of a national amateur championship. Earlier that year, the Newport Country Club and Saint Andrew's Golf Club , Yonkers , New York, both declared the winners of their tournaments the "national amateur champion." That autumn, delegates from Newport, St. Andrew's, The Country Club , Chicago Golf Club , and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club met in New York City to form

3825-552: The United States Olympic Committee . The USGA organizes or co-organizes the following competitions: An "open" golf championship is one that both professionals and amateurs may enter. In practice, such events are always won by professionals nowadays. The two leading opens in the U.S. are: The last win by an amateur at the U.S. Open was 91 years ago in 1933 and an amateur has won the women's event only once, 57 years ago in 1967 . The USGA also conducts

3910-483: The U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women's Amateur became increasingly dominated by future tournament professionals , two national championships were added in the 1980s for "career amateurs" who were 25 years of age & older: These team events were announced by the USGA in 2013 as the replacements for the discontinued Public Links championships and played for the first time in 2015. Both are contested by two-member teams in four-ball matches. Partners are not required to be from

3995-555: The U.S. Senior Open for competitors 50 and over. This is one of the five majors recognized by the world's dominant tour for golfers 50 and over, PGA Tour Champions . The overwhelming majority of the competitors play regularly on this tour. Many of the remaining players compete on the European counterpart of PGA Tour Champions, the European Senior Tour , which recognizes the U.S. Senior Open as one of its three majors. The USGA added

4080-747: The United States and a joint team representing Great Britain and Ireland (in political terms, Ireland and the United Kingdom). Through its membership of the International Golf Federation the USGA is involved in the administration of the two "World Amateur Team Championships", which are played biennially in even-numbered years. There had been two events for "public-course" golfers, but the USGA announced in 2013 that both would be discontinued after their 2014 editions. Members of private golf clubs were excluded from these championships. Only nine golfers have won more than one USGA individual event in

4165-475: The United States was on a sheep farm in Downers Grove, Illinois , in 1892. The course is still there today. Every round of golf is based on playing a number of holes in a given order. A "round" typically consists of 18 holes that are played in the order determined by the course layout. Each hole is played once in the round on a standard course of 18 holes. The game can be played by any number of people, although

4250-634: The artist Youqiu dating back to 1368 entitled "The Autumn Banquet" shows a member of the Chinese Imperial court swinging what appears to be a golf club at a small ball with the aim of sinking it into a hole. The game is thought to have been introduced into Europe during the Middle Ages. Another early game that resembled modern golf was known as cambuca in England and chambot in France. The Persian game chowkan

4335-432: The balance in muscles. Putting is considered to be the most important component of the game of golf. As the game of golf has evolved, there have been many different putting techniques and grips that have been devised to give golfers the best chance to make putts. When the game originated, golfers would putt with their dominant hand on the bottom of the grip and their weak hand on top of the grip. This grip and putting style

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4420-415: The ball a long distance from relatively "open" lies, such as the teeing ground and fairway. Of particular importance is the driver or "1-wood", which is the lowest lofted wood club, and in modern times has become highly specialized for making extremely long-distance tee shots, up to 300 yards (270 m), or more, in a professional golfer's hands. Traditionally these clubs had heads made of a hardwood, hence

4505-442: The ball by taking their stance to the side of it and (except when the ball lies in a hazard) grounding the club behind the ball. The golfer then takes their backswing, rotating the club, their arms and their upper body away from the ball, and then begins their swing, bringing the clubhead back down and around to hit the ball. A proper golf swing is a complex combination of motions, and slight variations in posture or positioning can make

4590-425: The ball in line with the desired path; that the clubface is in line with the swing path; and that the ball hits the centre or "sweet spot" of the clubface. The ability to do this consistently, across a complete set of clubs with a wide range of shaft lengths and clubface areas, is a key skill for any golfer, and takes a significant effort to achieve. Stance refers to how the golfer positions themselves in order to play

4675-559: The ball in motion, which delays "boundary layer" separation and reduces the drag-inducing "wake" behind the ball, thereby allowing the ball to fly farther. The combination of a soft "boundary layer" and a hard "core" enables both distance and spin. A tee is allowed only for the first stroke on each hole, unless the player must hit a provisional tee shot or replay their first shot from the tee. Many golfers wear golf shoes with metal or plastic spikes designed to increase traction, thus allowing for longer and more accurate shots. A golf bag

4760-543: The ball into the hole ("holing" the ball) in as few strokes as possible may be impeded by obstacles such as areas of longer grass called "rough" (usually found alongside fairways), which both slows any ball that contacts it and makes it harder to advance a ball that has stopped on it; "doglegs", which are changes in the direction of the fairway that often require shorter shots to play around them; bunkers (or sand traps); and water hazards such as ponds or streams. In stroke play competitions each player plays their ball until it

4845-482: The ball may "hook", "pull", "draw", "fade", "push" or "slice" off the intended line and land out of bounds or in the rough or hazards, and thus the player will require many more strokes to hole out. A golf stroke uses the muscles of the core (especially erector spinae muscles and latissimus dorsi muscle when turning), hamstring , shoulder , and wrist . Stronger muscles in the wrist can prevent them from being twisted during swings, whilst stronger shoulders increase

4930-464: The ban in 1502 when he became a golfer himself, with golf clubs first recorded in 1503–1504: "For golf clubbes and balles to the King that he playit with". To many golfers, the Old Course at St Andrews , a links course dating to before 1574, is considered to be a site of pilgrimage. In 1764, the standard 18-hole golf course was created at St Andrews when members modified the course from 22 to 18 holes. Golf

5015-425: The club was divided into four classes - regular, limited, associate and honorary. Within the first year, the club had 200 female and 175 male members. On June 21, 1895, in a letter to the club's president Nina Howland, the United States Golf Association (USGA) informed Morris County Golf Club that their membership had been granted. This was the first women-only club to become a USGA member. In 1896, changes came as

5100-412: The club was incorporated with a $ 50,000 capital stock and almost 100 acres were purchased with plans of course expansion. In 1897, the course's management was taken over by men. Although golf has always been the club's premier sport, over the years it has been complemented by various other activities. Most notably tennis, swimming, paddle tennis, and ice hockey among others. In 1919, the club's Clubhouse

5185-423: The course, but most often for shorter-distance shots approaching the green, or to get the ball out of tricky lies such as sand traps. The third class is the putter , which evolved from the irons to create a low-lofted, balanced club designed to roll the ball along the green and into the hole. Putters are virtually always used on the green or in the surrounding rough/fringe. A fourth class, called hybrids , evolved as

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5270-432: The course, either carrying their bag using a shoulder strap or using a "golf trolley" for their bag. These trolleys may or may not be battery assisted. At many amateur tournaments including U.S. high school and college play, players are required to walk and to carry their own bags, but at the professional and top amateur level, as well as at high-level private clubs, players may be accompanied by caddies , who carry and manage

5355-488: The golfer to place the ball on a tee prior to striking it. A tee is a small peg that can be used to elevate the ball slightly above the ground up to a few centimetres high. Tees are commonly made of wood but may be constructed of any material, including plastic. Traditionally, golfers used mounds of sand to elevate the ball, and containers of sand were provided for the purpose. A few courses still require sand to be used instead of peg tees, to reduce litter and reduce damage to

5440-451: The green" can be in excess of 7,000 yards (6,400 m), and when adding in the travel distance between the green of one hole and the tee of the next, even skilled players may easily travel 5 miles (8.0 km) or more during a round. At some courses, gas or electric golf carts are used to travel between shots, which can speed-up play and allows participation by individuals unable to walk a whole round. On other courses players generally walk

5525-494: The hole. The primary factor for classifying the par of a relatively straight, hazard-free hole is the distance from the tee to the green, and calculates the number of strokes a skilled golfer is expected to require to reach the green with an additional allowance of 2 putts. As such, the minimum par of any hole is 3; one stroke for the tee shot and two putts. Par 3, 4 and 5 holes are commonplace on golf courses; far more rarely, courses may feature par-6 and even par-7 holes. For men,

5610-556: The limits established by the Rules of Amateur Status. In addition to the officially printed rules, golfers also abide by a set of guidelines called golf etiquette . Etiquette guidelines cover matters such as safety, fairness, pace of play, and a player's obligation to contribute to the care of the course. Though there are no penalties for breach of etiquette rules, players generally follow the rules of golf etiquette in an effort to improve everyone's playing experience. Penalty strokes are incurred in certain situations and are counted towards

5695-413: The match is continued until the party increases the lead by one hole or ties any of the remaining holes, thereby winning the match, or until the match ends in a tie with the lead player's opponent winning all remaining holes. When the game is tied after the predetermined number of holes have been played, it may be continued until one side takes a one-hole lead. The score achieved for each and every hole of

5780-405: The name, but virtually all modern woods are now made of metal such as titanium, or of composite materials. Irons are shorter-shafted clubs with a metal head primarily consisting of a flat, angled striking face. Traditionally the clubhead was forged from iron; modern iron clubheads are investment-cast from a steel alloy. Irons of varying loft are used for a variety of shots from virtually anywhere on

5865-583: The non-dominant side of the body facing the target (for a right-hander, the target is to their left). Setting the stance in regard to the position of the ball, and placing the clubhead behind the ball, is known as being at address; when in this position the player's body and the centerline of the club face are positioned parallel to the desired line of travel, with the feet either perpendicular to that line or slightly splayed outward. The feet are commonly shoulder-width apart for middle irons and putters, narrower for short irons and wider for long irons and woods. The ball

5950-466: The original five clubs. There were 267 club members in 1910, and 1,138 clubs by 1932. Membership fell off during the Great Depression and World War II , but recovered by 1947. By 1980 there were over 5,000 clubs, and today membership exceeds 9,700. On September 17, 1956, Ann Gregory began competing in the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship, thus becoming the first African-American woman to play in

6035-507: The par calculation criteria, is called making "green in regulation" or GIR. Missing a GIR does not necessarily mean a golfer will not make par, but it does make doing so more difficult as it reduces the number of putts available; conversely, making a GIR does not guarantee a par, as the player might require three or more putts to "hole out". Professional golfers typically make between 60% and 70% of greens in regulation. Eighteen-hole courses typically total to an overall par score of 70 to 72 for

6120-409: The players' equipment and who are allowed by the rules to give advice on the play of the course. The rules of golf are internationally standardised and are jointly governed by The R&A , spun off in 2004 from The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (founded 1754), and the United States Golf Association (USGA). With the aim of simplifying the rules, in 2017 the USGA and R&A undertook

6205-447: The putter. Anchored putting, a style that requires a longer putter shaft that can be anchored into the player's stomach or below the chin; the idea is to stabilize one end of the putter thus creating a more consistent pendulum stroke. This style has been banned on professional circuits since 2016. A hole is classified by its par, which gives an indication of the number of strokes a skilled golfer may be expected to need to complete play of

6290-423: The round or tournament is added to produce the total score, and the player with the lowest score wins in stroke play . Stroke play is the game most commonly played by professional golfers. If there is a tie after the regulation number of holes in a professional tournament, a playoff takes place between all tied players. Playoffs either are sudden death or employ a pre-determined number of holes, anywhere from three to

6375-598: The rules. (Clubs that meet these parameters are usually called "conforming".) Violation of these rules can result in disqualification. The exact shot hit at any given time on a golf course, and which club is used to accomplish the shot, are always completely at the discretion of the golfer; in other words, there is no restriction whatsoever on which club a golfer may or may not use at any time for any shot. Golf balls are spherical, usually white (although other colours are allowed), and minutely pock-marked by dimples that decrease aerodynamic drag by increasing air turbulence around

6460-562: The same club, political subdivision, or country. The USGA men's and women's state team championships were first conducted in 1995 as a part of the USGA's Centennial celebration. The two championships were conducted biennially in odd-numbered years through 2009. Since 2010, the men's championship has been conducted in even-numbered years and the women's championship in odd-numbered years. According to NCAA rules, college golfers are not eligible. The USGA, in cooperation with The R&A , co-organizes two biennial amateur team competitions between

6545-563: The same year: Six people have won three different USGA individual events in their careers: Fifty–two other people have won two different USGA individual events in their careers, and three have won USGA individual and team events: Note: Multiple winners of individual events can be found in that event's article. The USGA partnered with World Golf Tour in 2009 to co-host the first annual Virtual USGA Championship online. The Virtual U.S. Open attracted hundreds of thousands of players from more than 180 countries. The first-place winner took home

6630-413: The stance, while a few mid- and short-iron shots are made with the ball slightly behind the centre of the stance to ensure consistent contact between the ball and clubface, so the ball is on its way before the club continues down into the turf. The golfer chooses a golf club, grip, and stroke appropriate to the distance: Having chosen a club and stroke to produce the desired distance, the player addresses

6715-448: The teeing area to the green, some holes may bend either to the left or to the right. This is commonly called a "dogleg", in reference to a dog's knee. The hole is called a "dogleg left" if the hole angles leftwards and "dogleg right" if it bends right. Sometimes, a hole's direction may bend twice; this is called a "double dogleg". A regular golf course consists of 18 holes, but nine-hole courses are common and can be played twice through for

6800-419: The teeing ground. Tees help reduce the interference of the ground or grass on the movement of the club making the ball easier to hit by elevating the ball from the playing surface. When the initial shot on a hole is intended to move the ball a long distance, typically more than 225 yards (210 m), the shot is commonly called a "drive" and is generally made with a long-shafted, large-headed wood club called

6885-502: The top end and a club head on the bottom. Long clubs, which have a lower amount of degree loft, are those meant to propel the ball a comparatively longer distance, and short clubs a higher degree of loft and a comparatively shorter distance. The actual physical length of each club is longer or shorter, depending on the distance the club is intended to propel the ball. Golf clubs have traditionally been arranged into three basic types. Woods are large-headed, long-shafted clubs meant to propel

6970-408: The turning force. Weak wrists can also transmit the force to elbows and even neck and lead to injury. (When a muscle contracts, it pulls equally from both ends and, to have movement at only one end of the muscle, other muscles must come into play to stabilize the bone to which the other end of the muscle is attached.) Golf is a unilateral exercise that can break body balances, requiring exercises to keep

7055-455: The year including an Independence Day barbecue with fireworks, a Memorial Day picnic, a Labor Day picnic, an Easter brunch with an Easter egg hunt for children, Father-daughter dances , and more. 40°47′08″N 74°26′34″W  /  40.785676°N 74.442888°W  / 40.785676; -74.442888 This golf club or course-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about

7140-495: Was built. The clubhouse is available to members in addition to sponsored guests for all special events. In 1995, the Preschool Advantage, Inc., began hosting their annual golf invitational at Morris County Golf Club and this year is their 25th year. In 1916, the current course was designed by prominent architects Seth Raynor and Charles Blair Macdonald in 1916. The original course was restored in 2001. The golf course

7225-531: Was held in 1895 at the Newport Country Club, with Charles B. Macdonald (who was runner-up at both of the previous year's tournaments) winning the championship. The first U.S. Open was held the following day, almost as an afterthought. It was not until 1898 that the two events were held at separate clubs. Today, the USGA administers 14 separate national championships, ten of which are expressly for amateurs. The USGA gradually expanded its membership from

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