Bitesize Basics of Golf with Jade - 6

Understanding the Scorecard

6. The Scorecard

Par, Yardages and the Stroke Index

Marking the golf scorecard correctly is a very important element of the game.  There have been a few incidences in Professional golf that a player has marked their card incorrectly - check out the story of Jackie Pung, in the 1957 US Women’s Open at Winged Foot, where her mistake cost her the tournament! You will see something like, Hole 1, Par 4, 352 yards, Stroke Index 8, but what does it all mean?

The card format varies from club to club, but essential information is common to all cards.  This will include: hole numbers, their distance, the par, the stroke index and a place for you and the marker to sign after the scorecard is completed.  There will also be a space to put your name & handicap, the date and what competition you are playing.  Women will generally play off the red tees, which will correspond with the colour on the scorecard.  

 On the reverse of a card you will find local rules, which you should familiarise yourself with and sometimes you will also see a map of the course layout, which can be very handy, particularly if you are visiting a course for the first time.

The Par
The Par of a hole indicates the score a scratch golfer or Professional should complete the hole.  These are typically, Par 3, Par 4, or Par 5.  Generally, a course will have 4 x 3’s 4 x 5’s and 10 x 4’s although courses do differ and some newer courses may have Par 6’s and even Par 7’s!

The Distance
This will be written either as meters or yards – depending on where you are playing in the world.

The Stroke Index
Each hole will have a number next to it which rates holes in ranking order against the degree of difficulty for eg – Stroke index 1 is the most difficult, whilst stroke index 18 is the easiest.  Most courses will also be evenly ranked over both halves of the card, so allocation of shots is evenly spread.  Once you have a handicap, the stroke index is used to identify on which holes you receive extra shots.  

Marking your scorecard
Under normal circumstances, you would swap cards with your playing partner on the 1st tee, so they mark your card and you mark theirs.  You would put your scores in the Marker’s area on the scorecard and write their score down in the first column and vice-versa.  After your round, you would then then cross-check your scores, sign the card in the Marker’s signature area and return to your playing partner.  They will do likewise, you would then sign your own card and hand over to the competition scorer.  

Remember – you are responsible for your own scores, so always double check your card has been recorded correctly before you sign it.

PLEASE NOTE: During Covid-19 we are all being asked to mark our own scorecards, but you should still double-check scores with your playing partner.

 As a beginner, the most important thing you can do, is mark down your gross score on the card after each hole.  Playing with GIGS, we will mostly use the Stableford Scoring system, which awards you points depending on how you score on each hole.  We’ll cover this next week. 

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Bitesize Basics Returns in December 2020 when we (hopefully) return to our Golf:

NEXT UP: The Stableford Scoring System

Bitesize Basics of Golf with Jade - 5

Unplayable lies, Water Hazards & Out of Bounds

5. Unplayable lies, Water Hazards & Out of Bounds

Yellow stakes, Red stakes, White stakes ?? What do they all mean?!?

Unplayable lies

If your ball has come to rest in a position that you believe to be unplayable, you have three options:

1. Either hit another ball from the point of your previous shot

2. Drop a ball behind the unplayable lie (as far back as you wish, keeping the original lie between you and the hole

3. Drop the ball, within 2 club lengths of the unplayable lie, no nearer the hole

 Each option incurs a one stroke penalty. 

Water hazards

Yellow stakes - Yellow stakes or lines indicate a penalty area, most likely a water hazard. You can attempt to play from this penalty area if it appears playable, but you will most likely have to take a drop.

Penalty - 1 stroke

If you decide to take a stroke penalty you have two options:

1. Go back to the place where you played your last shot and drop the ball within 1 club length, no nearer to the hole. This option is called stroke – distance – relief.

2. The second option is called back-on-the-line relief. This means identifying the spot at which your ball crossed into the yellow penalty area, then imagining a straight line drawn from the hole on the putting green back to that spot. You can walk back on that line as far as you wish before dropping within a one-club-length relief area.

Red stakes - Red stakes on a golf course usually indicate a lateral water hazard. What is a lateral water hazard? Well for starters, it is lateral and runs alongside or adjacent to the line of play and you really want to avoid them! Normally a lateral water hazard is a lake or creek that runs alongside the fairway and extends towards the tee. These hazards are handled differently as you are unable to drop behind the hazard and play another shot. Dealing with the ball…you can play from the hazard if you desire, but the easier option would be to take a drop and a 1 stroke penalty. The drop can be takeen within two club lengths from the point where the ball crossed the margin of the hazard, no nearer the hole. Or a golfer can go to the opposite side of the lateral water hazard and drop at a spot on the hazard margin that is equidistant from the hole.

Penalty - 1 stroke 

Out of Bounds

White stakes - Knowing what to do when your ball sails out of bounds is crucial to a beginner. A ball hit beyond the confines of the course (usually marked by white stakes) must be re-played from the original position adding a penalty of one stroke. This may also be from the tee.

The scorecard of any course should clearely state or describe it’s boundaries. If you believe a shot has gone OB or indeed into a water hazard, always play a provisional ball and declare it.

When looking for your ball, you only have five minutes to search for it. If you are unable to find it, you must proceed and play your provisional ball. Playing a provisional also helps to speed up play and if indeed it is lost, you save valuable time continuing with the provisional ball despite a one stroke penalty. If your original is subsequently found in bounds or dry within five minutes of the point of search, you must continue with the original ball.

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NEXT WEEK: The Scorecard - drops Fri 30th October 2020

Bitesize Basics of Golf with Jade - 4

Sand and Green Play

4. Sand and Green Play

Sand Play

Sand bunkers are tricky and can also be really daunting for beginners, plus there are a few rules which you will need to know.  When entering the bunker tread on the least amount of surface possible to get to your ball.  You are permitted to remove any loose impediments or movable obstructions in the bunker without penalty.  However, you must not intentionally touch the sand to “test it” with your hand, your club, the rake or any other object.  This will result in penalty shots if you do.  You also cannot clip the sand with your club during a practice swing or when you are lining up to take your shot.  Your club must not be grounded in the bunker pre-shot.  You are permitted to dig with your feet though, to take a solid stance.     

Often the Driving Range will have a bunker where you can practise, this will really help with feeling more confident about bunkers in no time and one thing to remember when practicing is to take as much sand with you when you play your shot out!  Or better still, go and have a bunker lesson with a Pro who will also advise you on technique of hitting good shots and controlling your ball out of the sand.

NB: Before Covid-19, you would normally have to rake sand bunkers after you have played out of them.  Do check in to see what the status is at the course you are playing and what the protocol is, as most courses have removed rakes from their bunkers for the time being.

Green Play

Marking your Ball - Once you have reached the green, there are a couple of key rules of which you need to be aware.  Once the ball comes to rest on the putting surface you may mark it with a coin, or disk and this must be placed behind the ball before you can lift and clean it.  Please also remember to repair any pitch mark that your ball has made on the green.    

Remember to replace your ball in the exact same spot in front of your marker.  You must also mark your ball if you are near or on the line of someone else’s ball where there might be a risk of a collision.

Who Putts First? - Generally speaking, whist on the green, it is important to remember that the person to putt first is the person whose ball is furthest away from the flag.  Although in some circumstances, you may putt first for example if your ball is in their line of play and your marker may obstruct their shot, or when playing ‘ready golf’ to speed things up.

When on the green, do not walk on the line directly between the hole and another players ball.  Footprints can disrupt the roll of the ball during a putt. Do not stand directly in the line of sight of another player when they are putting and make sure you are not casting a shadow over their line or the hole.

The Flag – In or Out? - During Covid-19, we have been required to keep the flag in whilst putting.  During normal times, you do have the option to remove the flag whilst putting.  But certainly, keeping the flag in does speed up play, but it is a personal choice.

Once all players have putted out, please exit the green quickly and move away to the next hole.  Do not start marking your scorecard until you arrive to the next tee.

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NEXT WEEK: - Water Hazards & Out of Bounds - drops Fri 23rd October 2020

Bitesize Basics of Golf with Jade - 3

Bag Management

3. Bag Management

You will need your own golf clubs.  Almost all courses will state that the sharing of clubs is not permitted.

What’s allowed in the Bag? - The official maximum number of clubs you can have in your bag is 14.  You are also probably wondering what to carry??   As a beginner, we recommend something along the lines of the following: 

 -      Driver

-       Rescue

-       5 Wood

-       6 – 9 Iron

-       Wedge

-       Sand Wedge

-       Putter

Golf Glove - It is not essential, but a golf glove is worn by the majority of golfers the world over, so we recommend using one.

Golf Balls, Tees, Pitch Repairer and Ball Marker - You will need a few tees and golf balls to get you started!  Pro shops will often offer 2nd hand balls at reduced cost, so look out for those.  Please also carry a pitch repairer and ball marker for when you are on the green.  If you pitch into the green, often your ball will create a small hole.  The pitch repairer allows you to repair the damage to the green.

Keep Hydrated – We all love our snacks to nibble as we play and please remember to bring a drink with you to keep hydrated.  Some golf courses have a ‘half-way’ house where you can buy drinks and snacks mid-round, or before you start, many  Pro shop’s  offer drinks and chocolate.  But it might be best to come prepared!

Managing your Bag on the Course - Something you will also want to focus on whilst playing, is managing your bag on the course.  As you approach a green, please check which direction the next tee is and leave your bag on that side before you step onto the green to putt.  This will ensure a smooth transition as you finish from the green to walk to the next tee. This really helps to keep up the pace of play. 

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Golf can be an expensive sport, particularly when you’re first starting out.  However, there are ways to make it more affordable and we have linked some great second-hand websites below.  If you are coming along just to try it out and don’t want to commit just yet (although, we promise you will get the bug), then many golf courses do offer a daily hire of clubs. Also, you can always start golf with a half set of clubs and add as you progress. Plus, if you prefer to carry your bag, half set will do.

Website links for affordable golf attire and equipment:

 https://www.missdesignergolf.com/

 https://www.golfbidder.co.uk/

https://www.golfgarb.co.uk/

NEXT WEEK: - Sand and Green Play - drops Fri 16th October 2020

Bitesize Basics of Golf with Jade - 2

The Tee Box

2. The Tee Box

When you show up to a golf course for the first time, you are probably wondering why there are different coloured tees and what do they all mean?  There is talk that tees should be based on ability, as opposed to gender – but for now see below for the different tees and who tee’s off from where:

Black or Gold Tees – Professional or some Amateur Competitions
(not all courses have these)
White Tees – Men’s Competition
Yellow Tees – Men’s Regular 
Red Tees – Women’s
Blue Tees – Veterans/ Juniors

First Shot

The first tee shot of a round can be quite daunting, even for seasoned golfers.  So make sure when starting a hole that you tee up from the correct teeing ground. This is the area between and behind the front of the appropriate markers.  Think of the teeing ground as a rectangle, between the coloured tee posts and within 2 club lengths in depth.  With all the swing thoughts that go through the average player’s head, it can be easy to forget about these basic parameters.  Also, please remember not to pull your trolley or drive your buggy over the teeing ground, as this could cause damage.

Penalty for teeing up the ball outside of the teeing area (you may take your stance outside if you prefer) is two shots in stroke play, or loss of hole in match play!  You must also correct the mistake, by playing a ball from inside the teeing ground.  Remember to breath and take it slow!

Playing the Correct Ball

Before teeing off on the first hole, make sure you have created a distinctive mark on your ball.  People use their initials, a smiley face or an emoji of your choice.  Golf balls are all very similar and it is easy to mistake yours for another player’s ball.   You should also declare what ball you are playing with to your playing partners before teeing off and the distinctive mark you are using.  They should do likewise.  This way, you substantially cut down the risk of hitting the wrong ball whilst playing and it also helps to prevent cheating of any kind.

Penalty for playing the wrong ball whilst on the course can result in loss of hole in Match Play and a two-stroke penalty in Singles Stroke play.  

Identifying your ball

Whilst playing, if when you approach your ball, you’re still unsure it is yours, you are permitted under the rules to identify it.  First, mark with a tee peg, then lift it to identify as your ball.  Please note you are not allowed to clean your ball whilst you are identifying it. Finally, replace your ball back in the identical spot.  You must inform your playing partners before lifting.   You are also permitted to do this in the rough, which can often be where it is most difficult to identify.

To avoid penalties and playing the wrong ball and be above suspicion of cheating, get into the habit of marking up your balls more clearly with distinctive personalised symbols.

NEXT WEEK: - Bag Management drops Fri 9th October 2020

Bitesize Basics of Golf with Jade - 1

1. Ready Golf, Etiquette & Respect

Timeliness

Play quickly. It’s OK to concentrate and not completely rush yourself, but be considerate to other golfers. If your group is slow, let faster groups play through. Almost every course stresses the importance of playing “ready golf” – whoever is ready first on the tee, should play. On the fairway, be prepared to play as soon as it’s your turn. Simple and effective to keep things moving.

Etiquette & Safety

Do not hit your ball until the group ahead is far out of reach, or hit onto the green until the players in front of you are well clear. Make sure your immediate surroundings are clear before swinging the club. If your ball does travel towards other golfers eg on another hole, shout FORE. FORE is the universal call out to fellow golfers if there is the possibility a ball might hit them. If you are playing and somebody else shouts fore, duck and cover your head with your arms and hands. Getting hit by a golf ball is not funny and can be very painful. In extreme cases, can cause severe damage to your head, so please do not be shy of shouting FORE or ducking if you hear it!

Please note: As golfers you are liable if you hit another golfer. Golf insurance is advisable.

Respect

Respect the game and your fellow golfers. Try not to swear too loudly or at all! Definitely do not throw your clubs. Be quiet when you are near another golfer who is about to play. We all love a bit of a natter out on the course, but also concentrating is key to hitting a good shot!

NEXT WEEK: The Tee Box - drops Fri 2nd October 2020