Golf Information and Equipment

     Golf has come a long way from being a sport played with wooden clubs and a ball packed tightly with feathers. Its popularity has skyrocketed in the U.S. and Britain since the 1920's, and the sport has more recently enjoyed growing popularity in continental Europe, Canada, and Japan. Today, the U.S. alone has over 16,000 golf courses. Golf has also branched out into other popular variations such as mini-golf, pitch-&-putt, and practice facilities such as putting greens and driving ranges.

     Golf equipment is normally on the more costly side, but there is still a good selection available used, or at discounted prices. Major brand names in sporting goods, such as Nike, Wilson, and Dunlop, are constantly competing with each other in terms of innovation and convenience features of their sports equipment, which is a contributing factor to the high cost of most golf equipment. Another contributing factor is the popular trend of personalized equipment and novelty/gift items.

     A golf course is divided into 18 holes. Each hole starts at the tee, and ends at the hole marked with a coloured flag. In between the tee and the hole are different playing surfaces requiring the use of different clubs. The fairway and green both have smooth, even surfaces, while the bunkers and roughs have hazards and surfaces that are more difficult to play through.