Golf

This article is about the sport. For other uses, see Golf (disambiguation).
Golf Golf player Hawaii 2002.jpg
A golfer in his backswing
Highest governing body R&A
USGA
First played 15th century
Characteristics
Contact No
Categorization Outdoor
Equipment Golf clubs, golf ball
Olympic 1900, 1904, 2016[1]

Golf is a precision club-and-ball sport, in which competing players (golfers), using many types of clubs, attempt to hit balls into each hole on a golf course while employing the fewest number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that does not require a standardized playing area. Instead, the game is played on golf "courses", each of which features a unique design, although courses typically consist of either nine or 18 holes. Golf is defined, in the rules of golf, as "playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules." Golf competition is generally played for the lowest number of strokes by an individual, known simply as stroke play, or the lowest score on the most individual holes during a complete round by an individual or team, known as match play.
Highest governing body R&A
USGA
First played 15th century
Characteristics
Contact No
Categorization Outdoor
Equipment Golf clubs, golf ball
Olympic 1900, 1904, 2016[1]