Golf is continually becoming more and more popular of a sport and for good reason, it is a great way to get outside and get some exercise with a group of your friends. It can also be a very relaxing sport, after a long stressful week of work, a nice round of golf can really make you feel better. The golf course can also act as an office, many business discussions have been held over 18 holes of golf. Another great thing about golf is that you can play at your own pace, if you play at a snail's pace the people behind you might catch up and be upset, but otherwise you can play at just about any speed. If you are reading this article then you are definitely a beginner golfer, and one thing you should definitely realize is that golf is not easy. It takes lots of practice to become a great golfer, so if you think you are just going to grab a set of cheap clubs and go out and shoot par, then you are in for a rude awakening. Even the best of the best still have bad days and still need to fix things in their swings. I am not trying to discourage you from playing, I just want to make sure you realize that even though golf is relaxing and a great stress relief, it is anything but easy. One of the great things about golf is that every round you get a score, and as you get better you will see that score drop, so it is very easy to see your improvements if you have been practicing.

Lets go over the basic rules of golf since this article is for the absolute beginner golfer. Golf is played on an 18 hole course. Each hole is given a score called par, this is the normal number of shots you should be able to finish the hole on. So finishing a par 4 in 4 shots is a good score. If you finish 2 shots under the par, this is called an eagle. One shot under par is called a birdie. One over par is called a bogie, then there is double bogie, triple bogie and so on. If you are an absolute beginner golfer, do not expect to shoot par, don't even expect to shoot all bogies, golf is difficult. If you have ever watched golf tournaments, you will know that most of the golfers that start the tournament do not finish under par, so thinking that you can shoot anything close to par when just starting out, will certainly lead to disappointment. Holes will have a par between 3 and 6.

Each hole is made up of the tee box, where you start, the fairway, the rough, and the green. You want to keep the ball on the fairway, this is the shortest grass on your path to the green where the hole is, and is the easiest to hit off of. Outside the fairway is the rough, this grass is longer and tougher to hit good shots out of. Holes may also have hazards that will make your life more difficult, sand traps, water and trees will all get in your way if you don't hit the ball accurately. When you are starting out as a golfer, look for easier courses that have fewer hazards and larger fairways, these will make learning easier and make your round of golf much less frustrating. Those are the basics you need to know to get started.