Background

Golf was first played on the coast of Scotland during the 15th century. The game was a little different back then, however. Golfers would actually hit a small rock or pebble in instead of a ball using a stick. Additionally, they would hit the rock around in the sand, rather than on grass like today. It wasn’t until 1750 that golf became what we know it as today. In 1774, golfers in Edinburgh first wrote the Standardized Rules for the game.

Jack Nicklaus holds the record, with 18 Major tournament victories, and Tiger Woods is the only golfer since Nicklaus to give any indication of being able to break that record. Woods won ten Majors before turning 30 in 2005.

Fun Facts

The four “Major” tournaments are considered the most prestigious of all events in men’s golf. They are the Masters, the U.S. Open, the British Open – also referred to as the Open Championship – and the PGA Championship.

The four Majors were originally the U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, British Open and British Amateur. The “grand slam” – winning all four Majors in the same year – has been accomplished only once, by Bobby Jones under the original Major format in 1930.

Women’s Majors – The women’s Major tournaments are the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the LPGA Championship, the U.S. Women’s Open and the Women’s British Open. The five senior Major tournaments are the Senior PGA Championship, the U.S. Senior Open, the Senior Players Championship, the Senior British Open, and The Tradition.

Basic Rules

When driving from the tee you must tee up between the markers and not more than two club lengths behind the markers never in front.

If the ball falls off the tee before you take a forward swing you may replace it without penalty.

If you swing and miss after addressing the ball it counts one stroke.

If you top the ball and knocked it off the tee- it counts as a stroke and must play it where it lies.

You may not improve your lie by moving, breaking, or bending growing vegetation.

You may move loose, natural impediments (tree branches, fallen leaves or stones).

If you play the wrong ball, except in a hazard you lose the hole in match play or are penalized two strokes in stroke play.

When the ball must be dropped you must face the hole, stand erect, and drop the ball behind you over your shoulder.

In match play, an opponent must take a penalty stroke if he moves a players ball. In both match and stroke play the player must replace the player must place the ball on the spot from which it was moved.

In stroke play there is no penalty if a players ball moves an opponent ball the ball moved must be replaced. When both balls lie on the putting green the player whose ball strikes the other players ball must take a two stroke penalty.