| The word golf is derived from the Scottish word, | | | | traveled. Along with this the balls were now being |
| Goulf which means to strike or hit. Golf is a sport | | | | produced by machine in vast numbers thus killing |
| with a set of simple rules but requires great skill | | | | the hand-made golf ball business completely. |
| and talent to play like a pro. The objective of the | | | | Companies use a variety of materials and |
| player is to hit the ball in every hole of the golf | | | | techniques to create modern day gold balls though |
| course using the least number of strokes possible. | | | | all golf balls are dimple patterned on the exterior |
| A player can use a variety of clubs to achieve | | | | to improve its aerodynamics. These dimple |
| this feat, some of which are irons, putter and | | | | patterns affect factors such as velocity, |
| driver. A golfer cannot carry more than 14 clubs | | | | straightness, spin control, distance, and trajectory. |
| in a game. | | | | Two kinds of drag affect the ball when they are |
| This sport does not need a standardized playing | | | | airborne. Laminar and turbulent. Laminar flow is the |
| ground. All the golf courses throughout the world | | | | result of a non dimpled ball separating from air |
| differ in size and hole positioning. Most golf | | | | which results in the ball not being able to carry. |
| courses are usually either nine or eighteen hole | | | | Turbulent flows occur when dimpled balls are not |
| courses. Golf is also one of the oldest sports | | | | able to make the air split which results in an |
| known to man with origins not easy to determine | | | | increase of pressure drag. |
| but if popular history books are taken to be true, | | | | Types of clubs: |
| the game originated in Scotland in the early 12th | | | | Woods are used to drive the ball hard over great |
| century. | | | | distances. The have a long lance and a big head to |
| The popularity of this game has exponentially | | | | maximize the speed of the club. Although this club |
| increased through out the years and now many | | | | has evolved into being created out of steel , |
| alternatives to golf have been introduced such as | | | | titanium, carbon fiber and scandium, they are still |
| disc golf, sholf and miniature golf. | | | | called 'woods' to emphasize on its use. |
| Some of the well known golf stars are Loreana | | | | Irons are used for the difficult and skillful shots. |
| Ochoka, Annika Sorenstam, Jack Nicklaus and | | | | They get their name from the fact that they are |
| Tiger Woods. According to the Golf Digest, there | | | | originally made out of cast iron. Irons with a higher |
| are more than 32,000 golf courses through out | | | | loft are known as Wedges. Wedges are used for |
| the world, most of which are located in the United | | | | shots of short distance which require high loft. |
| States of America. | | | | They are used to make more accurate shots as |
| From the earliest recorded documents, we know | | | | compared to woods. |
| that John Daly used a wooden ball in the fifteenth | | | | Then we have the Hybrid woods, which are a |
| century however by the sixteenth century; goose | | | | cross between woods and irons. These are multi |
| feather balls wrapped in cow or horse skin hide | | | | purposed clubs which can perform a variety of |
| came into existence. To make the ball harder, a | | | | tasks. They replace the 3,4 set irons which saves |
| lot of water was applied on it make the leather | | | | room in the golfer's bag for extra clubs of his |
| shrink and the feathers expand. | | | | choice. The hybrid woods are usually relied on |
| In the nineteenth century, the 'Guttie' was | | | | getting a golfer out of a difficult situation. |
| created from the elastic sap found in gutta trees | | | | Chippers are usually pitching wedges or sand |
| in the tropical regions. The rubber was first | | | | wedges which are used for the last ten or |
| melted and then molded into a sphere however | | | | twenty yards of the fairway to drive or lob the |
| this ball did not travel as well as the feather balls | | | | ball as close to the hole as possible. |
| did. | | | | Finally, you have the Putters with the sole |
| By the late nineteenth century, the "Bramble" | | | | intention of holing the ball. They provide almost no |
| pattern had been introduced on the exterior of | | | | loft and are used to drive the ball accurately to its |
| these balls in order to improve the distance it | | | | destination. |