Getting Started as a Golfer

  Rules for the game 

  Equipment

 Technique

Etiquette

  Courses

Please give me comments about what you think and what you understand and what you don't understand.

Tournaments

Basic Things you Need to Know About Golf Tournaments

• In professional golf tournaments there are four rounds
• When the tournament is "Open," like the US Open or the British Open, any player who qualifies can play
• There are 4 tournaments called Majors. They are the most important tournaments (The Master, The US Open, The British Open, and The PGA Championship)
• There are 3 different types of grass on the golf course...
• Par is a set amount of strokes for each hole that the player has to get the ball in the hole
• A birdie is when you get 1 stroke less than par
• A eagle is when you get 2 strokes less than par
• A bogey is when you get 1 stroke more than par
• A double bogey is when you get 2 strokes more than par

US Open
Going into the final round of the US Open Phil Mickleson was leading at 1 under par. On hole 3 Phil ended up shorter than the green, then 3 putted to get him a double bogey. On 4 he got a birdie to bring him to +1. Then on 5 another double bogey. Then at 10 a tremendous second shot to get a eagle which brought him to even. Then at 13 and 15 he gets bogeys which brought him to +2. Phil said that on 13 he used the wrong club. He used his pitching wedge instead of his gap wedge. Then on hole 15 his gap wedge came up way short of the pin to give him another bogey. Then on 18 another bogey to get to +3. "If I had won today, or if I ultimately win, I'll look back at the other Opens and think it was a positive play, but if I never get the Open, then, every time I think of the U.S. Open I think of heartbreaks." quotes Phil during his press conference.

Scorecard for Phil Mickelson
Round 4
Hole     1   2   3   4  5  6  7  8   9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
                                                                                               
Par      4   5   3   4  4  4  4  4   3   4   4   4   3   4   4   4   3   4
                                                                                               
Score   4   5   5  3  6  4   4  4   3   2   4   4   4   4   5   4   3   5

British Open
In 2013 the British Open was played at Murfield Golf Links in Scotland. Phil Mickelson won. He was +2 a the start of the fourth round and finished at -3 at the end. He shot -5 for the day. Lee Westwood  started the fourth round at -3, shot +4, and finished at +1. I thought he would win because he played well during the 3rd round. At one point he and Henrick Stenson were the only players under par. When he was on the 8th hole he was tied for 1st place at -1 with Henrik Stenson and Adam Scott. Then, Lee Westwood started playing worse, and when he was on the 14th hole he was even and Phil Mickelson was leading at -2.

About Me

Hi, my name is Tyler. I live in Los Altos, California. I'm going to tell you about my personal experience from golf.

How I Started

My dad introduced me to golf when I was 5. Because I wasn't that interested I only played golf during the summer at Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club and an occasional lesson. After a while, I started enjoying golf more. At the age of 8 I started playing more regularly. Now I play every weekend. 

Why I like Golf

How many sports are there that require strength and precision? Not many. That's why I like golf. When hitting my driver which is what you usually hit when you're at the tee box, I want precision and power in my shot. When chipping, which is what you do when you're near the green, I mostly want precision. I also like it because my dad supports me when I play. For example, when I get a bad score on a hole I feel frustrated but when my dad tells me, "It's okay," that makes me feel better. When I hit a bad shot my dad tells me what I did wrong and what I should do next time. Sometimes he even shows me how to hit a shot, which helps me get a better score. Another thing that I like about golf is that I get to play with my friends.

Tournaments that I Play in

I have played in four tournaments so far. My first tournament was at Grayson Woods Golf Course in Pleasant Hills, California. I shot a 44 at +17. My second tournament was at Joe Montara Golf Course where I shot a 44 at +16. My most recent tournament was at Shoreline Golf Course where I shot a 42 at +6. On Wednesday I have a golf tournament at Santa teResa Golf Course, par is 27. Overall I have improved a lot. Last week I had a golf tournament on Wednesday at Santa Teresa Golf Course. I shot a 35 at +8. I feel that I have improved a lot since my first tournament (improved by 9 strokes). My goal of +2 didn't quite succeed but maybe on my next tournament I could get +3 or +4.

About the Tournaments

The tournaments are very hard because there are many good players. For example, when I played in the tournament at Shoreline there was one player who shot -3, which was 9 strokes better than me. I like tournaments because they're challenging and fun. They also help me practice not getting frustrated, which is important because I don't want to embarrass myself and  it's not proper etiquette to get overly emotional.

To sign up for tournaments click here