A golf course is an area of land with a series of holes designed for playing golf. A full sized course can cover 100-300 acres and includes areas such as the teeing area, fairway, rough, bunkers and penalty areas.
The best courses around the world offer incredible scenic beauty, challenging layouts and historic tournament sites. Whether you play the game or not, these courses will capture your imagination and leave an impression on your soul.
Teeing Area
The Teeing Area is the point from which a golfer begins playing each hole. It has a rectangular shape and a depth that is equal to the length of two golf course. Its front edge is established by the forward points of two tee markers, while its side edges are defined by their outermost points. It is important to understand the rules of the teeing area because it has its own set of unique laws that must be abided by.
These laws include the fact that a player can only tee up their ball inside the teeing area and not in front of it. Additionally, the teeing area must be closely mowed and free of dew, frost, and water.
In order to prevent the teeing area from being flooded, the ground must be sloped slightly so that water runs off of it rather than into it. It is also common for tee boxes to be marked with color-coded distance markers in order to provide players of different skill levels with a challenging course.
In addition to these rules, a player may not play from outside of the teeing area when required or allowed to do so under a rule or after taking relief. In such cases, the penalty is two strokes. It is also important to note that a ball is considered to be in the teeing area even if it is only touching or above the teeing marker.
Fairway
A golf course always starts at the teeing area and ends on the green (or the hole). The space between the tee markers — often a rectangle or oval, but not always — is called the fairway. Players must hit the ball from inside the fairway; hitting it into a penalty area like bunkers or water can result in a loss of strokes.
The fairway grass is usually cut shorter than that on the putting green and is of a higher strain, making it easier to “take a divot” (hit the ball into the ground and remove a small piece of turf as the club continues its arc). The putting green is surrounded by an apron, which is mowed at a height between that of the fairway and rough, in order to slow down balls that roll across the green from approach shots or errant putts.
In recent years, golf courses have become more than just places to play a game. Scientists have begun to study the “ecosystem services” that golf courses provide, such as flood mitigation, nutrient absorption, wildlife habitat, and temperature cooling zones. One first-of-its-kind project, dubbed Natural Capital Golf, is being supported by the USGA and led by researchers at Michigan State University and the University of Minnesota. It seeks to bring the same tools used by urban planners to golf courses in an effort to quantify the value that these facilities provide to their communities.
Rough
The rough is an essential component of any golf course and is designed to challenge players by punishing errant shots. It is taller and thicker than the fairway grass, requiring players to use different techniques and strategies when playing from it. Without rough, golf would lack variety and a level of difficulty that would demand more from the gamer’s skill.
The height of the rough varies from course to course. While some superintendents may prefer to maintain lower grass heights when balls stray off the fairway, others may choose higher rough to replicate the challenges faced by professionals in tournament conditions. However, regardless of the exact height, it is important for superintendents to pay close attention to rough conditions because golfers tend to be a demanding group when it comes to evaluating the quality of a course’s rough areas.
There are several types of rough on a golf course, with the most common being first cut and second cut rough. These are generally shorter than the deep rough, which is the kind that many players dread to hit from.
Getting out of the rough is all about choosing the right club and making sure that you steepen your angle of attack on the downswing. For example, a hybrid may be a better choice in the rough because of its design, as it can glide more easily through the grass than an iron.
Putting Green
The putting green is the surface where golfers aim their shots at the hole using a club called a putter. It can be made up of grass, sand or synthetic turf and can be any shape or size. A putting green is usually surrounded by slightly higher grass than the fairway and rough, which slows the balls from rolling too far off the green.
A well-kept putting green has closely mowed grass that makes the ball roll smoothly. The speed of the putting green can be measured by a tool called a stimp meter, and a golf course’s average putting green speeds are often used to rank courses by character. A green is considered fast if a light stroke rolls the ball a long distance, while a slow green requires a stronger stroke to travel the same distance.
Many professional golfers use a method called “reading the green” to enhance their chances of making a putt. This involves studying the incline, tilt, grain and slope of the putting green to calculate how much force is required for a shot to reach its destination in the least amount of time.
Whether you are looking to improve your putting game in your backyard or at the office, Fiberbuilt offers pro-grade putting greens that are portable and designed to last. These artificial putting greens require less maintenance than natural grass because they don’t need mowing, watering or fertilizing and can be used year-round.
