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When golf was included in the Olympic Games. What is golf? Golf in Russia

When golf was included in the Olympic Games. What is golf? Golf in Russia

16.09.2021

SE Internet begins a series of publications devoted to the foundations and history of a new Olympic sport - golf.

Golf is a popular sport all over the world in which a player, using different types of golf clubs, must hit the ball into a hole using the least number of strokes. And so 18 times.

Golf is one of the few sports in which the main opponent of any player is not the opponent, but himself and what surrounds him.

Golf is one of the few ball games that doesn't require a standard court. On the contrary, golf is played on courses, each of which has an original design. The only mandatory requirement is 9 or 18 holes. A hole is called both the hole itself in the ground where the ball is rolled, and a specially prepared area several hundred meters long, and consisting of a starting zone - tee (tee), the main zone - fairway (fairway) and green area (green) with carved on it with a hole. These zones are distinguished from each other by the presence of obstacles - tall grass (rough), flowers, bushes, trees, sand bunkers and water hazards.

At the beginning of the game, the ball with the player's identification mark is placed on the starting area ("tee"). Golfers often use a wooden or metal support for convenience. From the tee, the player must hit the fairway, with a few strokes (depending on the type of site), pass the ball over it and be on the green - a site with ideal grass on which the ball rolls without interference. In order to hammer the ball into the hole from the green, a special type of putter is used.

Most golf courses are approximately 5.5 kilometers long. It usually takes three to four hours to play 18 holes. Players move around the field on foot or by electric car. Golfers compete singly, in pairs or in groups. Sometimes they are accompanied by caddies - helpers who carry equipment and can give players advice.

Golf rules

The main principle of golf is: "Play the ball as it went, play the field as it is, if neither is possible, do it justice."

The game of golf is regulated by quite a number of rules, but, again, unlike most other sports, it does not require the presence of a judge or referee (unless this is, of course, an official tournament). Players must know the rules themselves, be honest about the number of shots and "play the ball as it will."

An important component of the game of golf is etiquette - a carefully guarded tradition that has not undergone almost any changes in the entire history of the game. First of all, it is good manners, respect for partners and rivals, maintaining order in the fields.

Golf score

In the main types of golf, the score is made up of the number of shots taken by the player plus the penalty that may be imposed on him. If you completed 18 holes in 90 strokes and your opponent in 92, you win.

The system for scoring and assessing the level of golfers is based on a pair. Par is a predetermined number of strokes that a high-level golfer must take to complete one hole or the entire course if played successfully.

The par of each hole is determined according to its length and difficulty. A standard par 3 hole is less than 250 yards (225 meters) long, a par 4 hole is 251 to 475 yards (225 to 434 meters), and a par 5 is over 475 yards. Par-6 and par-7 holes are rare, but found primarily in the United States. Their length can exceed 650 yards (595 meters). The steam level of a hole can also be affected by the degree of slope. If the path from the tee to the green goes down, the par may be lower than the length of the hole suggests, if up, then, accordingly, vice versa. Steam can also be affected by the location of the obstacles and the shape of the green.

A golf course par is the sum of the par for each hole. Typically, field pairs are between 70 and 72 strokes, but most golfers rarely achieve this. The most common on golf courses is a combination of four par-3, ten par-4 and four par-5. Other combinations also exist, but are less common.

If you complete a par-4 hole in five strokes, your score will be "+1". In golf, this is called "gods." If you succeed, for example, to overcome a hole from par-5 in four hits you will receive "-1" or "birdie". If a player hits the ball with the first tee shot, this is called a "one shot hole" (hole-in-one) or "ace".

Golf Counting Terminology:

The main types of golf

There are two main types of golf - a game of counting, in which the number of strokes on the entire course performed by each player is counted, and a match game, when the opposition on a single hole of players or teams is considered as an independent match, and the score is based on the scores won. holes.

When playing by strokes, a score is kept for each player on each hole. The results for each hole are summed up, and the total score of the tournament or round is obtained (the score of rounds is also summed up and forms the total score of the tournament). The player with the least number of strokes wins. It is according to this scheme that most professional tournaments are held.

In a match game, golfers or teams play a mini-match on each hole. The player or team with the fewest strokes on a hole wins that hole. In this case, the account relative to the pair does not matter. In this case, you are not playing against the field, as in the game of scoring, but directly against the opponent. If you complete a hole in four strokes and your opponent in five, you win the hole and lead the match 1-0. If your opponent wins the next hole, the score is tied - all-square. If both players complete the hole in the same number of strokes, the hole is "divided" and the total score remains the same. If a player wins more holes than there are left on the course, he is declared the winner and the match ends.

There are also such types of games as stableford, designed to speed up the game (points are awarded to the player depending on the number of strokes on each hole), skins (players compete on each separate hole for money or on a bet), force (a team game in which a pair of a couple play with one ball and the partners themselves decide who to make the next hit), forbols (also a couple for a couple, but each golfer has his own ball, and all four go through the hole at the same time, the result of the participant who uses the fewer hits counts) ).

And they were then canceled. Votes were held to include this sport in the 2012 Summer Games, but then this proposal was rejected. Then golf was put on the list of candidates for inclusion in the program 112 years later at the 2016 Summer Olympics and was adopted at the IOC session in Copenhagen on October 9, 2009 by 63 votes to 27 (along with golf, rugby-7 was included in the program of the Games in Rio) ...

Competitions

Medal test

Place	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Total number of medals
1	3	3	4	10
2	1	0	0	1
3	0	1	1	2

Country

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Excerpt from Golf at the Olympics

I knew Venice, of course, only from photographs and paintings, but now this wonderful city seemed a little different - completely real and much more colorful ... Really alive.
- I was born there. And she considered it a great honor. - Isidora's voice purred in a quiet stream. - We lived in a huge palazzo (as we called the most expensive houses), in the very heart of the city, since my family was very rich.
The windows of my room faced east, and below they looked directly at the canal. And I really loved to meet the dawn, watching the first rays of the sun light up golden reflections on the water covered with morning fog ...
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I just nodded, fascinated by the beauty of her voice, not wanting to interrupt the story, which sounded like a quiet, dreamy melody ...
- Already at ten years old I could do a lot ... I could fly, walk through the air, heal people suffering from the most serious illnesses, see what came. My mother taught me everything that she knew herself ...
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And Isidora just smiled sweetly and calmly continued her interrupted story.
- My mother was hereditary Vedunya. She was born in Florence - a proud, free city ... in which there was only as much of his famous "freedom" as they could protect her, even though fabulously rich, but (unfortunately!) Not omnipotent, hated by the church, Medici. And my poor mother, like her predecessors, had to hide her Gift, since she came from a very rich and very influential family, in which it was more than undesirable to "shine" with such knowledge. Therefore, she, like her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, had to hide her amazing "talents" from prying eyes and ears (and most often, even from friends!), Otherwise, find out about this the fathers of her future suitors, she would forever remain unmarried, which in her family would be considered the greatest shame. Mom was a very strong, truly gifted healer. And while still quite young, she secretly cured almost the entire city for ailments, including the great Medici, who preferred her to their famous Greek doctors. However, very soon the “glory” of my mother’s “stormy successes” reached the ears of her father, my grandfather, who, of course, did not have a very positive attitude towards this kind of “underground” activity. And they tried to marry my poor mother as soon as possible in order to wash away the “brewing shame” of her whole frightened family ...

Golf (from the English. golf) - male olympic look a sport in which individual participants or teams try to drive a small ball with club strikes into special holes. Importantly, the ball needs to be rolled into the hole in fewer strokes.

The history of the emergence and development of golf

The exact date of the origin of golf is not known, but it is believed that it was invented by Scottish shepherds who tried to roll stones into rabbit holes with their staves. Although many historians disagree with this, it is believed that golf originated in the Roman Empire and the game was played with bent sticks and a ball stuffed with feathers. According to other theories, golf appeared in China during the reign of the Ming dynasty, as evidenced by a scroll depicting an emperor trying to drive the ball into the hole with something like a club.

However, modern golf comes from Scotland. The first mention of the game is considered to be the decree of 1457 by King James II of Scotland banning golf, as it distracted archers from training. The rules and the system with 18 holes on the course were also invented there.

In 1900, golf was first included in the program of the Olympic Games in Paris (France).

Golf rules (briefly)

Before starting the game, you must do the following:

Read the local rules of the game.
Place an identification mark on the ball. This is so that you can identify your ball among the rest. If the ball could not be identified, then it is considered lost.
Check the number of clubs, it is allowed to have no more than 14 pieces.

The game of golf begins from the starting zone, or as it is also called the tee zone. It is so named because of the T-shaped stand on which the ball is placed. Ideally, the player should direct the ball to the main zone with the first kick, then overcome it in a few strokes and send the ball to the area with perfect grass ("green"). In order to roll the ball into the hole from the green, you must use a special putter.

In addition to the standard rules, there are etiquette rules in golf:

Refrain from playing until the group in front is at a safe distance.
Never delay the game. Release the putting green immediately after all the players in your group have completed the hole.
Skip ahead of the groups that are playing faster than you.
Rebuild the sod.
Level tracks in bunkers.
Don't step on another partner's putting line
Do not put clubs on the putting green.
Insert the flag into place carefully.

Golf course

A golf course must meet a number of requirements, namely, consist of a series of holes, each of the holes must have its own launch pad. There are two markers on the starting area that show the permissible limits for the ball peg. In addition to the launch pad, the field contains: smooth field, uneven field and other obstacles.

The final part of the site is a hole, which is marked with a flag for easy orientation. The hole is placed in an area with a minimum grass height called a green. In other areas, the height of the grass fluctuates, this is done in order to make it difficult for players to pass the site.

As a rule, the holes are located in the line of sight from the starting area to the green. But this does not always happen, if the holes deviate to the left or to the right, then such holes are called "left dogleg" and "right dogleg", respectively. If the direction bends twice, then the hole is usually called "double dogleg".

The courses consist of 18 holes, but there are also courses with 9 holes, in such a situation they are passed twice, which in total amounts to the same 18 holes.

Golf inventory and equipment

Let's start our golf inventory review with golf clubs. A player can take with him to the game no more than 14 clubs, each of them is designed to perform a specific stroke. There are two types of golf clubs:

"Wood" (woods) - clubs designed to take hits at maximum distances, as a rule, these are the first hits. They are called "wood" because of the wooden head, although modern woods are made from titanium-based metal alloys.
"Iron" (iron) - clubs designed to perform strikes at different distances, depending on the position of the ball. The clubs are so named because their heads are made of metal.

In addition to the material, the clubs differ in the shape of their heads. So for strikes at short distances and with a high trajectory, pitching wedge (wedge) are used, the angle of inclination of such clubs is 50-60 degrees. If the blow is to be made from a sand bunker, then a sand wedge stick is suitable for this, it has a heavier sole and a special shape. For finishing shots, players use a putter, which is designed specifically for striking on a flat surface with great precision.

In the “wood” and “iron” groups, clubs are numbered according to the angle between the shaft and the face of the head. The lower the number, the longer the potential impact trajectory. The difference in the length of the blows with the sticks of adjacent numbers is about 10 meters.

Another important piece of golf inventory is balls. They must have the following characteristics:

diameter not less than 4.27 cm,
weight in the range of 41-46 grams,
the surface of the ball should have 300-500 depressions (the more depressions, the higher the ball flies),

When considering golf balls, mention should be made of the "compression" rate. In simple terms, compression is the level of deformation of the ball upon impact. Its conditional value varies from 0 (the ball is strongly deformed upon impact) to 200 (the ball is not deformed upon impact). Most balls have a compression of 80-100 (compress 2-3 mm on impact).

Internally, balls can consist of one, two, three or more component layers. Single-layer balls, due to their low cost, are ideal for training beginners.

Double-layer balls consist of a hard core and a thin rigid shell. They combine low cost, durability and range, making them suitable for most golfers.

Three-layer balls are wound from an elastic thread over an elastic or gel-like core. Such balls can be twisted very strongly, sometimes it is very beneficial for athletes.

Today at 7:30 am the 112-year hiatus in the Olympic Games ended. Recall that the last time golfers fought for Olympic awards in 1904 in St. Louis.

Of course, golf has gone through a long path of changes and improvements over the years. And in inventory. And in the design and maintenance of the fields. And in the Rules.

In the Rules, by the way, the changes are not that strong. Much of what it takes to hit the ball, adopt a playing stance, and deal with obstacles has come down to the Rio Olympics almost unchanged since St. Louis. And advice, as it was banned in 1904, is still prohibited now. Overall, it's amazing how much of the Rule Book has remained unchanged over the years. Of course, if we talk about the principles, not the wording.

Significant changes in the Rules affected the field. For example, in 1904, a green was a portion of land within 20 yards of a hole, excluding obstructions. And the very concept of "obstacle" then had a slightly different meaning.

In those days, “any banker, water (except accidental), sand, paths, railroad tracks, thorny thickets, bushes, earth dug up by rabbits, a fence or a ditch were called an obstacle. Those. not just a banker or water hazard, as it is now.

Of course, modern Olympians are unlikely to have to eliminate the influence of railroad tracks. However, there are many areas around the field, called "native", which are sandy areas. These places are not bankers in the modern sense, although in 1904 they were “clean water” hedges.

There are, however, some things that make it easier for today's Olympians to play. For example, today a player may ask to hold the flag when performing a long putt. It was banned in 1904! Moreover, if the player's ball was on the green (i.e. within 20 yards of the flag), then he was prohibited from playing until the flag was removed from the hole. One free kick was awarded for a violation.

A difficult field (and no one in Rio would dare to call it simple) always implies the possibility that the ball will end up in an unplayable position.

Modern golf olympics can choose three options in such a situation (Rule 28) - repeat the shot from the previous place, throw in the flag-ball line at any distance behind, or throw in the ball within two clubs, not closer to the hole. In 1904, they could only walk back along the line from the flag. And it cost them not one free kick (as it is now), but two! There was, however, one relief - the ball could be set on a tee stand. Imagine what advantages this could have for modern players!

Modern Rules are harsher on those who send their ball out of bounds. Such a player receives a penalty of “loss of shot and distance”. Those. he must repeat the kick from the previous place and write himself an additional free kick. In St. Louis, the player only lost distance. He was not entitled to an additional free kick.

In 1904, the situation with playing the wrong ball was also easier. If a player discovered that he had played someone else's ball, then he simply had to return to his own ball and play it. In this case, no fine was imposed. For modern players, it costs two free throws.

From the above, one could conclude that in the last Olympics it was much easier for the players. However, here is an example that refutes this. In Rio, if a player takes a shot from outside the teeing court, he will receive two free throws for this and must immediately correct his mistake. It seems that the punishment for a mistake in setting the ball of a few centimeters is too harsh! However, in St. Louis, for the same error, an immediate and unconditional disqualification was due!

These are the differences that have accumulated over 112 years of waiting. Olympic tournament for golf. The rule has remained unchanged over the years, stating that the winner in the game on the account is the one who spends the least number of strokes to complete the tournament rounds. And we are looking forward to the same will ascend the Olympic podium after 112 years of hiatus.

Based on materials from the site randa.org

Golf competitions at the Summer Olympics were held in only two Olympics - 1900 and 1904 - and were then canceled. Votes were held to accept this sport for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but then this proposal was rejected. Then golf was included in the list of candidates for inclusion in the program of the 2016 Summer Olympics and was voted on by the IOC on October 9, 2009.

Golf in Russia

History of creation

The history of golf in Russia begins with the founding of the first golf club in Moscow. On September 15, 1987, a solemn "laying of the stone" took place by the famous Swedish hockey player, ex-world champion Sven Johansson (Sven Tumba), marking the beginning of the construction of the first golf course in the USSR ... On the same day, famous athletes Pele, Mike Tyson, Sven Tumba and Alexander Ragulin made symbolic blows with clubs. In 1988, the first training field in the country, the driving range, was opened in the Moscow City Golf Club on Dovzhenko Street. And after 2 years, in the very center of Moscow, a 9-hole course was ready for the game. In 1992, on the basis of MGGK, the Russian Golf Association was created, recognized by the Russian Olympic Committee, the European Golf Association and the highest golf authority - the St. Andrews Golf Club. In 1994 the second golf course in Russia, Moscow Country Club, was opened, and in accordance with the idea of the founders of the club, it became an international class golf course and the only 18-hole championship course in Russia for more than a decade. Later, golf was developed in the regions of the Russian Federation. A golf club "Dunes" was opened near St. Petersburg, a field was built in Stary Oskol, Belgorod region. At the same time, a training complex and a golf club were opened, located in the Moscow district of Krylatskoye. The development of such a direction of golf as Pitch and Putt. Similar facilities have been launched in the GreenTee mini-golf club and in the Pokrovskoe-Glebovo residential complex. The next stage in the development of golf in Russia begins in 2004-2006. active construction of golf courses. The first of them opened in 2006, the 18-hole golf and yacht club "Pestovo", and immediately won the hearts of Russian golfers. It is planned to open several more golf clubs, an incomplete list of projects that are at the completion stage.