Here’s a good CHEAT SHEET I found in the “GOLF FOR DUMMIES” book series:
Even if you’re new to golf, you can still look and act like you know what you’re doing. Making sure you have the right equipment in your bag and making intelligent decisions about which club to use can get you off to a great start. Offer to keep score and propose a couple of fun bets, and you can really impress your fellow golfers, no matter how long they’ve been playing the game.
KNOWING WHICH GOLF CLUB TO USE FOR WHICH GOLF SHOT
The sheer variety of golf clubs you need can be overwhelming; after you have all the clubs you need and you hit the golf course, how do you know which club to use for each shot? The following table gives you a quick guide to the kinds of clubs in your bag and the shots you take with them.
Club What It’s For
Driver Teeing off — and very occasionally hitting from a
good lie in the fairway
Hybrid club Getting shots of 150+ yards airborne
2- to 9-iron Hitting toward the green, usually from 120–190 yards away
— use low-numbered irons for longer shots, high-numbered
irons for shorter shots
Wedges Hitting short, high shots from near the green or from sand
bunkers
Putter Rolling the ball into the hole after it’s on the green
(or occasionally from just off the green)
ESSENTIAL ITEMS YOU NEED IN YOUR GOLF BAG
Golf bags aren’t just for holding clubs; like any sport, golf requires other essential equipment and helpful items that make your game a little easier. Here are the essentials for stocking your golf bag:
* At least six balls;
* A few wooden tees;
* A couple of gloves (at least one for your non prominent hand);
* A rain suit;
* A pitch-mark repair tool (divot tool);
* Small coins (preferably foreign) to mark your ball on the green
* A pencil
* Sunscreen
* A small pouch for your wallet, money clip, loose change, car keys, rings, and cellphone (which is turned off)
* Spare towels: For yourself and for your clubs/balls
UNDERSTANDING GOLF SCORING LANGUAGE
Golf has its own language, and its scoring lingo can be especially puzzling to understand. If understanding golf scores seems like a foreign language, the following table of golf scoring terms can help you feel right at home on the course.
Scoring Term What It Means
Ace Hole in one;
Albatross/double eagle Three strokes under par on a hole;
Eagle Two strokes under par on a hole;
Birdie One stroke under par on a hole;
Par Score a good player would expect to make on a hole or
round;
Bogey One stroke over par on a hole
Double bogey Two strokes over par on a hole.
HOW TO SCORE GOLF PENALTY SHOTS
Penalty shots (and their effects on the score) are an unfortunate part of golf for most golfers. Scoring golf penalty shots can be confusing, so the following table helps you adjust your score and shoot on.
Penalty How to Score and Continue Play
Out-of-bounds Two-stroke penalty (the stroke you hit plus one penalty
stroke). Drop a ball where you last shot from and continue
play.
Whiff Count each time you swing in an effort to hit the ball.
Unplayable lies One-stroke penalty. Drop the ball (no nearer the hole) within
two club lengths of the original spot; drop the ball as far back as
you want, keeping the original spot between you and the hole; or
return to the point from which you hit the previous shot.
Water hazard (yellow stakes) One-stroke penalty. Play a ball from its original position.
Play from as close as possible to the spot from which you played
the previous shot. Or drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping
the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the
hazard between the hole and the spot where you drop the ball, with
no limit to how far behind the water hazard you drop it.
Alternately, play the ball as it lies without grounding the club
for no penalty.
Lateral water hazard (red stakes) One-stroke penalty. Play a ball from its original position.
Drop a ball outside the hazard within two club lengths of where the
ball last crossed the margin of the lateral water hazard (but no
nearer the hole), or within two club lengths from a point on the
opposite edge of the water hazard equidistant from the hole.
Alternately, play the ball as it lies without grounding the club
for no penalty.
