Golf is a widely popular sport. Over 25 million Americans play it regularly, and you’re bound to experience some odd things on the golf course over time!
Golf is great for many reasons. It’s hard to master, incredibly rewarding, a hobby you can pick up at any age, and you can play it all around the world!
Whether you do not know anything about playing the sport or are already an avid golfer, you might not know about these 5 facts about playing golf.
Keep reading.
1. A Hole in One Is Rare!
Every golfer’s dream! A hole in one is without a doubt on the bucket list of many golfers, but unfortunately, they are even rarer than you might think they are.
Your chances of making a hole in one are around 12,500 to 1.
That means that most golfers, even professionals, never make a hole in one in their whole career!
If they happen, they are most common on Par-3 Holes. Against all odds, the longest hole in one ever recorded occurred on a Par-5!
Mr. Shaun Lunch achieved this feat with a 3-iron in Devon in 1995. The ball traveled a total of 496 yards over a 20-foot-high hedge and rolled down a slope into the hole.
There are also recorded hole-in-ones on Par-4 holes. Mere mortals are happy to find the fairway with their driver, not to mention the green.
2. 18 Handicap
In America alone, around 25 Million people play golf regularly. Globally, that number climbs to over 60 million people! And not a bunch of old guys. Golf’s popularity is growing exponentially among women and kids. It pays to shop around for children’s golf gear and the Best Womens Golf Drivers.
If you ever played golf yourself, you might know that it’s not an easy sport. It takes time and effort to perfect your game and score low. Especially if you are just getting started.
But Golf is one of the rare sports where you can compete with better players and still have a chance to win.
This is thanks to the handicap system. Your handicap determines how many strokes you get in addition to the par of the course.
An 18 handicapper can score around 80 total strokes on a Par-72 course and achieve a net-even round.
Only 80% of golfers will ever achieve a handicap under 18, though. Keep that in mind the next time you play with someone scoring 80 and less during his/her round!
3. FORE
We’ve all done it. You set up to your ball, take aim, swing your club, hear the sound of your clubface hitting the ball, and… disaster.
The ball is going nowhere where you planned it to go and is tracking right into the group to the right of you.
It’s good golf etiquette to warn people that might get hit by your ball by screaming FORE from the top of your lungs!
But sometimes, they don’t hear you, or you warn them too late.
We’ve all heard horror stories about people dying from being hit by a golf ball. In reality, these chances are meager.
Don’t get me wrong. It still hurts. A lot!
According to Golf Insider UK, a good rangefinder can be key to getting the distance right, and avoided that dreaded swing and a miss (or worse, a painful hit!).
Because golf balls compress and deform on impact, most hits are not lethal. You are more likely to die from a vending machine (2.18 deaths/year) in America than from a golf ball.
4. Excellent Workout
Golf can make for an excellent workout! Especially if you decide to ditch the golf cart and walk an 18-hole round of golf!
The average golfer burns around 430 calories an hour playing golf. Considering that a full round can take anywhere between 3-5 hours, you can quickly burn over 1,500 calories!
If you are just getting started playing golf, you might want to consider playing 9 holes only or using a golf cart instead of walking.
This is so you are not tiring yourself out too early and can build up the stamina needed for a full round.
5. Golf On the Moon
During the Apollo 14 mission, Allan Shepard played golf on the moon. Golf is the only sport to ever been played on the moon!
He used a 6 iron and took two shots. Apparently, he shanked the first into a crater but the second on when one for miles!
Because of the reduced gravity on the moon, you can theoretically hit balls miles. Actual Miles. Not yards…
Bryson DeChambeau, who is leading the PGA Tour in driving distance, would be able to blast a ball 3.41 miles with a hangtime of one minute and 22 seconds.
That’s basically the length of an 18-hole golf course!
In comparison, the average driving distance of a male amateur is around 213 yards. This makes you think, how long before we all can play a round of golf on the moon and finally hit pro distances?
What to do next
If you found these facts interesting, maybe give golf a try for yourself. It’s a sport you can play your whole life, at any age, and is incredibly rewarding!