Leisure Kicks - The essencial sport and leisure guide

The aim of the game of golf is to get round the 9 or 18 holes in as few shots as possible. The fewer shots you take to get to the end of each hole, the better chance of winning. Each course has a guideline called a ‘par’ which states how many shots the round of golf should take. Depending on how close to that number you are affects what ‘handicap’ you are given, with the highest handicap for men being 28 and 36 for women; this is likely to be given to beginners and, as you start to improve and play lots more, it is likely your handicap will decrease. Professional golfers play off a handicap of zero, sometimes called scratch. Having this handicap allows players of different abilities to play together, as whatever your handicap, this is the number taken away (or added) to the final score after 18 holes.

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A rule run through with Golf Canada's Director of Rules