In this topic we will learn to identify the different parts that make up a golf course, a golf course is usually made of 9 or 18 holes and it has four main areas: the teeing ground, the fairway, the rough and the green.
First the Tee Box or Teeing ground, this is the starting point in every hole. The teeing ground can take different forms depending on the course, It is in this zone where we plant our tee to hit the first shot out. The tee is the ball support used at the start of each hole.
Second, the fairway which is the section made of grass between the teeing ground and the green where the ball should land after the first shot, the ball rolls on impact with the ground inside the fairway toward the green if the shot is good because the grass is cut quite short opposite to rough where the grass is kept high. If the first shot is good it lands on the fairway making it easy for the next shot, otherwise it might find one of the placed obstacles in the fairway, these obstacles are aimed to trap the golfer, they can be water obstacles or bankers which are a pit filled with sand that stops the ball and makes it more difficult for the golfer to hit the second shot; if the ball hits the water, a penalty stroke is applied and the golfer uses another ball.
Thirdly the rough which is the place we find on either side of the fairway, it has longer grass compared to the fairway which makes it more difficult to play the ball, it can also have trees and bushes which leads sometimes to playing the ball into the fairway instead of aiming at the target in the green. It is an area that golfers should avoid hitting the ball in, it can also contain no play zone or penalty zone where you get a penalty stroke if the ball lands in the penalty zone; this area is marked with a red line.
Fourthly the green, the most respected area of the golf course, It is the area where the golfer aims the ball and it contains the flag and the pin to put the ball in. The green has a very short grass to allow the use of putters to roll the ball in the hole, it can have any shape and area depending on the course design. The green is a very delicate area and must be respected and taken care of by the golfer. We will learn more in our upcoming section on how to take care of the golf course.
