Golf is by far one of the world’s most popular pastimes, enjoyed by golfers in every country and on every continent. It’s also a fairly unique game when compared to some of the world’s other leading sports, almost all of which are based on team play and specific group dynamics. Instead, golf tends to be a one-man sport that sees the golfer compete against other single players over the course of a game.
But this isn’t the only element of the game that makes it stand out among the rest. Here we will break down the most unique parts of golf and what makes the game so different to others.
1. The Area Of Play
By far the majority of sports are played in a small area, usually a field or some kind, although this can vary depending on what’s being played. Soccer, rugby, and cricket all take part on a relatively confined piece of ground, whereas rounds of golf are played over much larger areas that can be made up of grass, forest, sand, and lakes or ponds.
This makes golf truly unique in terms of what the player can expect of a course – while most courses all possess specific similarities, how the course looks, where the different parts are, and how they interact with one another can all differ greatly.
2. Players Keep Their Own Score
In a game like rugby, the total score is based on how each team is doing and is usually recorded by the officials of that game. Golf is different in this regard, as the score of each player is kept by the player, which means that there needs to be a lot of integrity and honesty while playing.
This obviously only applies to games played between friends and smaller competitors. In official, professional tournaments, all scores will be kept by officials, and the player will not need to keep track of the scores that they make.
3. Handicap Playing
One of the most appealing aspects of the game is being able to play alongside amateurs and professionals at the same time thanks to the handicap rules of the game. This is why it’s fairly common to see married couples and sometimes friends playing together in the same game, regardless of their skill level.
The handicap of a player is calculated based on their overall history of play, but it also gives them a fair advantage when they’re playing with someone that has a much more advanced skill set in the game, and it doesn’t mean the player needs to buy Bitcoin credit card to get some kind of advantage.
4. Excellent Etiquette System
Part of the reason that golf is such an international favourite is due to the global etiquette system that applies both to seasoned professionals and beginner players.
These are the social rules that govern how the players interact both with themselves and the other players on the course, and means that other players will almost always be friendly and welcoming, regardless of whether they’ve been playing for days or decades. It makes the game much more welcoming to newcomers.