The Sport of Golf Golf is an outdoor game in which players use specially designed clubs to drive a small, hard ball around a playing field known as a course or links. The object of the game is to advance the ball along the course using as few strokes as possible. Golf is a very popular sport all over the world. The Golf Course A golf course is divided into 18 sections, called holes. The standard course is from approximately 5,900 to 6,400 m (approximately 6,500 to 7,000 yards); the length of individual holes can vary from 90 to 550 m (100 to 600 yd). Each hole has a starting point at one end known as a tee and, embedded in the ground at the other end, marked by a flag, a cup or a cylindrical container (also called a hole) into which the ball must be thrown in order to play complete on every hole. The cup is usually made of metal or plastic, has a diameter of 10.8 cm (4.2 inches), and a depth of at least 10 cm (4 inches). Play begins from the first tee, a flat area of ​​grass, generally slightly elevated above the surrounding ground. . From here each player attempts to hit the ball onto the fairway or main part of the golf course, a carefully landscaped strip of land, 27 to 90 m (30 to 100 yards) wide, on which the grass has been cut to provide a good playing surface for the ball. On both sides of the fairway is rough, which consists of areas covered with tall grass, bushes, or trees and which sometimes contains sandy, rough, or boggy terrain that forces golfers to use additional skill and judgment in playing their shots . In the absence of such natural obstacles, artificial hazards can be constructed. Among these there are bunkers, also called traps, which are cavities dug into the earth and usually filled with loose sand; mounds and other earthen embankments; and water ah......middle of paper......(1979, 1985) and won the LPGA Championship again in 1985 and 1989. With 35 tour victories at age 30, Lopez won the election to the LPGA Hall of Fame in 1987. A highly regarded and intense competitor, Lopez developed a style that combined a powerful, unorthodox swing, excellent putting, fierce concentration and a relaxed attitude. Her spectacular performances during the late 1970s and early 1980s did much to increase the popularity of women's professional golf. Other Forms of Golf Because it is more of a participant's game than a spectator's game, variations of golf, many of which can be played at night under lights, are developed from time to time. Miniature golf, a game of putting on imaginatively designed courses, became popular in the 1930s. Special putting greens and driving ranges combine practice and entertainment. Pitch and putt is a shorter version of the long game.