To build a perfect golf swing, you will need not only the knowledge of choosing the right club, but also a better understanding of the hole you are playing. Learning about the different parts of a golf course can be your first step of grasping the hole. Each hole in a golf course is normally composed of 5 main parts: tee, fairway, rough, green and hazards.

 

Tee

A golf tee is typically a thin peg made of wood or plastic, on top of which a golf ball can sit stably. It is a piece of equipment located in the tee box where each hole begins, that raises the golf ball off the ground for golf players to hit the ball and play the first stroke of the hole.

 

Fairway 

The fairway refers to the space between the tee box and the green where the grass is cut short. It is the pathway which leads the golf player from the teeing ground — the starting point — to the hole on the green, which is the end point.

 

Rough

The rough is the area that surrounds the fairway and green, which typically borders the fairway. Compared with the closely mown grass on the fairway, the grass here grows longer and thicker. Hitting from the rough usually requires players to use more clubs than they normally would to reach the green, even for professional golfers.

 

Green 

The green holds the end point of the game, where the flagstick and hole are located. It is the most closely mown area on the golf course. The grass is cut short so that the ball would roll easily when a golf player is putting. The grass on its edges grows slightly longer, commonly known as the fringe. One tip from the golf coach is that before a putt is to pay attention to the highest point on the surface of the green, from where the ball will usually roll away.

 

Hazards 

Hazards are areas on a golf course that provide difficult obstacles to players, which are normally in the form of lakes, ponds, rivers, creeks or other areas marked with red or yellow stakes.

 

*Bunker 

The bunker is a “specially prepared area intended to test the player’s ability to play a ball from the sand,” as put in the latest edition of the Rules of Golf. It is a hollow composed of sand, grass or both, which in some cases is considered a hazard.

 

Although golf courses are designed with different features, they all have the same main components. While there are quite a few variables in golf that may affect your play, the components of the course remain constant. Therefore, getting a clear understanding of each part of a golf course will allow you to map out a better strategy for a perfect golf swing.