The Ultimate Guide to Golf

For Kids!Filled with rules, tips, and fun activities for kids ages 8 - 12

By Cassie McCormickWith help from PGA Professional Brett Morganand information from the official USGA Rule Book.

Hi kids and welcome to the world of golf. I’m sure some of you may be thinking that golf is boring and it’s only for old people, but that’s not true. Golf can be fun if you make it fun. The number one thing you need to golf is a good attitude. Be positive and the game will be more entertaining. In this activity book are the rules and info you need to know in order to play. Take your time reading through this book and enjoy the fun activities along the way. Don’t worry if you don’t get the hang of things right away or if you forget some of the rules. Feel free to bring this with you when you golf and always remember that it’s okay to ask for help.

Have fun and swing well!

-Cassie

Introduction

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What you need to know...

The main object of the game is to get the golf ball in the hole in as few shots as possible.

But golf is a lot more than just that!

Golf can teach you valuable skills such as patience, honesty, concentration, integrity, and respect.

You can make great friendships through golf and meet lots of new people.

Golf is a challenging but rewarding sport, both mentally and physically, that you can play for the rest of your life! (Morgan).

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PenaltiesOut of Bounds: If your ball goes out of bounds (such as into the trees or over a fence) you must take “stroke and distance”, which does not mean hit the ball where it went out of bounds but from where you last hit it, and also add 1 to your scoreLost Ball: If you lose your ball you have to drop a new one and add 1 to your scoreWater Hazards: If your ball goes into water (such as a lake or creek) you have to drop a new one two club lengths away from the hazard and add 1 to your scoreBunker: You must hit your ball out of the bunker but you cannot put your club in the sand before you hit the ball

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Sand Trap

Water Hazard

Out of Bounds

Tee Box

Fairway Green

*Adapted from theUSGA Rule Book

Vocab

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Birdie - 1 under par

Bogie - 1 over par

Bunker - Sand trap

Dog Leg - A fairway that turns left or right

Eagle - 2 under par

Hazards - Places on a golf course, such as lakes, creeks, and bunkers that are difficult or impossible to play from

One Stroke Penalty - Add 1 to your score

Par - Number of strokes a good player should take on a hole

Tee Box - Small area where golfers play their first shot on each hole

*Courtesy ofEnglishClub.com

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Maze

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Crossword

ACROSS3 Number of strokes a good player should take on a hole7 Add 1 to your score8 1 over par9 2 under parDOWN1 1 under par2 Places on a golf course, such as lakes, creeks, and bun-kers, that are difficult orimpossible to play from4 Small area where golfers play their first shot on each hole5 Sand trap6 A fairway that turns left or right

*Crossword courtesy of puzzle-maker.com

Clubs

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You can have up to 14 clubs in your bag, and they are divided into these categories:

Woods (for long shots) - -Driver-3 Wood through 5 Wood

Irons (for medium shots) - -4 Iron through 9 Iron

Wedges (for shorter shots) --Pitching Wedge-Sand Wedge-Gap Wedge

And last but not least your putter! (for when you’re on the green)

*Please note you do not need all of these clubs! The most important clubs are a driver, a few irons, possibly a wedge, and a putter.

*Adapted from theUSGA Rule Book

NumbersPar on different holes = 3 (short), 4 (medium), or 5 (long)

9 holes on the front + 9 holes on the back = 18 holes on a golf course

18 holes should take about 4 1/2 hours to play and 9 holes should take about half that time

You have 5 minutes to look for a lost ball

Tic Tac Toe

9 *Adapted from theUSGA Rule Book

Etiquette-Determine randomly who tees off first, after that you can play honors (whoever got the lowest score on the last hole goes first, then second lowest, etc.) or my favorite, ready golf (whoever is ready first goes first)

-The person farthest from the hole gets to make their next shot

-Be quiet while others are making their shot

-Replace your divots

-Make sure to rake the bunker

-If you intend to hit the ball but you miss that’s called a whiff and you must count it as a stroke (Morgan).

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When on the putting green...

Do:-Take the flag out of the hole or it will be a 2 stroke penalty-Take your time and line up your putts-Use a ball marker to move your ball if it’s in some-one else’s way or if you want to clean it-Let the first person to finish putting put the flag back in the hole

Don’t:-Drag your feet, it can ruin the short grass-Step in someone else’s line-Set your clubs on the putting green (they’re heavy and could hurt the grass)-Talk or be distracting while someone else is putting (and they should do the same for you)

11 *Adapted from theUSGA Rule Book

Safety First!

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Golf is the most fun when everyone is safe! Keep these tips in mind to make sure everyone comes out okay.

-Stand a safe distance away from the person who is swinging, and not out in front of them so you do not get hit by a golf ball.

-If your golf ball is heading towards someone make sure to yell Fore!

-Use caution while looking for your golf ball near water hazards and out of bounds.

-Clubs are used for striking the ball ONLY, and under no circumstances should they be thrown (Morgan).

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Coloring Page