Editing Golf course (section)

==Features==
[[File:Golf field.svg|right|thumb|upright|Golf course features:<br />1 = teeing area<br />2 = penalty area<br />3 = rough<br />4 = out of bounds<br />5 = fairway 
bunker<br />6 = penalty area<br />7 = fairway<br />8 = putting green<br />9 = flagstick<br />10 = hole]]

===Teeing area===
{{main|Teeing ground}}
The first section of every hole consists of the [[teeing ground]], or tee-box. There is typically more than one available box where a player places his [[golf ball|ball]], each one a different distance from the hole (and possibly with a different angle of approach to the green or fairway) to provide differing difficulty. The teeing ground is generally as level as feasible, with closely mown grass very similar to that of a putting green, and most are slightly raised from the surrounding fairway.

Each tee box has two markers showing the bounds of the legal tee area. The teeing area spans the distance between the markers, and extends two-club lengths behind the markers. A golfer may stand outside the teeing area, but the ball must be placed and hit from inside it.<ref>{{cite book|title=Rules of Golf and the Rules of Amateur Status 2008–2011 |publisher=[[The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews]] and [[United States Golf Association]] |date=September 2007 |location=[[St Andrews]], [[Fife]], Scotland |page=67 |url=http://www.randa.org/flash/rules/PDF/WEB_ROG_spreads.pdf |access-date=16 September 2008  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029043057/http://www.randa.org/flash/rules/PDF/WEB_ROG_spreads.pdf |archive-date=29 October 2008 }}</ref> A golfer may place his ball directly on the surface of the teeing ground (called hitting it "off the deck"), or the ball may be supported by a manufactured [[tee]] (limited to a height of four inches), or by any natural substance, such as a mound of sand placed on the teeing surface.

===Fairway and rough===
[[File:Par 4 5 dogleg.svg|right|thumb|upright=1.20|Typical doglegs. Left: "dogleg left". Right: "double dogleg"]]
After the first shot from the tee ("teeing off"), the player whose ball is farthest from the green hits the [[golf ball|ball]] from where it came to rest; this spot is known as its "lie". When the ball is in play and not out of bounds or in a hazard the player must play the ball as it lies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usga.org/rules/rules-of-golf-experience/#/subject-3289/lesson-3290/play/topic-1251/slide-1 |title=USGA Rules of Golf Experience |publisher=Usga.org |access-date=2018-05-23}}</ref> The area between the tee box and the putting green where the grass is cut even and short is called the ''{{linktext|fairway}}''. The area between the fairway and the out-of-bounds markers, and also between a mowed apron surrounding the green and out of bounds, is the ''rough''; the grass there is cut higher and is often of a coarser strain than on the fairways, making roughs disadvantageous areas from which to hit. On par-3 holes, the player is expected to be able to drive the ball to the green on the first shot from the tee box. On holes longer than par 3, players are expected to require at least one additional shot to reach their greens.

While many holes are designed with a direct line-of-sight from the teeing ground to the green, a hole may bend either to the left or to the right. This is called a "dogleg", in reference to the similarity to a dog's ankle. The hole is called a "dogleg left" if the hole angles leftwards, and a "dogleg right" if the hole angles rightwards. A hole's direction may bend twice, which is called a "double dogleg".

[[File:First Hole, Spur Valley Golf Course - panoramio.jpg|thumb|left|Fairway and rough, Spur Valley Golf Course, Radium Hot Springs, Canada]]
Just as there are good-quality grasses for putting greens, there are good-quality grasses for the fairway and rough. The quality of grass influences the roll of the ball as well as the ability of the player to "take a divot" (effectively, the ability to hit down into the ball, hitting the ball first, then hitting the turf and removing a portion of it as the club continues its arc). Fairways on prestigious tours, like the PGA Tour, are cut low. Mowing heights influence the play of the course. For example, the grass heights at U.S. Open events are alternated from one hole to the next in order to make the course more difficult. One example of this is the infamous roughs at U.S. Opens, which are often 3 to 5 inches high, depending on how close to the fairway or green the section of grass will be. This makes it difficult for a player to recover after a bad shot.

Variants of grass used for fairways and roughs include [[bent grass]], Tifway 419 [[Bermuda grass]],<ref name="Bermuda Grass">{{cite web
  | title = Tifway 419 Bermuda
  | publisher = Phillip Jennings Turf Farms
  | url = http://www.sodfather.com/turf-grass/tifway-419-bermuda.asp
  | access-date = 2 March 2009}}</ref> [[rye grass]], [[Kentucky bluegrass]], and [[Zoysiagrass]]. As in putting-green grass types, not every grass type works equally well in all climate types.
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===Greens<span class="anchor" id="Putting green"></span>===
{{see also|Greenskeeper}}
[[File:OldHeadGolfLinks18thHole.jpg|thumb|The 18th hole at the Old Head Golf Links on the [[Old Head of Kinsale]]]]
The ''putting green'', or simply the ''green'', is an area of very closely trimmed grass on relatively even, smooth ground surrounding the hole, allowing players to make precision strokes on it. To "putt" is to play a stroke on this surface, usually with the eponymous "[[putter]]" club, which has very low loft so that the ball rolls smoothly along the ground, and hopefully into the cup. The shape and topology of the green can vary almost without limit, but for practical purposes the green is usually flatter than other areas of the course, though gentle slopes and undulations can add extra challenge to players who must account for these variations in their putting line. The green typically does not include any fully enclosed hazards such as sand or water; however, these hazards can {{nowrap|be{{tsp}}{{mdash}}{{tsp}}and}} often {{nowrap|are{{tsp}}{{mdash}}{{tsp}}placed}} adjacent to the green, and depending on the shape of the green and surrounding hazards, and the location of the hole (which often changes from day to day to promote even wear of the turf of the green), there may not be a direct putting line from a point on the green to the cup.

Golfers use a method known as "reading" the green to enhance their chances of making a putt. Reading a green involves determining the speed, grain, incline, decline and tilt of the green on the line of the putt. Most putts are not struck directly at the hole, instead they must be struck to take into account the characteristics of the green to arrive at the hole at the proper angle and speed. The best players will read the green by walking around the green and studying the characteristics of the green before addressing the ball. Many golfers consider reading the green and putting to be the most difficult part of the game.

The green is typically surrounded by slightly higher grass, cut at a height between that of the green and fairway, and then by the fairway and/or rough. This longer grass surrounding the green is known as the ''fringe'' and is designed to slow and stop balls rolling along the green from an approach shot or errant putt, preventing them from exiting the green. Though putting strokes can be made on it, the higher grass can interfere with the path of the ball, so players often choose to use a lofted club such as an [[iron (golf)|iron]] to make a "[[chip (golf)|chip shot]]" or a "bump and run", where the ball carries in the air for a few yards and then rolls along the green like a normal putt.

The grass of the putting green (more commonly just "green") is cut very short so that a ball can roll for a long distance. The most common types of greens are for cold winter, but warmer summer regions (i.e., not extremely warm, as in the Southern and Southwestern United States) are bent grass greens. A green may consist of a thin carpet so that bad weather is not allowed to become a serious factor in maintaining the course. These are considered the best greens because they may be cut to an extremely low height, and because they may be grown from seed. Bent grass does not have grain, which makes it superior as a putting surface. However, bent grass may become infested with ''[[Poa annua]]'', a costly and time-consuming weed. Augusta National is one of many golf courses to use this type of green. The original design of Augusta National did not include bent grass greens, but in the early 1980s the greens were converted from Bermuda to bent grass. This affected the speed of the greens, making them too quick, and several areas were subsequently remodelled to reduce the slopes and make them more playable.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Madden |first1=Michael |title=Master builders change course |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/437619497/ |access-date=11 August 2023 |work=The Boston Globe |date=10 April 1986 |page=56 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Many other golf courses subsequently made the decision to change from Bermuda to bent grass when they observed increased business at courses that had already changed over.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/golf/masters02/2002-04-11-grass.htm|title=Bermuda, bent, rye: Grass types make big difference|work=USA Today|access-date=12 November 2016}}</ref>

Another type of grass common for greens is TifDwarf Hybrid Bermuda (other variants exist, but TifDwarf is one of the most common), or simply Bermuda grass. Bermuda is more common in regions that have very warm summers and mild winters, such as the Southern and Southwestern United States. Red Bridge Golf Course was the first course in North Carolina to utilize a special Bermuda called Mini Verde. A green is generally established from sod which has had the soil washed off of it (to avoid soil compatibility problems) and which is then laid tightly over the green, then rolled and topdressed with fine sand. Another common and more economical approach for establishing a putting green is to introduce hybrid Bermuda sprigs (the [[stolon]] of the grass which are raked out at the sod farm), which are laid out on the green.

[[File:Flag at Spur Valley Golf Course - panoramio.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Flagstick at Spur Valley Golf Course]]

Two downside factors of Bermuda greens are cost of maintenance, and also the existence of grain (the growth direction of the blades of grass), which affects the ball's roll and which is called "the grain of the green" and not to be confused with "the rub of the green" which are idiosyncrasies encountered getting through the hole. The slope or break of the green also affects the roll of the ball. The hole, or cup, is always found within the green and must have a diameter of {{convert|108|mm|in|2|sp=us}} and a depth of at least {{convert|10|cm|in|2|sp=us}}. Its position on the green is not fixed and typically is changed daily by a [[greenskeeper]] in order to prevent excessive localized wear and damage to the turf. A new hole will be cut by a device that removes a plug of the turf from the ground, and the reinforced cup is then moved, before the old hole is filled in with the plug cut from the new hole and levelled. The hole has a flag on a pole positioned in it so that it may be seen from a distance, but not necessarily from the tee. This location marker is officially called the "flagstick" but is also commonly referred to as the "pin". Flagsticks are made of either coated fiberglass, metal, or wood and have a metal or synthetic bottom (called a ferrule) that is designed to fit in the hole cup.

Putting greens are not all of the same quality. The finest-quality greens are well-kept so that a ball will roll smoothly over the closely mowed grass. Excess water can be removed from a putting green using a machine called a [[water hog]]. Golfers describe a green as ''fast'' if a light stroke on the ball makes it roll a long distance; conversely, on a ''slow'' green a stronger stroke is necessary to roll the ball the same distance. The exact speed of a green can be determined with a [[stimp meter]]. By collecting sample measurements, golf courses can be compared in terms of average green speed. It is, however, illegal by the [[rules of golf]] to test the speed of a green while playing by rolling a ball on it, or by feeling or rubbing the green.

The cost of installing and maintaining grass greens constitutes a considerable proportion of the expense of installing and maintaining a golf course. To save money, many low budget courses catering to casual players have sand greens instead of real grass. In recent years, [[artificial turf#Golf|artificial turf]] has also become an increasingly popular surface as a less costly alternative to grass which more closely resembles the appearance and feel of real grass compared to a sand surface.
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===Hazards===
{{Main|Hazard (golf)}}
[[File:Ridgefieldgolfcourseholenumbertwelve.jpg|thumb|right|Water hazard, sand trap, and dense vegetation on the 13th hole at Ridgefield Golf Course, Connecticut]]
Holes often include hazards, which are special areas that have additional rules for play, and are generally of two types: (1) water hazards, such as ponds, lakes, and rivers; and (2) bunkers, or sand traps.

Special rules apply to playing a ball that falls in a hazard. For example, a player may not touch the ground or water with their club before playing the ball, not even for a practice swing. A ball in any hazard may be played as it lies without [[penalty (golf)|penalty]]. If it cannot be played from the hazard, the ball may be hit from another location, generally with a penalty of one stroke. The [[Rules of Golf]] specify exactly the point from which the ball may be played outside a hazard. Bunkers are small to medium areas, usually lower than the fairway but of varying topography, that are filled with sand and generally incorporate a raised lip or barrier. It is more difficult to play the ball from sand than from grass, as the ball may embed itself into the sand, and the loose nature of the sand and more severe sloping of many bunkers make taking one's stance more difficult. As in any hazard, a ball in a bunker must be played without touching the sand with the club except during the stroke, and loose impediments (leaves, stones, twigs) must not be moved before making the stroke.

Courses may also have other design features which the skilled player will avoid; there are earth bunkers (pits or depressions in the ground that are not filled with sand but require a lofted shot to escape), high grass and other dense vegetation, trees or shrubs, ravines and other rocky areas, steep inclines, etc.; while disadvantageous to play from, these are typically not considered "hazards" unless specifically designated so by the course (a ravine or creek bed may be termed a "water hazard" even if completely dry)

===Driving range===
{{main|Driving range}}
[[File:Golf Range 02801r.JPG|thumb|Practice range with 43 tees (20 covered)]]
Often, a golf course will include among its facilities a practice range or [[driving range]], usually with practice greens, bunkers, and driving areas. Markers showing distances are usually included on a practice range for the golfer's information. Driving ranges are also commonly found as separate facilities, unattached to a golf course, where players may simply hit balls into the range for practice or enjoyment.

There may even be a practice course (often shorter and easier to play than a full-scale course), where players may measure the distance they can obtain with a specific club, or in order to improve their swing technique. Practice courses often consist of old holes of a previous design that are kept and maintained for practice purposes or as substitute holes if one or more holes become unplayable; a 21-hole golf course, for instance, will have three additional holes that can be used for practice or as substitutes for a flooded or otherwise damaged hole.

===Signature hole===
Many golf courses have what may be referred to as a "signature hole". This will commonly be the most memorable, aesthetically pleasing or photogenic hole.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://golf.about.com/od/golfterms/g/bldef_signature.htm|title=What Is a 'Signature Hole' on a Golf Course?|date=23 September 2016|work=[[About.com]]|first=Brent|last=Kelley|access-date=6 July 2022|archive-date=13 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213164931/http://golf.about.com/od/golfterms/g/bldef_signature.htm}}</ref>