These 4 inch golfers are stuck in a sticky situation. The golf ball seems to have landed on top of a wood pile. In order for Santa to drive the golf ball back to the green, he must make a tricky shot from a top the wood pile. Santa is decked out in a blue beret with red band, matching blue shirt with red trim on sleeves, snazzy red and white striped shorts, yellow socks and red and white shoes with green trim. Santa’s arms, legs and golf club are bendable black wire. These golf Christmas ornaments hang by a gold lame cord.
History of Golf.
Golf as we know it was originally played in Scotland with a leather-covered ball stuffed with feathers. Much earlier, the Romans in their day of empire played a golf like game called paganica. They played it in open countryside, with a bent stick and a ball stuffed with feathers. They occupied parts of England and Scotland from about 100 B.C. to about A.D.400. We now believe that the Roman game of paganica was the forerunner of golf.
Common Golf Course Features.
An 18 hole golf course is designed so that play at each hole begins at the tee. A fairway leads to the green with obstacles such as sand traps and water hazards. Most courses are laid out in a loop that brings the golfer back to a point near the first tee at the end of each nine holes. The holes are arranged so that players are relatively safe from balls hit by players on another hole.
- The Tee.
- Each golf hole begins at the tee, a small flat area from which the golfer takes the first stroke or shot. This stroke is sometimes called a drive. Before hitting the ball, the golfer places it on a wooden or plastic peg that is also called a tee. The peg may only be used on the tee. After the tee shot, the golfer must hit the ball as it lies o the course.
- The Green.
- The green is an area at the end of the fairway. The green is covered with special grass that is mowed very closely. It contains a hole 4¼ inches in diameter and at least 4 inches in depth. A movable marker called the flagstick or pin is placed in the hole to show its location.
Play on the hole is completed when the golfer hits the ball into the hole. The number of strokes the player takes to hit the ball into the hole becomes the player’s score for that hole. The player normally takes progressively shorter shots form the tee to the green. Once on the green, the golfer putts or rolls the ball into the hole with a club called the putter. The surface of the green is usually gently sloped and the golfer should allow for the slope when putting. - Hazards.
- Hazards are obstacles placed throughout the course to make play more difficult. Golfers try to avoid them. Hazards include bunkers and water hazards. Bunkers are depressions in the ground. If they contain sand they are called ‘sand traps.’ Water hazards include ponds and streams. If the ball lands in a water hazard, the golfer may hit it out if the ball is playable. Otherwise, the golfer lifts it out by hand or plays another ball, adding an extra stroke to his score as a penalty.