In order to complete a golf match, eighteen holes will have to be completed in a pre-established order. The first shot of every hole is taken at the opening tee and the last one will be the one getting the ball into the hole. The score is obtained by adding the number of shots taken in order to putt the ball into the hole. The total result will then be the addition of the eighteen partial results of every hole.
In a competition though, this result will depend on other factors, the kind of game being played and the handicap system which is very crucial in golf as it is the tool allowing players to compete fairly independently of their levels of play.
The first shot is always powerful so as to get as close as possible to the hole. The ball can rest on a wooden or plastic tee to make hitting the ball easier. The following shots are given to the ball just as it rests on the field. Each golf Course or Links has holes of three, four, or five shots called par3, par 4 and par 5. The par 3 is the shortest distance to the hole and the par 5 the longest. Once the ball is in the green, the player hits the ball softly with a club called putter to try and get it into the hole. The par of the hole consists of getting the ball into the hole in the number of shots established. The par of the links is fulfilled when the holes have been completed with the exact number of shots average.
If a player completes a hole with one shot under par it is called a birdie; if it is completed with two shots less it is called an eagle; if completed with three shots less it is called an albatross. If the hole is completed with one shot over par it is called a bogey, two shots over it is called a double bogey, three over, a triple bogey, etc.
When the player gets the ball into the hole with the first shot, opening tee, it is called “hole in one”.