Golf is a game in which a ball is struck with a club from a prepared area, known as the "teeing ground", across fairway and rough to a second prepared area, which has a hole in it, known as the "putting green". The object of the game is to complete what is known as a hole by playing a ball from the teeing ground into the hole on the putting green in the fewest possible number of strokes. A "round of golf' consists of playing 18 such holes.
There are basically two forms of play, one which is decided by holes won and lost (match play) and the other which is decided by the total number of strokes taken to complete the round.There are three important principles to remember when playing golf:
Play the course as you find it. Play the Ball as it lies.And if you can't do either, do what's fair."To do what's fair you need to know the Rules. The following is a summary of the Rules of Golf, simplified where possible.

	1	Don't move, talk or stand close to a player making a stroke.
	2	Don't play until the group in front is out of the way.
	3	Always play without delay. Leave the putting green as soon as all players in your group have holed out.
	4	Invite faster groups to play through.
	5	Replace divots. Smooth footprints in bunkers.
	6	Don't step on the line of another player's putt.
	7	Don't drop clubs on the putting green.
	8	Replace the flagstick carefully.

Teeing Ground - the starting place for the hole, defined by two tee-markers.

Through the Green - the whole area of the golf course except the teeing ground and putting green of the hole being played and all hazards.

Hazards - any bunker or water hazard.

Putting Green - an area specially prepared for putting and containing a 41/2 inch diameter hole.

Out of Bounds - ground on which play is prohibited i.e. not part of the course. A ball is out of bounds when all of it lies out of bounds.

Loose Impediments - natural objects such as stones, leaves and twigs provided they are not fixed or growing, are not solidly embedded and are not sticking to the ball.

Casual Water - any temporary accumulation of water on the course which is visible before or after the player takes his stance (dew and frost are not casual water).

Ground Under Repair - any portion of the course so marked by the Committee. Also includes material piled for removal and a hole made by a greenkeeper, even if not so marked.

Check the Local Rules on the score card to identify the boundaries of the course. If your ball is lost outside a water hazard or out of bounds you must play another ball from the spot where the last shot was played under penalty of one stroke i.e. stroke and distance. You are allowed 5 minutes to search for a ball, after which if it is not found or identified it is lost. If, after playing a shot, you think your ball may be lost outside a water hazard or out of bounds you may play a `provisional ball'. You must state that it is a provisional ball and play it before you go forward to search for the original ball. If the original ball is lost or out of bounds you must continue with the provisional ball under penalty of one stroke. If the original ball is not lost or out of bounds, you must continue play of the hole with it and the provisional ball must be abandoned.