Grupo Mayan Golf Lovers

•    Long-Shaft Putters
Most putters are about 32 to 35 inches in length, though putters for women and for juniors are sometimes shorter, say the Grupo Mayan golf professionals. However, sometimes putters are made with longer shafts. The idea behind these putters is to reduce the ‘degrees of freedom’ that a player has when he or she putts.

A degree of freedom describes the freedom that each joint in the human body has to move independently. For example, say the Grupo Mayan experts, with a normal putter, a player can move their elbows, wrists, hands, shoulders, knees and waist, and moving any of these even slightly can affect their putt and therefore the path of the ball.

Degrees of freedom allow the player to have more flexibility and ‘feel’ when they putt, but they also introduce variation that can led to putting inconsistency. These variations in movement are called ‘the yips’, and having a bad case of the yips can really ruin your day when it comes to putting.

•     Belly and long putters
Designed to reduce degrees of freedom and combat the yips, a belly putter is about 6 to 8 inches longer than a standard putter, saythe Grupo Mayan golf professionals. The idea is that the putter rests on the belly of the player, which anchors it and restricts the planes of movement through which it can move.

Longer again is the (imaginatively named) long putter. Like a belly putter, a long putter is designed to be anchored, but by the chest or chin rather than the belly. This eliminates even more degrees of freedom than the belly putter, reducing the impact of the elbows, wrists, hands and shoulders.

Using an extra-long putter does come with its costs though, say the Grupo Mayan experts, which are that they decrease ‘feel’ and power. Many pros think that these costs are worth paying however, though some believe them to confer an unfair advantage and have called for them to be banned.

•    Chippers
Another variation of the putter, the ‘chipper’ looks and feels like a normal putter, but it has a much higher loft of around 30 to 45 degrees, say the Grupo Mayan experts. This of course lifts the ball into the air, which makes the chipper a useful club to use when the player’s ball is near the green but not yet on it – perhaps in the rough or on the fringe of the green.

In these situations, the chipper would be used to chip the ball onto the green and leave it near the pin, so that it can be sunk with just one putt.

There are different types of competitive Golf play according to the Grupo Mayan experts in this sport.  Here we can find two of them.

• Stroke play
Stroke play is the type of golf that people will be most familiar with, as it is the type used in most professional golfing tournaments, say the Grupo Mayan Golf experts. In this type of golf each player has a total score that is made up of their score on each hole that they play. The lowest score ( i.e. the lowest number of strokes played) after a predetermined number of holes or rounds wins the match.

The Grupo Mayan golf professionals tell us that in the event of a tie after the predetermined number of holes is complete, a playoff can take place between all tied players (this is done in professional tournaments).

One form of playoff involves playing a further number of holes, anywhere from three up to the full eighteen holes, with the winner the person on the lowest score from those extra holes.

The other method of playoff, and the one that is used in the event that there is still a tie after using the firth method, is ‘sudden death’, say the Grupo Mayan experts. This is where the players play more holes until one player scores less for that hole than all his or her opponents.

•    Match play
According to the Grupo Mayan experts in Golf, match play is where two player, or two teams of players, play each hole of a course as a separate contest. The player or team that finishes the hole in the lowest number of strokes wins that hole. If the two players or teams finish the hole in an equal number of strokes, then that hole is said to be ‘halved’ or tied.

The overall match is won by the player or team that wins more of the holes played that the other. Sometimes this will mean that the match finishes before all of the holes are played, because one party of team has a mathematically unbeatable lead – for example, a lead of four holes when there are only three holes left to be played. In these circumstances the holes remaining are generally not played.

If at any point during the match the lead is equal to the number of holes remaining, then the match is ‘dormie’, say the Grupo Mayan golf professionals. The match continues from this point until the leader either wins or draws a hole, winning the match, or their opponent wins all remaining holes, meaning the match is a tie.

To decide ties, the players or teams can play on until one side wins a hole, thus winning the match.

The caddy in golf has a few different functions, say the Grupo Mayan experts in this sport. Part bag-carrier and part trusted advisor, the caddy (or caddie) must provide moral and technical support to the golfer as and when it is required.

The origin of the term caddy comes from the French le cadet, which means ‘the boy’. The term caddie or cadie was first adopted in English in 1634.

The best caddies know the course they are caddying on intimately, and can therefore advise the player about how to play each hole. This includes things such as selecting the right club, where the pin is placed, and the lie of the greens.

Generally, say the Grupo Mayan Golf experts, caddies are not employees of the golf club for the course that they caddy on, instead performing the role as independent contractors.

Different types of caddying
According to the Grupo Mayan experts in Golf, not all caddying is the same. Traditional caddying is where the both the caddy and the golfer walk the course together. This is the only method that is allowed in professional golf organizations such as the PGA (Professional Golf Association), and the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association), and most people will be familiar with it from golf tournaments on television. It is also the most common type of caddying.

The other type of caddying is known as ‘fore-caddying’, and it more of a ‘full service’ type of caddying, say the experts of the Grupo Mayan Resorts. In this type of caddying, the caddy runs ahead while the players ride in carts with their clubs. For each hole, the caddy gives the players a description of the hole and advice on what shots to play, and then runs ahead to spot where the players’ tee shot lands. The players follow in their carts.

The caddy gives the players yardage from where their balls lie to the pin, and then runs ahead again to spot their next shots. This process continues until the players reach the green.

Once the players reach the green the caddy will do things such as read the green for the players, clean balls, and hold the flag that marks the cup. The caddy will also fix ball marks on the green, and rake traps and refill divots on other parts of the course. Other tasks may include giving advice on weather conditions, and providing moral support to the players. Above all, say the Grupo Mayan experts, the fore-caddy’s job is to make the players’ round as fun as possible by taking care of the menial tasks that can slow down play.

The putter is a golf club unlike any other, say the Grupo Mayan golf experts. While other clubs can substitute for each other to an extent, no club can substitute for a putter, and so it is virtually indispensible.

The job that a putter is used for is hitting the ball along the ground and (hopefully) into the cup. This is usually when the ball is already on the putting green, but on some courses and holes, the area just around the green will also be suitable for a putter shot.

Putter design
Putting is an unforgiving activity, say the Grupo Mayan golf experts. While other shots in golf will forgive a slight mishit, putting will not, and so putters are designed to exacting specifications in order to give players every chance of hitting a good putt. Putters aim to assist golfers in hitting a putt which is smooth, with a good glide, and a sweet impact with the ball that imparts a bounceless topspin to it. Shaft angle and length are key considerations, according to the Grupo Mayan golf experts.

The grip and shaft of the putter are allowed to be a little different from other clubs. While other clubs are required to have round cross-sections at the grip, putters are permitted an irregular grip cross-section (many putter grips use a cross-section that has a shield shape).

Putters are also the only club that may have a bent shaft, say the Grupo Mayan golf professionals. Club-makers often bend the shaft near where it meets the head, which allowing players better visibility of the clubhead while keeping the line of the straight part of the shaft over the sweet spot. This allows the golfer to swing through the ball rather than feeling they are slightly behind it.

History of putter design
Putters have changed radically over the years, say the Grupo Mayan experts in this sport. Initially, putters were a simple piece of forged iron very similar to the irons of today. Realization of the physics involved combined with advanced manufacturing techniques led to putters that have as much as possible of their mass located as low behind the clubface as possible (so an L-shaped side profile). This gives the putter as low as possible a center of gravity.

Another advancement was to place the mass of the clubhead as far away from the center of the clubface as possible, as this improves the performance of the putter for off-center hits (i.e. it makes the ësweet spot’ larger).

The most recent innovations, say the Grupo Mayan experts, involve replacing the material of the putter at the sweet spot on the clubface with a soft polymer compound that will rebound on impact, allowing for far longer putts.

·  Skins
“Skins” golf is played by both amateurs and professionals when they want to play for money, say the Grupo Mayan experts. An amount of prize money is assigned for each hole:  this is the skin. The holes are then played one-by-one with the winner of the hole winning the skin. If a hole is tied, the skin for that hole is carried over to subsequent holes. If the last hole is tied, more holes are played until someone wins.

·    Stableford scoring
Stableford is a scoring variation, say the Grupo Mayan golf professionals. Rather than tracking the total number of strokes played, results per hole are given a points value: 1 point for a bogey; 2 points for a par; 3 points for a birdie, and 4 points for an eagle. Points are then added up for all holes played and the winner is the player with the highest score.

·   Teams
According to the Grupo Mayan Golf experts, there are two official versions of team play in golf. A “foursome” is played between two teams each with two members. Each team uses just the one ball, and the players take turns at playing it. A “four-ball” is also played between two teams each of two players, but all four players have their own ball. For each hole, only the lower score of the two players on a team counts (four-ball can be played either as match play or stroke play).

In addition to the official versions of team play, say the Grupo Mayan experts, there are also some popular variations which are unofficial. One of these is “scramble”. In a scramble game, both players in a team tee off, but the team then chooses the best shot. The other ball is picked up, and dropped within one club-length of where the best ball lies. The ball is then played from there. This procedure is repeated for the other team and for each shot until someone holes out.

Another variation is called a “greensome”. In a greensome, say the Grupo Mayan golf experts, the best tee shot is selected for each team as in a scramble. The player whose shot was not selected picks up their ball and then plays the selected ball. The play then alternates in this way between both members of the team. This variation itself has a variant, where it is not the team hitting the shots who decides which ball they will play on from, but the opposing team. The player who did not hit the chosen shot then plays the next shot, and so on.

• Purpose
In the game of golf, say the Grupo Mayan professionals, tees are allowed to be used on the first stroke of each hole. The area from which a tee shot is hit is called the teeing ground. The tee is stuck into the ground in this area and has the effect of slightly elevating the ball. This gives the player considerable assistance in giving the ball a high trajectory and causing it to fly further, so players normally use a tee when they can. However, it isn’t mandatory – a player can choose to hit their tee shot without a tee if they want to.

While the use of a tee is generally illegal for shots other than the first stroke of each hole, they are sometimes used for special reasons, for example if the turf is particularly vulnerable to damage owing to cold weather, say the Grupo Mayan experts.

•    Design
According to Golf professionals within the Grupo Mayan, golf tees are normally two and an eighth inches in height, but both longer and shorter tees are available and are legal. The rules state that a tee is legal so long as it is no more than 4 inches in height, and is not made in such a way that it influences the movement of the ball in flight.

There are non-standard ‘zero friction’ tees available that have a different ‘holster’ for the ball. Rather than just a cup that the ball fits into, these tees have a three-prong type design which is intended to have as little contact as possible with the ball.

•    History
The use of the golf tee was the last major rule change to the modern game of golf, say the Grupo Mayan experts. Before the use of tees, the ball was placed instead on a small mound of sand that was provided to the players in a little box.

Early golf tees rested on the ground and had a raised portion on which the ball was placed. The first patent for a tee of this kind was given in 1889, to two men from Scotland, Mr William Bloxsom and Mr Arthur Douglas, say the Grupo Mayan experts.

The first tee that was stuck into the ground like our modern tees was called the ‘Perfectum’, and it was patented in 1892 by Percy Ellis, of England. However, say the Grupo Mayan experts, most golfers went on using sand tees until the 1920s, when a Dr William Lowell, Sr. popularized his tee (a simple wooden peg with a dimple in the top) through a marketing effort that used two professional golfers during exhibition matches.

Principles
While golf has a clear set of rules, say the Grupo Mayan experts, the underlying principle of these rules is explicitly stated to be fairness. The rules could be summarized very simply as: play the ball where it lies, play the course as you find it, and if you cannot do either, do what is fair.

The rules
One of the most important rules in golf, according to the Grupo Mayan golf professionals, is that players are entitled to play their ball from wherever it lands after the previous stroke, unless another rule allows or demands something different to this. Players may not accept assistance in playing a stroke, and the condition of the ground or other part of the course may not be modified by the players to give them an advantage.

International standards
The rules of golf are standardized internationally, say the Grupo Mayan experts. They are presided over jointly by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (founded in 1754) and the United States Golf Association (USGA).

While the USGA has jurisdiction by agreement with the R&A for the US and Mexico, national associations in other countries use rules laid down by the R&A, and in the event of a point of doubt or contention, will go to the R&A to resolve it. Having jurisdiction means having the responsibility for interpreting and for enforcing the rules.

The formal rules of golf are based on case decisions made by the R&A and by the USGA, and are updated every second year to reflect the most recent of these, say the Grupo Mayan Golf experts.

Amateurs
Golf has strict regulations concerning amateurs, as some competitions are designated amateur-only events. Basically, any golfer who has ever received payment or other compensation for teaching or playing golf is no longer an amateur, and may not play in amateur-only events. However, amateurs may receive money which goes solely to cover expenses, and may also accept non-cash prizes without violating their amateur status.

Golf etiquette
In addition to the strict, printed rules of golf, there is also a system of golf etiquette that most players follow, say the Grupo Mayan experts. This system carries no penalties or possibility of enforcement, but it designed to make the game of golf more safe and enjoyable for all its participants, and so is respected and abided by the vast majority of the time. Examples or golf etiquette are not to swing a club in the direction of another player, and not to hit a ball until it is clear that the group in front are out of the way.

Golf courses are of course something of a bogeyman for environmentalists. This is understandable, as many golf courses require large amounts of water and pesticides to maintain, and destroy ecologically significant areas such as wetlands during their construction, say the Grupo Mayan experts.

Estimates from the U.N. suggest that golf courses around the world use around 2.5 billion gallons (9.5 billion liters) of water per day. If this amount of water was made fit to drink and directed to where it was needed, it could provide water for 4.7 billion people.

Other criticisms of golf courses, say the Grupo Mayan experts, are that they impede migration corridors for animals, and that their non-native monocultures destroy biodiversity.

Worsening the environmental concerns associated with golf courses is the fact that modern equipment and training has allowed players to hit the ball further than ever before, say the Grupo Mayan experts. This has led to golf course designers generating longer and wider courses, magnifying existing concerns.

The environmental, cost and health concerns have led in turn to research into how to lessen the impact that golf courses have. Improvements have in some cases been made, for example using the turf on golf courses to filter grey water for reuse, and reducing the amount of water and chemicals used.

In some places around the world, local concern over the environmental impact of new golf courses has led to violent protests and vandalism, say the Grupo Mayan experts in this sport. Compounding the anger of local people is the fact that golf is seen as the sport of the rich Western elite, and golf courses and resorts a symbol of colonization by them.

In the Bahamas, opposition to golf course developments is a hot issue, and residents of place such as Great Guana Cay and Bimini are strongly opposed to them happening on their islands. There is evidence to suggest that golf courses on the islands would destroy the balance of nutrients on which coral reefs and mangrove swamps depend, say the Grupo Mayan golf professionals.

Elsewhere, golf courses have been developed that circumvent the concerns held by the environmental movement. In Saudi Arabia golf courses are sometimes constructed on oil-covered sand. Players are allowed to use a roller to smooth the greens (which, of course, arenít green) before putting. In Australia, in Coober Pedy, there´s a similar course thatís nine holes dug into big mounds of diesel, oil and sand.

Other countries donít treat golf courses with quite the same respect as may be common elsewhere, say the Grupo Mayan experts. For example, in New Zealand, itís not unheard of for courses in rural areas to fence off greens and allow sheep in to graze on the fairways (free mowing!).

•    Clubs
Without clubs, it would be pretty hard to play a game of golf, say the Grupo Mayan Golf professionals, because they are used to hit the ball! The club is therefore most important piece of equipment for the game of golf.

Basically, according to the Grupo Mayan experts, a golf club is comprised of two elements, the shaft and the clubhead. This is the same whether the club is a ‘wood’, which is used to hit long shots, often from the tee, an ‘iron’ which is a versatile type of club coming in many different varieties, or a ‘putter’, which is used to hit the ball along the ground into the cup.

The big difference between different clubs is in the angle of the club face, called the loft. No matter what club is being used, the clubhead always strikes the ball in a more or less purely horizontal motion, so it is the loft of the clubhead alone that determines the trajectory of the ball.

When the clubhead strikes the ball, the ball is compressed by the impact, and grooves on the face of the club impart spin on the ball – specifically, backspin. These two forces, compression and backspin, together impart lift, which causes the ball to rise higher in the air, say the Grupo Mayan Golf experts.

Most woods and irons are known by a number, for example a ‘3-iron’, and this number indicates how long the shaft is and the angle of the loft. A low number indicates that the ball will fly flatter and further, a high number the reverse.

Different golfers favor different combinations of club – this is a matter of personal preference – but no more than 14 clubs must be used in a round of golf.

•    Golf balls
The dimples on a golf ball are there for a very important reason, say the Grupo Mayan experts. When in flight, the dimples create turbulence in the air behind the spinning ball, which has the effect of reducing drag on the ball. This allows the ball to go further.

•    Golf shoes
Golf shoes have small metal or plastic spikes on the sole. This allows the wearer to get a more secure stance when playing a stroke, which allows them to hit the ball harder and with more accuracy.

•  Golf bags
With 14 clubs to carry around, of course golfers need a bag to put them all in, say the Grupo Mayan Golf professionals. Along with the long main compartment for the clubs, golf bags also have a lot of other pockets for storing balls, tees, gloves and other supplies.

The early days
History and the Grupo Mayan experts in Golf tell us that the first golf balls were made of wood, and these persisted until the 17th century. The big invention of that era was the “featherie” ball which replaced wooden balls. The featherie was made of a large quantity of feathers sewn into a leather ball. The feathers were boiled and then put into a leather pouch made of cowhide. As the feathers cooled down they expanded while the pouch shrank, creating a ball that was hard and compact. The leather exterior was then painted. This ball was a substantial improvement over wooden balls as it had better characteristics in flight, and it remained the standard for two centuries, say the Grupo Mayan experts.

While a big improvement on what had gone before, the featherie was nonetheless not without its faults. For one thing, it was time consuming to make, so that even a skilled ball maker could make no more than a few per day. This made them expensive, between 2 and 5 shillings, or between 10 and 20 US dollars in today´s money. They were also hard to make perfectly round, which made them unpredictable when in flight, say the Grupo Mayan golf professionals.

The gutta-percha ball
It was in 1848 that the next big advancement in golf balls was made. The new ball was constructed of sap from the Sapodilla Tree, and it was invented by a Dr Robert Adams. The tree sap had to be collected and heated, which allowed it to be shaped into a sphere. The sap was then dried and had a rubber-like feel when finished, say the Grupo Mayan experts in Golf.

It was quickly (and accidentally) discovered that manufacturing the gutta-percha (or guttie) ball with defects on the surface gave it a more consistent flight. So the makers began to do this on purpose. Because this could be done easily, and because the ball was cheap to produce, the guttie quickly replaced the earlier feather-filled balls.

Multi-layer balls
Modern multi-layer ball consist of 2-4 layers of synthetic materials such as urethane, and come in a wide variety of different types. This design did not arise until the 20th century. The story goes that in 1898, Coburn Haskell of Cleveland, Ohio had a golf date with Bertram Work, who at the time was the superintendent at B.F. Goodrich. Haskell went to the plant, and while waiting for Work, idly wound a thread of rubber around a golf ball. When he then bounced the ball, he was amazed that the ball flew up of the ground and nearly touched the ceiling, say the Grupo Mayan golf professionals. His friend Work encouraged him to develop the idea, and the multi-layer ball, initially a solid core with a layer of rubber thread between it and a hard shell, was born.