Every kind of weather can influence a ball’s flight; it is just a matter of how each weather condition can affect the ball’s flight. Generally, the most common influential natural force on the ball in the air is wind. Wind can make a huge difference with what club a golfer hits and where the golfer is aiming. A general rule is that if a golfer is hitting in the opposite direction the wind is blowing (called “hitting into the wind”), that golfer should take a club higher for every 10 mph of wind. For example, if a player is playing into a heavy 30 mph wind from 150 yards, where they would normally hit a 9 iron, they should take a 6 iron to get the ball the proper distance. The same goes for if you were playing in the same direction the wind was blowing (called “hitting with the wind”).

Another common influence on ball flight is precipitation. Any form of precipitation will influence ball flight, whether it is rain, snow, sleet, hail, or fog. Many times when these forms of precipitation exist no golfer will be on a North Myrtle Beach golf course—especially snow and sleet, rare occurrences in South Carolina. However, there may be times when it is necessary for a golfer to play in these conditions. For these cases, it is generally accepted that a longer club is necessary in order to get the ball to the target in these conditions.

An influence that will affect the ball’s flight every time a golfer plays is temperature. Unbeknownst to many golfers, the temperature outside has an effect on how the ball performs. For example, in cold weather, the ball will generally be a colder temperature, causing it to not compress as much when it strikes the clubface. This causes the ball to travel a shorter distance. In warmer weather, the warmer ball will compress more, causing the ball to travel a longer distance.

Humidity will also affect the distance of the ball, in that the bogginess of the air will cause resistance toward the ball in flight, decreasing the distance it travels. If a golfer understands these weather conditions while playing at Eagle Nest Golf Club and any other North Myrtle Beach golf course, they should be well on their way to lower scores in adverse conditions. However, a mastery of the proper golf form should be obtained first.

One of the most frequent yet undesirable mistakes in golf is to, through the swing, rotate the upper body while maintaining a relatively motionless lower body. Because many golfers on all the North Myrtle Beach golf courses often feel like they need to hit at the ball instead of through the ball to achieve their desirable result, this tends to be a more common case than it really should be. This disjunctive motion results in all kinds of bad shots that like to go in all directions unpredictably. There is, however, a relatively simple solution.
The desire to hit at the ball is one that is relatively easily combated. Find an object with some weight to it, such as a medicine ball or a decent-sized ball of any kind, and set a target reasonably far away, around 40 feet away. Your target could be anything from a bucket to a hula hoop to a towel; just about anything works. The drill is then as simple as throwing the ball underhanded toward the target and trying to hit the target. This drill helps you to combat the compulsive urge to hit at the ball and allows you to feel what it is like to swing through the ball so you can mimic the feeling on a North Myrtle Beach golf course, such as Eagle Nest Golf Club. A good indication that you have made a proper swing is that your hips and shoulders should line up. If they don’t at first, keep trying!

Once you get it so that it is repeatable, try to transfer your new knowledge and feeling into your actual golf swing. Go to the driving range and hit a few balls, hit some into the net in your backyard or even go out and play a few holes on a North Myrtle Beach golf course. This will help you learn to swing through the ball properly and get you on your way to the next step for your golf swing.

Although many bags differ in their utilization, all bags are the same in their basic characteristics. All bags that the manufacturer desires to be used in competition must encourage the 14-club limit imposed by the USGA rules, not necessarily by any particular rule but to encourage the sale of their golf bag. In addition, every good golf bag possesses a variety of pockets. These pockets normally are meant to contain golf balls and golf tees; as a result, many manufacturers fit their pockets so as to increase the area the equipment and accessories can occupy, as well as to increase the protection of said equipment and accessories. There are also normally pockets for water bottles and other beverages. Also, many golfers attach a towel to the golf bag so as to clean off dirty club faces and golf balls. However, where these pockets and towels are located depends on your main employment of the bag.

If the golfer means to walk many rounds of golf on a North Myrtle Beach golf course, and therefore needs a bag they can carry, a stand bag would work the best. This type of golf bag has a strap (often a backpack strap) for carrying, and generally has its pockets fairly evenly proportioned around the surface of the bag, outside of the area where the stand works. The stand works when the bag is sat down vertically. This usually triggers a mechanism rigged at the bottom of the bag that pushes the bottom of the bag up, therefore pushing out the stand legs. This allows the golfer to prop the bag up and leave the bag without laying it flat on the ground. These bags are often more lightweight than others, as they are used the most often by walkers.

If a golfer means to use a cart in most rounds of golf, such as at Eagle Nest Golf Club, the cart bag would probably be the best choice. Although stand bags can also be used on carts, the pockets on the cart bag are positioned much more conveniently than those on the stand bag. There is no stand on the cart bag. There is usually a strap on the bag so as to carry it to and from the cart. However, these bags are normally much heavier than stand bags, and therefore are not very comfortable or healthy when walking.

The choice of a good golf bag may be an overshadowed one, but this does not change its importance.

• When a ball is struck, deemed lost and later found in the hole, the player is said to have holed out on the shot. When the ball goes in the hole, no matter what happens afterward, the player has holed out.
• When a player has multiple balls in play on multiple holes, the player is disqualified for failing to play the course in order.
• Any actions of maintenance by the player that would be illegal in situations that would give the player an advantage, such as the smoothing of a rough edge of the hole or the tapping down of spike marks, are legal when they are performed in such a way that is deemed unbeneficial to the player and beneficial to course maintenance.
• In stroke play, if a player purposely steps in the line of putt of another player in such a way that damages the line, the putting player is allowed to restore the line of putt to its previous condition (anyone, though, is allowed to perform the actual act of restoration). In match play, this act of purposely stepping in and damaging another player’s line of putt is punishable by loss of the hole.

While it is highly unlikely that while you are at Eagle Nest Golf Club or playing a round on any North Myrtle Beach golf course you will find yourself in any of these situations, you can rest assured that these rules decisions are in place, just in case.

The most common form of golf is stroke play. Any number of players may play a game of stroke play. When playing stroke play, the number of shots made on each hole is totaled when the player finishes the hole to produce a score for the hole. The score for each hole is then subsequently totaled to produce the score for the round. 0

As this score should be closer to par for the course for more advanced golfers, this score is often compared to par for the course, which is found by determining the number of shots it should take a scratch (zero handicap) golfer to complete the hole. The difference found by subtracting par for the course from the player’s score is often used to notate the player’s score for the round. For example, if the par for a North Myrtle Beach golf course is 72 and a player shot 69, it can be notated as “-3.” If a player shot 78 on the same course, the score can be notated as “+6.” This notation is most often used in professional tournaments.

Another common form of golf is match play. There must be exactly two players in order to play a game of match play. Match play is different from stroke play in that the total score of the round is not important. Instead, the player who wins the most holes is the winner. To win a hole, a player must complete the hole with a lower score than their opponent. If the players tie for a hole, the hole is “halved” and neither player wins the hole. If, at any point during the game, one player leads another player by more holes than there are remaining to play, than the player leading wins without playing any more holes. For example, if a player is leading another player by three holes with two holes to play, the leading player wins and the match is over. This player is deemed to have won “3 and 2”. This form of play is rarely used recreationally and is more prevalent among experienced players.

A form of match play sometimes used is the skins game. Any amount of players may play a skins game. This structure is essentially the same as match play, but every time a player wins a hole, they earn a “skin.” A skin is the amount of prize money assigned to each hole. If the hole is halved, the prize money carries over to the next hole. The game goes on until all prize money has been given out. The winner of the skins game is the player who has the most money at the end of the game.

These forms of play are all used to some extent in normal recreational play; if one of these forms of golf sounds appealing, it may be worth a try, especially on a North Myrtle Beach golf course, such as Eagle Nest Golf Club.

Along with the discovery that a dimpled golf ball flies farther than a smooth one, another important golf invention came into being–the golf bag. Early 19^th Century bags had small mouths compared to the bags of today and were made of a metal frame on the top and bottom and strips of canvas and leather on the sides. They were also strapless and pocket-less, serving the unitary function of carrying a golfer’s clubs. This style of golf bag remained popular throughout the Great Depression.

As the World Wars came and went, more innovations came about as a result of military research. Nylon and plastic began to be used in the making of golf bags, allowing them to be bigger, roomier and lighter. These materials also allowed for the addition of straps and pockets for an extra convenience factor.

Although the invention of the battery-powered golf cart in the 1950s initially reduced golf bag sales, bag designers took advantage of a seemingly detrimental situation and added cart-friendly features, making them much less likely to fall out of carts and allowing for a much more expansive design. By the ‘80s, such innovations kickstands and double-straps (although not Al Cervik’s air-powered club-launch system with built-in radio, despite being featured on the ‘80s movie Caddyshack) were common features on golf bags.

The golf bags of today, although a broad category, usually are made of lightweight plastics and polymers. Expensive golf bags may even consist of high-tech metal compounds and plastics. Pockets have become specialized with magnets for easy access (as opposed to the traditional zipper) and drink holders. Most of today’s bags come with a double-strap and a kickstand along with many other optional features that increase in luxury as the price tag increases, some even sporting special wired compartments for electronic devices, such as rangefinders and cell phones.

In spite of the 14-club rule, people have found a way to truly deck out their golf bags with something other than clubs. After all, a little bit of luxury doesn’t hurt! The next time you are at Eagle Nest Golf Club or any North Myrtle Beach golf course, pay attention to the golf bags that you see other golfers using. You just might see something you can’t live without.

The most important aspect of exceptional green play is the ability to read the greens well. “Reading the green” refers to predicting the way a golf ball will roll on the green. This is done in order to get the ball closer to (preferably in) the hole. As a result, the better a golfer reads the green, the more putts a golfer will knock in the hole and the better his scores will be.

An aspect that factors into the reading of the green is the elevation differences of the putting surface. Because gravity pulls golf balls down hills, the elevation differences in the line of the putt will greatly affect the trajectory of the putt. For example, if the golfer is putting on the side of a hill that slopes downward from left to right, the golfer must aim a ways left of the hole so the putt will slide down the hill and hopefully into the hole. Similarly, golf balls putted up a hill will come to a stop significantly faster than it would on a flat surface. In contrast, golf balls putted down a hill will often come to a stop much slower than it would on a flat surface. This knowledge of the physics of the green is important in the mastery of putting.

Another aspect that factors into the reading of the green is the grass that the putting surface consists of. Two aspects of the grass that can affect the trajectory of the putt are the length of the grass and the grain of the grass. The length of the grass, while not affecting the line of the putt very much, can very much affect the distance the putt travels. For example, a putt struck on a green with longer grass travels a shorter distance that a putt struck on a green with shorter grass.

The grain of the grass on the green can also affect the line of the putt. The grain of the grass is the direction the grass is laying on the green. On a flat surface, the ball will mostly break with the grain. When putting into a grain, the ball will not go as far as a putt with the grain. However, in reading a putt, elevation differences affect the putt to a much higher degree than does the grain.

The mastery of putting is very important when a golfer desires to reach elite status in the game of golf. A player can be a great driver and mid-range player, but if he cannot putt, than he will never become an elite golfer.

16^th – 18^th Century: King James IV has a set of golf clubs made for him by William Mayne. This set included play clubs for driving, fairway clubs for medium-range shots, spoons for short-range shots, niblicks for pitching, and a cleek for putting. Shafts and heads were made of wood, mostly to prevent damage to the expensive, delicate leather golf balls of the early era.

19^th Century: Iron-like clubs with huge, heavy hosels were made by blacksmiths up until the late 1800s. They were very difficult to use due to their weight and the fact that they easily damaged the leather golf balls of the time. In the late 1800s, the process of drop forging came to be, allowing more user-friendly iron clubs to be mass-produced in factories. Woods, still made of wood, were mostly made by local pros until the early 20^th Century.

20^th Century: The first 30 years of the 20^th Century marked a period of rapid growth in golf club design. The sand wedge as we know it was invented by Gene Sarazon. Persimmon became prominent in the woods of the era and grooves began to appear on the faces of irons, as it was discovered that grooves imparted more backspin on the golf ball. In the late 1900s, both graphite and steel shafts were introduced, preventing almost all shaft breakage possibilities and allowing swing speed to be maximized as a result. The casting method was introduced in 1963, making clubs more easily made and lowering their cost. The first metal woods were made by TaylorMade in the early 1980s.

Present : In the early 21^st Century, drivers have been pushed to their legal limits, progressively increasing in size until the limit of 460 cubic centimeters was reached. Their faces have become incredibly thin, yet marvelously strong, and many unconventional shapes have been experimented with to help improve performance. Irons, wedges, and putters have also been tweaked in shape, weight, and groove design. A new breed of club, called the hybrid or rescue club, has been introduced to combine the benefits of a fairway wood and the benefits of a long iron into one club.

First, tournament golf is normally played over the course of a multiple days. While a casual game of golf on a North Myrtle Beach golf course normally only requires one round (or day) to complete, a golf tournament collects golfers’ scores from multiple days and adds them together. The golfer with the lowest aggregate score wins the golf tournament. Because this is the case, the player with the lowest score on any particular day does not necessarily win anything.

Tournaments on the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour normally begin on Thursday and end on Sunday, with play also occurring on Friday and Saturday. However, some tournaments, such as the 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions, may end play on Monday or another day, perhaps due to either tradition or important events on that day.

Another important aspect of tournament golf that does not exist in casual golf is the cut line. The cut line is the score that divides the players who move on in a golf tournament from the players who do not move on in a golf tournament when the cut is made. Cuts are often made halfway through a tournament, and in some cases, multiple cuts must be employed.

Cut lines are not known before the golf tournament begins. For example, the PGA Tour cut rule states that the top 70 in a tournament, plus ties, make the cut, which is employed after the second day of a four-day tournament. However, if more than 78 golfers make the cut, another cut must be employed after the third round in order to trim the field back to 70 golfers. Cut rules can vary from tournament to tournament, and some tournaments may not even employ a cut at all. For example, the Bridgestone Invitational, played at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio each year, does not employ a cut, as only the most elite of golfers are invited in the first place.

Local North Myrtle Beach golf courses may host golf tournaments as well; however, these tournaments may be in a different format than those often seen on the PGA Tour. There may only be two days, there may be no cut, and the prizes may be radically different. However, local tournaments are a great way to involve yourself in the game of golf and to test your game against fine competition.

Golf was not well met at first. In the year 1457, King James II of Scotland issued an act outlawing golf, as it supposedly distracted from military archery practice, with consequent bans being issued in 1471 and 1491. The game was once again banned at the end of the 15^th Century by James VI. The opponents of Mary, Queen of Scots, used her golfing practices to criticize her, describing them as inappropriate for women.

However, despite James VI’s apparent opposition to the game of golf, he lightened up and had a set of golf clubs purchased for him. His son, Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, and his courtiers took up golf. The game grew in popularity in this fashion until, in the 18^th and 19^th Centuries, the game began to find its way to England, France, and beyond. The game’s popularity spread like wildfire with the end of the 19^th Century.

Suddenly, courses and clubs were being established all over. Golf clubs were being built at resorts. Tournaments, such as the age-old Open Championship and, eventually, the U.S. Open, Masters, and Players Championship, gained public popularity, and the USGA was founded, signaling the beginning of U.S. dominance of the game. Golf grew and became the beloved game we all know it to be today, thanks to the constant improvement of technology in clubs, balls, and other equipment. The game is still growing today; it is just now finding its way to Eastern nations, where the game is finally starting to take off. In turn, it is no surprise golf is being considered as a potential Olympic sport for the future. As we golfers know, there really is no game quite like it. And as any golfer who has visited the Grand Strand knows, Myrtle Beach is renowned for its golf courses—more than 100 in all.