# Gowf

A body playin gowf
**Gowf** (Inglis: *Golf*) is a sport whaur the body playin the gemme tries tae dunt a smaw baw intae a bore at the end o a field cried a gowf coorse. Gowf wis first played in the Netherlands an Scotland.

## Origin

Fowk haes lang raxt their harns ower hou gowf cam aboot, at the hinderend naebody will richt ken. Gowf wis ane o the mony baw an stick gemmes that wis played oot-throu the middle ages. Thir can be sindert intae twa-three groups, sic as duntin a stelt baw wi a stick (gowf, frae aulder Dutch *kolf*, a club), stick tae stick gemmes sic as shinty or caitch or duntin a muivin baw wi a stick (cricket or basebaw): Frae thon its nae surpreese tae find that mony sindry sorts o baw an stick gemmes haes been played oot-throu heestory at different times in different kintras.

Whit maiters maist is no sae muckle whaur an whan a parteecular gemme stairtit but whaur it tak ruit an frae there spreid tae ither airts. Wi sicna sicht it can be seen that gowf cam tae the fore in middle ages Scotland an spreid tae the lave o the warld in the 18t century. It is tae Scotland that the cultural tradeetion o gowf is ocht.

## Rules

The ettle o gowf is tae putt the baw intae a hole in the grund whauras ither baw an stick gemmes is ettelt at winnin tae a dale or tairget abuin the grund, mony o thir played in weel merkit coorts, whaur the ettle is tae dunt the baw throu a gird or siclike, Ither gemmes is played athort tha kinta-side wi trees or doors as the tairget. Dutch 'kolf' is played athort the kintra-side, in toun gates an on ice ettlin tae win at a tairget abuin the grund.

Gowf is played on a bit grund cried a gowf coorse. A coorse conseests o a raw o wee bores, ilk ane haein a teein area, fairwey, roch an ither hinderances, an the green wi the pin an cup. A teepical gowf coorse for ordinar haes aichteen bores, but mony haes juist nine.

Ilka gemme o gowf is adae wi playing a nummer o bores in a gien order. A teepical roond conseests o 18 bores played gaun by the coorse layoot. On a nine-bore coorse, gaun roond twice gies a roond. A bore or 'hole' in gowf conseests o duntin a baw frae a tee in the teein box (a bit grund merkit for the first shot at a bore) cried a tee shot, ance the baw comes tae rest, duntin it ower. This cairies on till the baw is in the cup. Ance the baw is on the green (A bit grund wi weel mawen girse) the baw is for ordinar puttit alang the grund intae the bore. The ettle bein that the baw come tae bides in the bore wi sae few straiks as possible. This micht be hindert by hinderances, sic as bunkers an dubs. In maist ordinar gemmes, ilka player plays their baw frae the tee till it is puttit intae the bore.

Players can walk or drive ower the coorse in wee motor cairts, aither alane or in groups o twa, three, or fower, whiles convoyed by caddies that cairies an mauns the players' graith an gies them advisement.

Ilka player aften acts as scorer for ae ither player in the group, that is, they record the score on a score caird. In straik play the score conseests o the nummer o straiks played an ony penalty straiks gotten. Penalty straiks isna richt straiks but penalty pynts that's eikit tae the score for brakkin the rules or daein things a player shoudna.

**Paur** A bore is clessifee'd by its paur, the nummer o straiks a skeelie gowfer needs tae pit the baw in the bore.

**Penalties** Penalty straiks is coontit in certain seetiations. Maist aften whan a player haes duntit the baw some place whaur they canna or winna play the baa as it is, for example in a watter-hinderance, or acause they'v tint their baw (ootwi the boonds (OB)) an maunt play anither. Penalty straikes is coontit as an extrae straik at the aw. Ony rule brakkin can lead tae penalty straiks.

**Scorin** In ilka form o play, the ettle is tae play sae few straiks per roond as a body can.

## Gowf clubs

| Tradeetional name | Modren name |
| --- | --- |
| Drivin Putter (Drivin Putter) | Driver |
| Bressie | 2 or 3 Wid |
| Spuins | 3, 4 or 5 Wids |
| Airn | 1 Airn |
| Drivin Cleek | 2 or 3 Airn |
| Drivin Cleek | 2 or 3 Airn |
| Mid-Airn | 4 Airn |
| Mid-Mashie | 5 Airn |
| Mashie Airn | 6 or 7 Airn |
| Spade Mashie | 7 Airn |
| Mashie Niblock | 7 or 8 Airn |
| Pickin Niblock | 7 or 8 Airn |
| Niblock | 8 or 9 Airn |
| Putter | Putter |