Lesson Introduction
Rick and Bob are back again bringing you another sports lesson, and on this occasion we are heading to a golf course. Golf is a game with a long history and a tradition of strange words, and in this English teaching podcasts, you’ll learn how to talk about golf and sound like a pro. So, if you can’t impress your friends with your amazing golf swing, at least you’ll be able to impress them with your extensive golf

A:   Good morning golf aficionados! My name is Rick Fields, and you guessed it, I am here with my main man, Bob Copeland.
B:   Thank you, Rick! As you can see, ladies and gentleman, we are here in beautiful Pebble Beach where the top golfers in the world are trying to win the grand prize of one million dollars!
A:   Whoa, that's a lot of cash! Let's go to the course and see how Tiger Woods is doing.
B:   All right, were're here at the eighth hole. It's a par four, and has some very difficult hazards which many golfers find difficult to avoid. Although, I did see Jack Nicklaus hit a hole in one on this very same hole!
A:   Tiger Woods is about to tee off, and let's see if he has the same luck as Jack. Tiger is asking his caddie for his driver and, he seems to be very nervous.
B:   Oh no! Not a good swing at all! It's definitely not his day today. On the seventh hole he got a bogey and before that he barely made par. He will definitely not get a birdie on this shot.
A:   It seems that his ball has flown somewhere deep in the trees. He is having a hard time finding it and even his caddie has climbed a tree to try and spot it.
B:   Oh no! A bear! Run, Tiger, run! Somebody call animal control!

aficionado  an enthusiastic admirer or follower; a fan
main man  my right hand man, my important helper 
cash  money in the form of bills or coins 
hazard  an obstacle, such as some water, found on a golf course  
hole in one  using only one shot to put the ball in the hole
tee off  hit the ball for the first time on a hole
caddie  person who carries the golf clubs and gives advice 
driver  the club you use to hit the ball long distances  
swing  the action of hitting the golf ball
not his day  not a good day for that person
bogey  score that is one higher than it should be in golf
made par  get the score you should for a certain hole  
birdie  one point lower than the score you should get  
shot  the action of hitting the ball
hard time  a difficult time doing something; difficulty 
par four  the number of strokes considered necessary to complete
putt  light golf stroke made on the putting green in an effort to place the ball into the hole.
green  an area of short cut grass around the hole on a golf course  
break  the action of a ball moving away from it's straight path principle 
sand trap  a hazard on a golf course consisting of a depression partly filled with sand. 
iron  golf a club with an angled metal head

hole in one

►Brad almost made a hole in one today at the golf course! We were all very excited.
►The odds of hitting a hole in one are one in thirty three thousand.
►That was amazing! I have never seen somebody hit a hole in one here before!

tee off

►Don't be late! We tee off at nine a.m. sharp!
►Tiger Woods is about to tee off the ninth hole! Lets go see.
►One of the most difficult parts of golfing is the tee off.

par
 
►This hole is a par four, which means you have four or fewer swings to put the ball in the hole.
►With a bit of luck, I made par on the eighteenth hole.
►You need to make par in order to win. Don't screw up!

birdie

►He was so lucky;he got a birdie on this hole. I thought he would just make par.
►When a golfer puts the ball in the hole one stroke under par, we call that a birdie.
►Jim is such a great golfer. He has been sinking birdies all day!

hard time
 
►When I was in school I had a hard time with math and chemistry.
►I'm having a hard time hitting the ball more than a hundred meters
►I'm having a really hard time finding my camera. Have you seen it?