Realize Golf　认识高尔夫运动

     1　高尔夫简介及其起源
     Golf is a precision club-and-ball sport, in which competing players(or golfers), using many types of clubs, attempt to hit balls into each hole on a golf course while employing the fewest number of strokes.
     It is one of the few ball games which do not require a standardized playing area. Instead, the game is played on golf "courses", each of which features a unique design, although courses typically consist of either nine or eighteen holes. Golf is defined, in the rules of golf, as"playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules".
     Golf competition is generally played for the lowest number of strokes by an individual, known simply as stroke play, or the lowest score on the most individual holes during a complete round by an individual or team, known as match play.
     The origin of golf is unclear and open to debate. Some historians trace the sport back to the Roman game of paganica, in which participants used a bent stick to hit a stuffed leather ball. One theory asserts that paganica spread throughout Europe as the Romans conquered most of the continent, during the first century BC, and eventually evolved into the modern game. Others cite chuiwan ("chui" means striking and "wan" means small ball) as the progenitor, a Chinese game played between the eighth and fourteenth centuries. A Ming Dynasty scroll dating back to 1368 entitled "The Autumn Banquet" shows a member of the Chinese Imperial court swinging what appears to be a golf club at a small ball with the aim of sinking it into a hole. The game is thought to have been introduced into Europe during the Middle Ages.
     2　高尔夫比赛形式和球场设计的表达方式
     （1）Basic forms of golf　高尔夫比赛形式
     Match play　比洞赛
     In match play, two players (or two teams) play each hole as a separate contest against each other. The party with the lower score wins that hole, or if the scores of both players or teams are equal the hole is"halved" (or tied). The game is won by the party that wins more holes than the other.
     Stroke play　比杆赛
     In stroke play, the score achieved for each and every hole of the round or tournament is added to produce the total score, and the player with the lowest score wins. Stroke play is the game most commonly played by professional golfers.
     （2）Golf course　球场
     Pin　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　 旗杆
     Links　　　　　　　　　　　　 　 滨海球场
     Club house　　　　　　　　　 　 会馆
     Club　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 俱乐部\球杆
     Pro-shop　　　　　　　　　　　　 专卖店
     Hole　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 洞
     OB(out of bound)　　　　　　　界外
     Fairway　　　　　　 　　　　　　球道
     Back tee black tee pro tee　　最后一个发球台\黑T\职业T
     Green 果岭
     "高尔夫"原意为"在绿地和新鲜空气中的美好生活"。这从高尔夫球的英文单词GOLF可以看出来：G-绿色；O-氧气；L-阳光；F-脚部活动。比洞赛是两方之间对抗的比赛。也就是说，球员成绩的好坏以及比赛的胜负只对参赛的双方发生影响，与其他人无关。比洞赛是逐洞进行的。比杆赛最大的特点在于，全场所有的选手同时参赛，大家都在同样的发球区出发，打同样的球洞位置。最后，谁在规定轮数内的杆数最低，谁就是获胜者。

     When most people think of golf, they probably think of Tiger Woods jet-setting to golf courses around the world winning prestigious tournaments and making a lot of money.
     大多数人一想到高尔夫球，可能就会想到泰格·伍兹乘喷气客机到世界各地的高尔夫球场赢得备受注目的锦标赛，并赚进大把的钞票。
     It is generally agreed that golf was first played in Scotland in the 15th century.
     普遍认为高尔夫的第一场比赛是15世纪时在苏格兰举行的。
     Its popularity spread throughout the 16th century, and the first international golf match took place in 1682 between players from England and Scotland.
     它从16世纪开始普及起来，首场国际性高尔夫球赛就是在1682年举行的，选手均来自英格兰及苏格兰。
     The Industrial Revolution brought a period of change for golf. Suddenly, with the mass production of golf clubs and balls, the average person could afford to play.
     工业革命为高尔夫运动带来了一段变革时期。突然间，随着高尔夫球杆及高尔夫球的大量生产，普通百姓也可以玩这项运动。
     Golf was made an Olympic sport in 1900, by which time there were already more than 1,000 golf courses in the United States.
     1900年，高尔夫球正式成为奥林匹克的运动项目，那时美国已有上千个高尔夫球场。
     The famous PGA was formed in 1916, and by 1944, the equally famous PGA tour consisted of 22 events and was held throughout the year.
     著名的职业高尔夫球员联盟于1916年成立；到1944年，同享盛名的职业高尔夫球员联盟巡回比赛，在1年内会举行22项比赛。
     Legendary golfers Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player dominated the game from the 60s' into the 70s', wowing fans by winning almost all of the events they competed in.
     高尔夫球界的传奇人物──杰克·尼克芬斯，阿诺德·帕尔默，及加里·普莱耶一直称霸于60到70年代的高尔夫球坛。他们几乎囊括了所有的比赛奖项，使球迷们大为赞叹。
     These days, it is up to current stars like Tiger Woods and David Duval to keep spectators glued to the TV set.
     现在，高尔夫则靠当红球星泰格·伍兹和大卫·杜瓦的魅力吸引球迷通过电视观看比赛。
     More than 23 million players exist in the United States alone, and they are all likely to tell you the same thing about golf: There's nothing like it!
     仅仅在美国就有2300万人从事高尔夫运动，对于高尔夫，他们可能会异口同声地说："没有比它更好的运动了！"
     A typical golf course consists of eighteen holes but nine-hole courses are common and can be played twice through for a full round of eighteen holes.
     一个典型的高尔夫球场有18个洞，但9洞球场组成是常见的，可以玩两次，一次性全满十八洞通过。
     The first shot to hit, "a hole" (Hole in One), that is, wood tee off the credit limit.
     第一杆就打出"一杆进洞"，那就是开球木杆功劳的极限。Golf is more of a family activity than it has ever been.
     与以往不同的是，高尔夫球现在更多的是一种家庭活动。
     The ways in which people consume golf is evolving, as are the ways in which golf is impacting our lives.
     人们进行高尔夫消费的方式，同样也是高尔夫运动影响人们生活的方式。
     Now there is a popular and acceptation by most scholars version that it originated in the 15th century or earlier in Scotland. So far, it may have five hundred years of history, and golf has become the world's most popular sports from casual games that people spend time.
     现广为流传并为大部分学者接受的说法是它起源于15世纪或更早的苏格兰，迄今为止已有500多年的历史，已由当初人们消磨时光的民间休闲游戏发展成为当今世界上最为风行的体育项目之一。
     A sand trap serves as an obstacle on a golf course.
     沙洞在高尔夫球比赛中用作障碍物。
     In addition to the officially printed rules, golfers also abide by a set of guidelines called golf etiquette.
     除了正式印制的规则，球员也遵循高尔夫礼仪准则。
     Etiquette guidelines cover matters such as safety, fairness, pace of play, and a player's obligation to contribute to the care of the course.
     礼仪准则涉及诸如安全、公平、打球速度的问题和球员的义务，以促进比赛顺利进行。
     A golf handicap is like a ranking, the lower your handicap is, and the better player you are.
     Golf handicap有点像排名，是指高尔夫比赛中的标准杆数，标准杆的杆数越少，选手的水平就越高。
     Golf etiquette is one of the most important parts of the game of golf. That is the reason why golf is called the sport of gentlemen.
     高尔夫礼仪作为高尔夫运动最重要的组成部分，是区别于其他运动项目的特点之一，因此高尔夫也被称为"绅士运动"。
     The love of the game, the understanding of the traditions and the respect for those with whom you play, all come together in the golf etiquette you exhibit on the course.
     通过你的场上表现，人们可以观察到你是否热爱这项运动，理解它的传统，并尊重一起打球的同伴，进而对你个人的教养和人品做出评价。

     Peter: Hey, Jack, I want to learn how to play golf.
     皮特：嗨，杰克，我想学打高尔夫球。
     Jack: You're really sporty!
     杰克：你真是运动迷！
     Peter: I want to do everything I can.
     皮特：能做的我都想做。
     Jack: Do you have clubs?
     杰克：有球杆吗？
     Peter: No. Can I rent clubs?
     皮特：没有。能租吗？
     Jack: There are clubs for beginners. It's cheaper to buy those rather than rent them a few times.
     杰克：有专门为初学者准备的球杆，学习用的而球杆不贵，租几次的钱就买下来了。
     Peter: What kinds of clubs?
     皮特：哪种球杆？
     Jack: Like the seven-piece set. It's only $160.
     杰克：是那种7个球杆一套的，只要160美元。
     Peter: I'll buy a set. But you have to teach me.
     皮特：我就买那套。可是你要教我。
     Jack: This little wooden stick is called a tee.
     杰克：这个小木棍叫梯。
     Peter: What do you do with it?
     皮特：它有什么作用？
     Jack: For the first drive, put the golf ball on the tee, and push the tee into the ground.
     杰克：打第一杆时，把球和梯放在一起，插到地上。
     Peter: OK.
     皮特：好。
     Jack: Position yourself, swinging the club, watch the ball and hit it as hard as you can.
     杰克：站好方向，抡起球杆，盯着球，尽力使劲打。
     Peter: Hey!
     皮特：嘿！
     Jack: Not too bad. The goal is to get the ball into the hole with as few hits as possible.
     杰克：不错。打球的目的是尽量用最少的杆数把球打进洞。
     Peter: Got it.
     皮特：我懂了。