Golf: The Complete Guide for Golfers, Parents and Coaches

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Dew on the first tee at 7 a.m., a foursome of friends trading the same jokes as last Saturday. A high school team walking nine holes after class with bags on their backs. A junior at her first tournament, hands shaking over a three-foot putt. And on a Sunday afternoon in April, millions of people watching the leaders walk up the 18th. Golf is a game for every age: the National Golf Foundation (NGF) counted 29.1 million Americans who played on a golf course in 2025, plus another 19 million who only played off-course at ranges, simulators and venues like Topgolf.

This page is golf for the people who play it and the people who look after them: how the game works, what it looks like at every level from First Tee to the majors and the Olympics, and, most of all, how to stay healthy playing it. Golf looks gentle, but golf injuries are common, especially to the lower back, elbow and wrist, and a round means four or more hours in the sun. Sports health is the heart of this page: the injuries golfers get most, what research says about warming up, sun, heat and lightning, and when to see a professional. Then training, recovery and the gear that matters.

Golf at a glance

Players	Individual sport, usually played in groups of two to four. Team formats exist in college, high school, junior leagues, the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup, and LIV Golf.
The round	18 holes (or 9). Each hole usually has a par of 3, 4 or 5. Pros play four rounds (72 holes) in most events.
Formats	Stroke play (fewest total strokes wins) and match play (win the most holes). Scores can be gross or net (with handicap strokes).
Equipment limit	No more than 14 clubs in the bag, and the clubs and ball must conform to the Equipment Rules.
Rules and handicaps	One set of Rules of Golf, written by The R&A and the USGA, and one World Handicap System.
Most common injuries	Low back pain, golfer’s elbow, wrist and hand problems, shoulder and knee pain; most come from repeating the same swing over and over.

How golf works

You start each hole from the teeing area and try to get the ball into the hole on the putting green in as few strokes as possible. In between are the general area (fairway, rough and trees), bunkers and penalty areas such as ponds and creeks. The first principle of the Rules is simple: play the course as you find it and play the ball as it lies. When you can’t, the Rules give you options: a lost ball or one out of bounds costs one penalty stroke and a replay from where you last hit (stroke and distance), a ball in a penalty area usually costs one stroke to drop out, and you’re always allowed to declare a ball unplayable for one stroke.

Golf is one of the few sports where players call penalties on themselves. The Rules ask for integrity, consideration for other players (including pace of play and safety) and care for the course: repair your ball marks, replace divots, rake bunkers. Our golf rules page explains the basics in plain words, plus etiquette, distance-measuring devices and how handicaps work.

Handicaps let a beginner and a scratch golfer play a fair match. Under the World Handicap System, introduced in 2020, your Handicap Index comes from the best 8 of your last 20 scores, the maximum is 54.0, and you can get one after posting 54 holes. Your Course Handicap then adjusts it to the course and tees you play.

Golf at every level

Kids and juniors

NGF counted just under 4 million juniors on golf courses in 2025, more than in any year since 2004. Most start through First Tee (founded in 1997 by the LPGA, the Masters Tournament, the PGA of America, the PGA TOUR and the USGA, it teaches golf alongside values like honesty and respect), PGA Jr. League (team golf in 9U, 13U and 17U divisions, coached by PGA of America professionals), U.S. Kids Golf, or the free Drive, Chip and Putt competition for ages 7–15, whose national finals are played at Augusta National the Sunday before the Masters. Competitive juniors move on to the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA). Our junior golf guide covers clubs that fit, first tournaments and recruiting.

High school

In 2024-25, 162,357 boys at 14,023 schools and 85,385 girls at 11,116 schools played high school golf, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Golf is the 8th most popular boys’ sport by participants. State associations run the seasons and championships, and play follows the Rules of Golf.

College

The NCAA holds men’s and women’s championships in Divisions I, II and III. Division I finals are stroke play and then match play: after four rounds of stroke play (with a cut after three), the top eight teams play a match-play bracket for the team title, and the 72-hole leader wins the individual title. In 2026 both Division I finals were played at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, California. The NAIA and the NJCAA (two-year colleges) also hold golf national championships. More on our leagues and associations page.

Pro tours and majors

The PGA TOUR played 35 official FedExCup events in 2026, its 20th FedExCup season, with eight Signature Events and three Playoff events (top 70, then 50, then 30 at the TOUR Championship). The LPGA Tour scheduled 33 events in 2026 with a record $132 million in prize money. The DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) sends the top 10 non-exempt players in its Race to Dubai to the PGA TOUR. LIV Golf, launched in 2022, moved to 72-hole events in 2026: 14 events, 13 teams and 57 players. Golfers 50 and older can play PGA TOUR Champions. The men’s majors are the Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open and The Open; the women’s game has five majors.

Olympic golf

Golf was in the Olympics in 1900 and 1904 and came back at Rio 2016, 112 years later, with 60 men and 60 women playing 72 holes of stroke play. At Los Angeles 2028, all golf is at Riviera Country Club, and a new mixed team event (16 teams of one man and one woman from the same country, 36 holes of four-ball and foursomes) joins the men’s and women’s individual events. The International Golf Federation (IGF) runs Olympic golf.

Adult and recreational

This is where most golfers live: weekend foursomes, nine holes after work, club leagues, senior groups, couples’ scrambles. NGF counted more than 8 million female golfers on course in 2025 and about 16,000 courses at 14,000 facilities across the US. A handicap lets you join competitions at any level, and walking a course is real exercise. A large review of 301 studies (Murray and colleagues, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2017) found that golf can provide moderate-intensity physical activity and is associated with better cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic profiles.

Sports health for golfers

Golf isn’t a contact sport, but it is a repetitive one. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) says more than half of all golfers are at risk of a musculoskeletal injury during their lifetime, and it cites injury rates of 73.5% in professional golfers and 56.6% in amateurs. Most of these injuries come from repetitive stress: the same swing, over and over, made worse by poor mechanics, weak muscles and limited flexibility. This section is general information, not medical advice. If you’re hurt, see a professional.

The most common golf injuries

• Low back pain: the most common golf injury, 34% of all golf injuries according to AAOS. A review of the research (Lindsay and Vandervoort, 2014) found low back pain made up 18–54% of golf ailments in different studies, and linked it to the forceful, one-sided swing, too much play and practice, swing flaws, poor trunk endurance, limited hip rotation and carrying the bag.
• Golfer’s elbow: pain on the inner side of the elbow (medial epicondylitis), the second most common golf injury in AAOS’s list.
• Wrist and hand: tendinitis, carpal tunnel symptoms, tenderness and numbness, often from hitting the ground hard or gripping too tight.
• Shoulder and knee pain: from rotation under load, especially in older golfers.
• Accidents: being hit by a ball or club, and golf cart crashes. The Murray review found head injuries rare but sometimes serious, and a study of US emergency room data estimated 156,040 golf-cart injuries from 2007 through 2017, with a higher rate of brain injuries in children than adults. AAOS says to keep your feet inside the cart.

Warm up: what the research says

Many golfers go from the car to the first tee. In a study of 522 female club golfers in Australia (Fradkin and colleagues, 2007), more than a third had a golf injury in the past year, the lower back was hurt most, and golfers who didn’t warm up regularly were much more likely to report an injury than those who did. It shows an association, not proof, but it fits AAOS’s advice: stretch your shoulders, back and legs, then hit balls on the range starting with wedges and working up to full swings. A small trial by the same group found a golf-specific warm-up also raised clubhead speed. Our golf injuries page goes deeper.

Sun, heat and lightning

• Sun: a round means hours outdoors. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher, reapplied every two hours and right after sweating. Add a hat and sunglasses, as AAOS also suggests.
• Heat and fluids: AAOS recommends staying hydrated with water or low-sugar sports drinks. On hot days, drink before you’re thirsty and plan a bottle for every few holes; our electrolyte powder guide compares options for long, sweaty rounds.
• Lightning: a golf course is a dangerous place in a storm. The Rules let any player stop play if they reasonably believe there’s danger from lightning. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s rule is “When thunder roars, go indoors,” and wait 30 minutes after the last thunder or lightning before going back out.

Concussion: recognize and remove

A golf ball or a swinging club can hit someone in the head, especially young kids near a practice swing. The CDC’s HEADS UP program says to watch for a player who seems dazed, confused or slow to react, or who complains of headache, dizziness, nausea, blurry vision or sensitivity to light or noise. Stop play, keep them out the rest of the day, and have a healthcare provider check them before they play again. Call 911 for danger signs such as a worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizures, unequal pupils or growing drowsiness.

When to see a doctor, physical therapist or athletic trainer

Don’t play through pain that changes your swing. See a professional for back pain that runs down a leg or doesn’t settle in a few days, elbow or wrist pain that keeps coming back, numbness or tingling in the hands, or any concussion signs. A sports medicine physician manages most sports injuries without surgery. A physical therapist can work on the mobility and strength behind many golf injuries, often with a PGA coach on the swing. Athletic trainers are licensed or regulated health care professionals in all 50 states; high school and college golfers can start there.

Training and conditioning for golf

Off-season and preseason: the swing is rotation, so build strength and endurance in the trunk, hips and upper back. AAOS suggests rowing with resistance tubing, pull-downs, yoga or Pilates for core strength, and wrist curls with light dumbbells, each a few times a week. The low back pain review adds hip flexibility and trunk endurance, and a check of your swing by a professional. Our resistance bands guide covers tools you can use at home. More on our golf training page.

In season: keep the strength work short, warm up before every round, and watch total volume. Long range sessions, back-to-back rounds and tournament weeks add up, especially for juniors in school and club golf at once. Many golfers track sleep and strain with a wearable (see Whoop vs Oura vs Garmin and HRV for athletes), and golf is a mental game more than most: mental training tools for athletes.

Tournament day: a round lasts four to five hours, so eat before and during. The sports-nutrition position statement from the American College of Sports Medicine and two dietitians’ groups recommends a pre-exercise meal high in carbohydrate, moderate in protein, low in fat and fiber, made of familiar foods, about 1–4 hours before. Pack snacks for the turn. See golf tournament day and nutrition and supplements.

Recovery after a round

Walking 18 holes plus a range session leaves backs, hips and feet tired, especially on a 36-hole day. Sleep comes first: the CDC, citing the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, recommends 9–12 hours a night for children 6–12, 8–10 for teens and 7 or more for adults. Then a real meal and fluids. Many golfers use a foam roller or massage gun on the hips, back and forearms, and slide into soft recovery shoes after a long walk. They’re comfort tools, not treatment. More on our golf recovery page.

Gear for golf

• Clubs: up to 14. Beginners need far fewer: a driver or hybrid, a few irons, a wedge and a putter. A fitting checks length, lie, loft and shaft so the club suits your body and swing.
• Ball: must conform to the Equipment Rules. Softer, cheaper balls suit most players; tour balls cost much more.
• Distance devices: rangefinders and GPS are allowed under the Rules unless a Local Rule bans them, but measuring elevation (slope) isn’t, so slope must be off in competition.
• A push cart: the low back pain review lists carrying the bag as a risk factor and suggests avoiding it. A push cart takes the load off your back while you still walk.

Three picks: the Bushnell Tour V6 Shift laser rangefinder, with slope you can switch off for tournament play, a magnetic cart mount and a 1,300-yard range (about $300 on Amazon in October 2026); the Bag Boy Nitron push cart, which opens in one step and has a magnetic plate for a rangefinder (about $250); and the Theragun Mini from our massage gun guide for tight hips and forearms after the round (about $220). Our golf gear page and best golf wearables go further.

Golf FAQs

What is the most common golf injury?

Low back pain. AAOS puts it at 34% of all golf injuries, followed by golfer’s elbow. Warming up, building trunk and hip strength, getting your swing checked and using a push cart instead of carrying the bag are common ways to lower the strain.

How many clubs can you carry in golf?

No more than 14. Starting or playing a round with more costs two penalty strokes per hole in stroke play, to a maximum of four, or a hole deducted per hole in match play, to a maximum of two.

How do you get a golf handicap?

Join a club or golf association that issues World Handicap System handicaps and post scores. After 54 holes (any mix of 9- and 18-hole rounds) you get a Handicap Index; once you have 20 scores, it’s based on the best 8. The maximum is 54.0.

Are rangefinders legal in golf?

Yes, under the Rules of Golf, unless the committee bans them with a Local Rule. You can measure distance and direction, but not elevation changes, so a rangefinder’s slope feature must be switched off in competition.

What should I do if there’s lightning on the course?

Stop and get to a safe building or a hard-topped vehicle. The Rules allow you to stop play for lightning, and the National Athletic Trainers’ Association recommends waiting 30 minutes after the last thunder or lightning before you go back out.

Is golf in the Olympics?

Yes. Golf returned at Rio 2016 after 112 years. At Los Angeles 2028 it’s at Riviera Country Club with 60 men, 60 women and a new mixed team event for 16 teams.

Golf is a game you can play for 70 years, and the golfers who last are the ones who warm up, protect their backs, cover up in the sun and walk off before the storm. Keep exploring: our recovery tools guide, Nutrition & Supplements for long rounds, the soccer guide if your junior plays both, and every other sport on our sports hub.