The player starts playing every hole from the teeing ground and after the first shot the ball must be played from where it has fallen. If the ball gets lost it must be replayed from the spot where the original ball was played. In this instance one penalty stroke is added to the player's score.

The course (18 holes) is meant to be played with a minimim of shots and the player with the smallest number of shots is the winner.

The purpose of golf is to play the golf ball into a hole placed 100-550 metres away using as few shots as possible. A golf course usually consists of 18 holes.

The fairway is the cut area between the tee and the hole. The long grass bordering the fairway is known as the rough, where it is difficult to play the ball. The smooth stretch of grass at the end of a fairway containing the hole is called the green. It is specially prepared for putting.

In addition to the natural obstacles (trees, bushes) there are also artificial obstacles (ponds, bunkers) on the course.

Par is the amount of shots it should take to get the ball down the hole. The value of the par varies from three to five depending on the length of the hole.