Golfers have their own terminology for everything golf related, including their description of what keeps them coming back for more. You can get hooked on any sport or game, but in golf you “catch the bug.”

On the course, you don’t just hit five shots, but five “strokes.” You don’t sink a putt; you put it “into the clown’s mouth.” And, dependent upon the number of strokes it is “supposed” to take to get the little ball into the little hole, you can score a “birdie,” “bogey,” “eagle,” “albatross” or, much worse, a “snowman.”

For those who haven’t played, golf can appear to be slow game of minute details and more technical jargon than a medical dictionary. It doesn’t have the flash of a no-look pass, a jarring tackle or a home run. But most golfers can remember when they first began to try their hand at the game and, for some reason, they never stopped.

At some point, while hitting a bucket of balls on the driving range (usually after “shanking” several dozen of them in frustration), you hit that one perfect shot. You stand staring, wondering how you hit that little ball that far or that straight. Then, you’ve got to do it again. You’ve got to do it better. And, you’ve got to do it more often.

“It’s that one shot that you hit really well, and you’re hooked,” Trysting Tree Golf Course teaching pro Sean Arey said. “You’ll have one or two shots out of a bucket of balls. That feeling is indescribable for the new golfer.”

You may not have intended to spend significant portions of the rest of your life trying to mimic that one moment. But it’s too late. You’ve got the bug.

“After more than 35 years of playing I’m still learning the game of golf,” Arey said. “Golfers are never satisfied. If you look at Tiger Woods, the best player in the game, he’s still trying to get better. It’s that 18 handicap player that wants to break 80 or a scratch golfer wants to set a course record.”

Getting started

Tiger Woods revitalized the sport of golf in 1997 with an occasional shout and fist-pump after sinking key putts for tournament wins and a boat-load of money. He made people realize that it was OK to be expressive on the golf course. Since then, shouts of “You da man!” have yet to be silenced during friendly amateur games and professional tournaments alike.

Golf was no longer just a game for stoic, plaid pants-wearing businessmen. Courses were flooded with beginners, although the game maintained its traditions, rules and etiquette.

Although Woods drew a surge of new players to the game, he also made it look easy. Suddenly everyone wanted to go out to a course, take out a driver (the big club) and whack that little, dimpled ball out of the atmosphere. But, Arey said, you have to build upon the basics before you grip that big driver.

“It’s about a year-long process to really grasp before going out onto a course without feeling like you’re impeding people’s game,” Arey said. “The best way to do it is to go to a course with a good practice facility … a putting green, chipping green and driving range.

“You don’t have to buy clubs yet. You can rent a putter or a few clubs, test it out and see if it’s something you want to try.”

Golf pros have their own ideas about what works, but what is common among them is establishing fundamentals.

“The most important thing is hitting golf balls; it’s not the instruction or the equipment,” Golf Club of Oregon teaching pro Don Koon said. “Find a good place. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a driving range. Just take a club, like a 7-iron, and learn how to make contact.”

If you decide you want to learn the game, it takes about three lessons to get a good start, said Spring Hill Country Club teaching pro Bill Raschko said. He teaches the basic swing, putting and chipping first.

Equipment vs. lessons

A new set of golf clubs, not to mention shoes, balls and course fees, can set you back a pretty penny. As a new golfer, you may walk into a pro shop and gasp at the

prices that people are willing to sink — up to a few thousand dollars — for the promise of improving their game a stroke or two.

But, it’s not all about the clubs.

“A lot of us would like to buy ourselves a golf game,” Arey said. “You can get a new set of clubs for $250 or less … Those who start it right have better success in the long term. I have more success with people who have no experience than those who just picked it up and played for three to five years, because I have to re-establish new fundamentals for them.”

What is important with clubs is not their expense, but their fit.

“You don’t go to a shoe store and get a size 12 for a size 8 foot,” Arey said. “You want to get into the right equipment to learn from first. You need the right size and shaft flex for the speed of your swing.”

When starting out, you don’t need a full set of 14 clubs, either. Most of your scoring will be done with a putter, wedge and driver.

Koon recommends a half-set of clubs when you’re ready to buy some that fit properly. A putter, three wood, pitching wedge and the odd or even irons — 5,7,9 or 4,6,8 — are a good start.

“You can start with a smaller set,” Arey said. “I usually recommend that women start with eight or nine clubs … A 3-wood, fairway wood, 4, 6 and 9-irons, sand wedge and putter. For men, a 5-iron through pitching wedge, a sand wedge and 3-wood are usually fine.”

Neither Koon nor Arey recommend starting with a driver, because it is the hardest club to use.

Learning the basics can be made a lot easier with a knowledgeable instructor. And, you don’t have to break the bank on individual instruction. Group classes through the Albany and Corvallis parks and recreation departments are available for $65 per person for five lessons.

It’s often said that golf is a psychological game. But, Arey said, kids tend to be the easiest to teach because they learn by imitation, rather than over-analyzing the swing.

“As adults, we can learn something from kids when trying to learn golf,” Arey said.

Although the game isn’t easy to master, improvement is your measuring stick. The key to learning the game is to relax and enjoy yourself. It’s not as frustrating as it looks.

“It’s an easier game than people think, and it doesn’t take $1,000 clubs,” Koon said. “Don’t try to make too much out of it. Just get out there and hit.”

GETTING TO KNOW THE GAME

GOLF TERMS

Par: the standard number of strokes in which a scratch player would be expected to complete a hole or course

Birdie: A score of one under (less than) par for a hole.

Eagle: A score of two under (less than) par for a hole. (A hole-in-one on a par three hole is also an eagle).

Hole-in-one: A score of 1 on any hole, meaning your tee shot went in the hole; aka an “ace.”

Double eagle: A score of three under (less than) par for a hole; aka an “albatross.”

Bogey: A score of one over (more than) par for a hole.

Double bogey: A score of two over (more than) par for a hole.

Triple bogey: A score of three over (more than) par for a hole.

Snowman: A score of 8 on any hole.

Quadruple bogey: Stop counting, it’s getting ridiculous.

Hole: A 4¼-inch hole in the ground into which the ball is to be played. A “pin” or flagpole marks the location of the hole within the “green.” Also the name of the entire playing area from “tee” to “green.”

Tee: A wooden device used to prop your ball above the ground (only allowed in the “tee box”).

Tee box: The area from which you “tee up” your ball and hit the first shot of every “hole.”

Green: The closely mowed grass where the “hole” is located. While on the green, you will be “putting” into the hole. Aka Putting green, dance floor.

Fairway: The closely mown area between the “tee” and “green.”

Rough: Longer grass or rough surface adjacent to the “fairway” or “green” that, usually, makes it more difficult to hit the ball.

Bunker: A depression in the ground filled with sand; aka sand trap.

Hazard: Anything that prevents you from getting to the hole easily, as in a water hazard or a “bunker” hazard. There is usually some kind of penalty for being in a hazard, from adding strokes to your score to having a more difficult next shot.

READING

“Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings From A Lifetime of Golf,” by Harvey Penick, 1999, Simon and Schuster Adult Publishing Group. The legendary teaching pro breaks down the technical aspects of golf into easy-to-understand lessons that involve buckets of water and phrases like “take dead aim.”

“A Good Walk Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour,” by John Feinstein, 2005, Grand Central Publishing. An engaging read, even for the nongolfer, which dumps the reader into the emotional turmoil that is professional golf.

“Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf,” by Ben Hogan, 1990, Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group. Learn a basic, repeatable swing through Hogan’s manual, originally written as a series of articles for Sports Illustrated in the 1950s. For the reader who enjoys a slightly more technical read.

“David Leadbetter 100% Golf: Unlocking Your True Golf Potential,” by David Leadbetter, 2004, Collins. Not as basic as Penick’s Little Red Book and not as technical as Hogan’s Five Lessons, but it’s just right for most beginners. Leadbetter starts with the correct grip and works up to making key shots.

EQUIPMENT

Clubs: A standard beginner set comes with a putter, odd-numbered irons (3, 5, 7, 9), a pitching wedge, sand wedge and three woods (driver, 3-wood, 5-wood). As you improve, you’ll need other clubs for various distances.

Balls: Those little, normally white, dimpled things that you hit with clubs.

Tees: Normally wooden stakes upon which your ball rests. Only used on the tee box. They can sometimes be made of plastic, but those are far too nontraditional for most golfers.

Glove: Golfers wear only one glove. Beginners tend to have an incorrect or overly tight grip, which can give you blisters. Worn on your left hand if you’re right-handed.

Spiked shoes: Many clubs no longer allow metal spikes in shoes, as they tend to damage greens. The alternative are “soft spikes,” plastic screw-in plugs with little grippers, rather than pointy spikes.

Scorecard and little pencil: The scorecard has a map of the course and lists the par and distance of each hole; and they’re free!

WATCH THE PROS FOR CHARITY

The Nationwide Tour is coming to Junction City on Sept. 15 to 21. The Oregon Classic, sponsored by Kendall Auto Group, will be held at Shadow Hills Country Club.

The Nationwide Tour is the PGA Tour’s little sibling. You won’t see Tiger Woods there, but you will see good golfers trying to make it to the big PGA Tour.

“It’s the developmental tour for the PGA Tour that identifies the tournament stars of tomorrow,” tournament organizer Chris Hoff said.

They aren’t playing for chicken scratch, either. The winner’s share of a $500,000 purse is $90,000.

If you’re new to the game and interested in seeing how a professionals work their way around a golf course, check out the tournament.

Another way to view the tournament and behind-the-scenes happenings is to volunteer. For $38, volunteers receive a Nike polo shirt, hat, free admission, one additional ticket for a friend or family member, and free food and drinks while you work.

Volunteers also get a discount on Nike Golf products, a handy bonus if you’re just starting out and need to get equipped.

The entire purchase price of your ticket will be donated to a local charity of your choosing. Ticket prices start at $25 for the entire week.

For ticket or volunteer information: www.oregonclassic.com or call 1-541-242-0677.

MID-VALLEY GOLF COURSES

Corvallis Country Club: 1850 S.W. Whiteside Drive, Corvallis; 18 holes; private, paid membership; 752-3471; http://corvalliscc.americangolf.com/.

Diamond Woods Golf Course: 96040 Territorial Road, Monroe; 18 holes; public; weekends, $40 for 18 holes/$22 for nine holes; weekdays, $34/$19; 998-9707; http://www.diamondwoods.com.

Golf City Par Three: 2115 N.E. Highway 20, Corvallis; 9 holes; public; all days, $14/$7; 753-6213; http://www.oregongolf.com/golf_city/.

Golf Club of Oregon: 905 Spring Hill Drive N.W., Albany; 18 holes; public; all days, $30/$18; 928-8338; http://www.thegolfcourses.net/golfcourses/OR/13317.htm.

Mallard Creek Golf Course: 31966 Bellinger Scale Road, Lebanon; 18 holes; public; Friday through Sunday, $47/$25, Monday through Thursday, $40/$22; 259-4653; http://www.mallardcreekgc.com.

Marysville Golf Course: 2020 S.W. Allen St., Corvallis; 9 holes; public; Tuesday through Sunday, $25/$17; Monday, $23/$15; 753-3421; http://www.golflink.com/Golf-Courses/course.asp?course=926645.

Pineway Golf Course: 30949 Pineway Road, Lebanon; 9 holes; public; all days, $25/$15; 258-8815; http://www.thegolfcourses.net/golfcourses/OR/8243.htm.

Spring Hill Country Club: 155 Country Club Lane N.W., Albany; 18 holes; private; paid membership; 928-5454; http://www.springhillcc.com/.

Trysting Tree Golf Course: 34028 Electric Road, Corvallis; 18 holes; public; all days, $37/$20, all days, $37/$20; 752-3332. Web site: http://www.trystingtree. com/.