Can you switch balls before each stroke, or only before each hole?can l drive with one ball then replace it to chip? what is an albatross? is my handicap,my averagescoreat my local course? Are there any other things l might not know considering l dont know this stuff? Thanks

Only after the hole is completed. You may not switch balls in between strokes on the same hole.

If you're in the LPGA, then u can not even touch ur ball after each stroke, with the exception of when u r on the green. Then u have to mark ur ball, clean it off (or whatever it is u want to do to it), then replace it exactly where u picked it up. Touching ur ball on the fairway, is call for a penalty stroke. However, if you're not on tour with the LPGA, it would be good golf etiquette to ask ur playing partners, if u can touch/pick up ur ball during play. If you're among friends, it really does not matter, as long as you're not playing for money.

You must hole out with the ball you teed off with. You can only change balls if you ball was significantly damaged during normal play.

Not sure about an albatross.

There is a calculated for your handicap that is based on the best 10 scores out of your last 20 rounds. The average will not give you a true handicap, but you will be in the ballpark.

Yes, there are a couple of other thing you will need to know...

You can only change balls between holes, or if ur current ball is damaged (which is pretty rare nowadays, but still does happen once in a great while). If u change ur ball for any other reason, it is a penalty.

An albatross is getting the ball in the hole 3 strokes less than par.

Your handicap is calculated by some ungodly formula that l can not come close to explaining, but it is not an average. Playing better on average will lower ur handicap though.

There r probably tons of things u do not know about golf. People who have been playing for years do not know a lot of things. l have not yet heard a single person who is able to explain the handicap system completely.

u have to have a reason to replace the ball
they can be
-you messed the ball up real bad (like maybe from a hardcore drive)
-it was lost
you cant just up & replace it, reason being that u could hit a 2 piece super-distance ball for a drive, then change to a 3-piece soft ball for chipping & putting

an albatross is a hole in 2 on a par 5 (or three under)
birdie-1 under
eagle-2 under
double eagle/albatross-3 under (thats for people who reach par 5s in 2, & they get lucky & sink in that 2nd shot)
condor-hole in 1 on a par 5 (possible because there r some par 5s that r shaped like a ''U'' & if u can just hit straight across as opposed to around the curve, u can reach the green in 1

your handicap is the number over par u usually hit, if u hit 90 a lot, ur handicap is 18

an official handicap is a USGA handicap index, u have to use clubs on their ''approved'' list (no illegal drivers that launch it super far & no wedges that make the ball spin back like insanely crazy) & play 5 rounds, then u turn in ur 5 score cards to the USGA & they give u ur handicap index using some complicated formula


EXTRA INFO u may not know

scratch golfers r golfers who dont have a handicap because they score 72 or under most of the time

if u dont have a handicap index but ur playing with some friends who r consistantly 90-95 & u hit 80-85 u might give them a handicap of 10, (sometimes called ''giving strokes'') so that u can compete better & have more fun, & that handicap means u subtract 10 strokes from ur friends score

Some balls r better for Long drives from the tee, others for spinning chip shots, others r better for Putting.
You have to choose which ball u will play the next hole with without changing it.

Par is what the golf course sets for shots for the hole
Birdie is one under par
Eagle is 2 under par
Albatross is 3 under

Handicap is worked out by ur local course, but u use it at all other courses u go to

Also, remember that Golf is a game, & as such, Have Fun !!!

Dear girl; You have asked too many questions which leads me to believe you are a novice. So get yourself a copy of the Rules of Golf, issued by the USGA, read the book thoroughly and it will explain Etiquette, then tell you all about the golf ball, what you can or can not do, the penalty for doing what you can not do, etc.You will only learn by reading and doing.

Officially, only after the hole is completed. My dad likes to putt with a specific ball, which is officially illegal, but really, who cares when you're shooting close to 100? l say do what you want. :)