Golf is a traditional game that is generally played at both professional as well as amateur levels. There are golf championships such as the Masters, the Open Championship, the US Open and the PGA Championship that are held across the world. Golf is considered to be an elite game although its fans are steadily increasing.
Golf is played according to some preset rules and regulations. Professional golf's rules are determined by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) and the United States Golf Association (USGA). Golf is played on special courses that are designed for professional or amateur golfing. They generally have 9, 18 or 36 holes. The basic objective of the game is to hit a ball into the cup with the minimum number of strokes.
Although golf is one of the most preferred games, there are also several other games that are similar to golf or which just share the name. They are: golf (card game), golf solitaire, Kolven, farmers golf, miniature golf, Golf Trivia Hangman and others. There are online versions of these games available. These can be played online with other players, or they can be downloaded onto your PC and played offline or with the computer. There are free as well as paid versions of these games. Some games allow a few levels of free playing and charge for higher levels. Most free games are very basic games.
Some of the best online golf games are: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004, Hot Shots Golf Fore!, Links 2003, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003, Sid Meier's SimGolf, Outlaw Golf 2 and others. There are also free online games such as: NabiscoWorld / Candystand "Golf Course," NabiscoWorld / Candystand "Driving Range", NabiscoWorld Mini-Golf, Candystand Mini Golf, Skyworks 3D-Golf Desert, Mini Golf Open on Candystand, Disc Golf '03, and NabiscoWorld Mini Mini-Golf. These games need software on the PC, like Shockwave or Macromedia Flash.
