Roughly 60 million people worldwide play golf, making it one of the most widely played sports in the world. At its most basic level, it is a game in which a player, using a club, tries to hit a small, round ball into a small, round hole in as few shots as possible.

With players standing side-on to the target, play begins with a shot struck from the teeing ground using one of up to 14 clubs, selected according to the distance the player wishes to hit the ball.

There are a number of different formats of play ranging from Match Play, where one or two players compete against another one or two opponents, through to Stroke Play, in which the competitive field is limited only by the number of hours in the day. There are, of course, many other enjoyable competitive formats which are used the world over.   

It is one of only a few sports which is not played on a standardised playing surface; one of few sports where a 59-year-old can continue to compete on an equal footing with players less than half their age; and, thanks to a handicapping system, one of few sports where players of varying abilities can compete evenly against each other.

If you have a driving range nearby, they will often have clubs available for you to borrow, so why not have a go?