One of the best things about golf is that it's the only sport in the world where you can really compare your results to the world's best players. You can duplicate or even better a shot made by Tiger Woods on the same holes as he played, on the same golf course. There are more than 15,000 golf courses in USA and thousands more across the world. Nevertheless, it must be pointed out that golf is not a cheap sport to practice. Complete golf equipment costs around $1000, and that's if you are getting regular models from the top brands. Of course, Pros spend about $10000 just for a full set of golf clubs. Then you have to pay for the golf course. Stats show that the average cost for a round of golf in the US is $36.
Basically, all you need to start playing golf is a set of golf clubs - three woods, collection of 3-9-irons, pitching wedge, sand wedge and a putter. As you develop your skills, you can buy additional clubs for more advanced shots. But remember, you can't carry more than 14 clubs in your bag at a time.
If you don't have any partners to play golf with, don't despair, there are a number of ways that you can find other golfers. Contact your local golf course and check if they can get you involved in any type of activity. A lot of associations are looking for new players. Group lessons are also an option, just check http://www.playgolfamerica.com for more info.
In golf, there are two basic formats of play - Stroke and Match Play. The Stroke Play is a type of competition based on the cumulative number of strokes taken, over one round or several rounds. Most professional tournaments are stroke-play events. In Match Play, golfers compete hole by hole, the player with most holes won, wins the match. The Ryder Cup is an example of Match Play. The United States Golf Association is responsible for maintaining the rules of the game. The rules of golf can be viewed at http://www.usga.org/playing/rules/rules.html.