the Ryder Cup
/ðə ˌraɪdə ˈkʌp/
/ðə ˈraɪdər kʌp/
- a professional golf competition for men held every two years between a team of US players and a team of European players. From 1927, when it was first held, to 1977 it was played between US and British (or British and Irish) teams.
莱德杯（Ryder Cup）：每两年举行一次的美国男子职业高尔夫比赛。从1927年首次举办到1977年，比赛一直在美国和英国（或英国和爱尔兰）球队之间进行。 Culture golfgolfGolf was first developed in Scotland in the 15th century but is now played all round the world by both professional and amateur players.The aim of golf is to hit a small ball from a tee (= a flat area of grass) into a hole on a green (= an area of grass that is cut very short ), which may be up to 600 yards/550 metres away, using as few shots (= hits) as possible. Most golf courses consist of 18 holes. To make play more difficult they are often hilly and have various natural and man-made hazards such as lakes, bunkers (= shallow holes filled with sand), and rough, long grass or trees on either side of the fairway.Each player has their own ball and several different types of club (woods, irons and a putter) with which to hit it. The club chosen depends on the type of shot the player needs to make. In professional tournaments (= games) players have a caddie to carry the bag of clubs from one hole to the next and to advise them on their play. Players try to finish each hole in a given number of shots, which is known as par. If they use one shot less than par they score a birdie; if they use two shots less they score an eagle; if they use three shots under par they score an albatross. If they manage to get the ball into the hole in a single shot they can claim a hole-in-one. If they use a shot more than par they score a bogey. A handicap is an advantage given to weaker players which is expressed as a number related to the number of shots above par. Professional golfers have a handicap of zero. At the end of a round (= all 18 holes), the player with the lowest score is the winner. Professional matches may consist of several rounds. The result sometimes depends on the total number of shots players have taken (stroke play), or else on the number of individual holes each player has won (match play).Golf began as a sport of the upper classes and in Britain in the past it attracted mainly people in business and the professions. Now it is played by a wide range of people of all classes, and many more golf courses have been built. The game can still be quite expensive to play and membership of the most popular golf clubs may cost a lot of money. The most famous British clubs include the Royal and Ancient at St Andrews, where the first official rules of golf were agreed in 1754, Muirfield and Wentworth. Golf may have been taken to America by people from Scotland in the 17th century, but the first permanent club was not established there until 1888, in Yonkers, New York.There are four important international competitions for professional golfers, known as the majors. They are the British Open, and three held in the US: the Masters Tournament is always held at Augusta, Georgia, the US Open and the US PGA Championship. US and European teams also compete every two years in the Ryder Cup. The major US competitions for women include the US Women's Open and the LPGA Women's Championship. Amateur events include the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup. Television has helped to increase the popularity of the game.As well as golf courses, there are also many driving ranges where people can practise hitting golf balls over long distances, particularly practising their swing (= way of hitting the ball). Many people who do not play golf enjoy a game of crazy golf (NAmE miniature golf) in a local park. The idea is to hit a golf ball round a small grass and concrete course, through tunnels, over bridges, round small pools, etc. Others enjoy putting, a form of golf on a small grass course.