Golf is a game older than the hills with more words devoted to it over the years than most others. This naturally translates to a ton of websites in this modern era, so we thought we'd do you a favour and sort the wheat from the chaff and show you the most essential golfing websites.

Sites are:

• not in order of preference
• picked by me, not by payment or link exchange
  
• useful to the internet golfer in some way
  

Top Golf Sites

1. Stracka.com - this is a magnificent site, social networking for golfers and a lot more. Its blog is regularly updated by all round good egg Dutch Schaefer, you can post your scores, meet up with other players in your area and even play games on the site. My only wish is I'd thought of the damn thing first.

2. Golf.com - simple, obvious but also authoritative. This should be one of the first places you check for your golf news. Golfer drops tea-cup in Chelmsford? It'll be in the news archive before you can switch your router on.

3.  In Golf We Trust - somewhat of a rarity - a modern, stylish golf site. Big on image galleries, tabloid sensibilities and attention grabbing posts. The video section is excellent, you could get lost there if you're not careful.

4. Golf Punk Online - bunker babes, low-brow blogs and games abound. This is a great light hearted companion site to the magazine. The way things are going in print, it will out last the mag.

5. ESPN Golf - massive site, so predictably up-to-date news, high quality videos and exhaustive stats. Should be one of your first ports of call.

6. The Golf Channel - another obvious pick, but the videos for instruction are some of the best around. The "What's In The Bag?" section is also excellent - see what the professionals play with (golf clubs, dummy).

7. Golf Today - companion site for the excellent magazine. This site has such an expansive archive, if you can't find it here, it probably has nothing to do with golf.

8. Golf Monthly - one of the top golf magazines about. Features a comprehensive UK course directory too.

9. Bad Golfer - jokes, videos, humour. Just what you need after snapping your putter in frustration.

10. Golf on About.com - predictably exhaustive list of free golf tips, equipment reviews etc. This is the very definition of an authority site.

11. Golf.Alltop.com - all the top golf news on one page.

12. PGA.com - "the official online destination for the Professional Golfers' Association of America." Enough said, really. If you're looking for a quote. you get it from here.

Useful Golf Sites

13. The Sandtrap -  over-zealous moderators aside, this is simply the best golf forum on the 'net. Want to talk golf? Go here.

14. My Golf Buddy - find golfers in your area, track your handicap etc.

15. Golf Price Comparison - compare prices on golf goods by Today's Golfer. Could prove very useful when buying new equipment.

16. Better Golf Articles - looking for inspiration or just a good read? You might be here some time, there's a lot going on.

17. Digg / Golf - sure, there are a lot of SEO spammers who take over Digg, but how are you going to find new ones if you don't look?

18. Golf Fitness - golf might not be the most taxing of games on the body, but it's no coincidence the best players are the fittest players. Just look at Tiger Woods. This site is dedicated to golf fitness.

19. MyGolfDir - useful directory of golf sites - if you're feeling this list isn't long enough!

20. oobgolf - another excellent score tracking / social networking golf site.

21. Astonishing but true golf facts

Golf Blogs

22. Iain Carter's Blog - BBC reporter who regularly blogs about golf. High quality articles, often designed to stir up interaction from the limitless audience the BBC has. The only complaint here is it's not updated often enough!

23. Average Golfer - strapline reads "Innovative Golf Forum. Stinging Wit Required." Well I'm not sure about that, but you'll enjoy the style of writing in this blog. Golf news is often covered from a different angle to others, and that's the essence of good blogging to me. If I want news, I can go to the BBC - I came for the opinions.

24. Armchair Golfer - some great interviews here, including Paula Creamer and Kristie Kerr. I wasn't the first and I won't be the last to have nabbed a story idea from Armchair Golfer (I know, I know).

25. Golf Chick - *gasp* a woman playing golf, nay not a woman, but a chick! Ok now that's out of the way, this is another journal type blog, often giving course reviews and updates on Golf Chick's progress.

26.  Grouchy Golf Blog - the name conjured up images of a misanthropic misfit in my mind, sadly for me, and perhaps fortunately for you, that's not the case. Grouchy's stories have some effort put into them, and I appreciate that.

27. Geoff Shackleford.com - a bitesize blog, regularly updated with a light tone and lot of quotes. Great blog for the ADD generation.

28. Great Golf Green Fee Deals - terrible name, good blog. A passionate golfer who blogs a lot about the technical aspects of the game.

29. Orlando Golf Blogger - no, I've never been to Orlando but this is still a great, fun blog about general golf stuff.

30. Golf Girl's Diary - further proof it's not just old men in slacks that play the great game. "I'd rather regret things I've done than things I've failed to do. That said, my adventurous nature has gotten me in trouble on a number of occasions. Real trouble."

31. IntoTheRough - well we couldn't let this one slip now could we? Our sister blog aims for snappy articles and more contentious opinion that we can't express here. Oh and we hate Boo Weekley.

32. The Golfer's Wife - a look from the other side of the fence? What it's like to be married to a golfer.

33. The Waggle Room - one of the top golf blogs, very professional and some insightful opinions here.

34. Eagle Par Birdie - top golf blog with emphasis on gear and course reviews. Always kept up to date.

35. Golf Babes - I don't need to spell this one out to you. Does exactly what it says on the tin.

36. My Golf Spy - the premise here is insider information on tour equipment, leave your cynicism at the door and enjoy this fun site.

37. Golf for Beginners - blog with weekly podcasts and the emphasis on beginners and improving your game.

Golf Tips

38. Why does my ball do that? - excellent article from the BBC on why you slice, push, pull and the rest.

39.  PGA Professional - more free tips than you can shake a stick at.

40. The Rules of Golf - well you're not going to get far if you don't know how to play, are you?

41. Golf Tips magazine - massive collection of free golf tips with many helpful videos.

42. How well should you play? - a great article about the handicap system.

43. The physics of a golf ball - look, if you're going to whack this thing around, at least understand some of the principles behind it.

44. The history of golf - don't know your Tom Morris from your Tom Jones? Swat up.

Golf Equipment

45. Golf Gear News - equipment news and podcasts you won't find anywhere else.

46. Hireko Golf Blog - blog with emphasis on golf equipment, including tips on buying new clubs including calculating loft, swing height and more.

47. Gearhead - am in-depth golf equipment blog with enough facts and figures to make your head spin, and your wallet choke.

48. PutterZone - blog dedicated exlusively to equipment reviews.

49. PGA.info -  game improvement section is excellent with articles on long putters, club fitting and even counterfeit clubs.

50. GolfALot.com - equipment section is always updated with reviews of latest gear.

Have we missed out your favourite golf site? Or perhaps your own personal site isn't getting enough love? Use the contact form below and let us know.

• Delicious
• Digg
• reddit
• Facebook
• StumbleUpon