A Brief History of Golf

The game of golf is now big business, evidenced by the fact that its number one player Tiger Woods is expected to become a dollar billionaire by 2010, according to Forbes. However, the slick professional game has come a long way since its origins in the sand dunes of 15th century Scotland.

Although the true origins of golf are unclear, both the Dutch and the Scots lay claim to inventing the game and China can also point to evidence that a game similar to golf was first played there in the 11th century. But, although games using a stick and various projectiles were certainly played around those times and in those countries the vital difference between them and modern golf is that the object was not to play the projectile into a hole or series of holes. This concept was introduced in 15th century Scotland and is well documented, meaning that modern day golf can be traced back to the east coast region of Fife.

The Scots have always been passionate about their sport. Indeed, golf and football were such popular pursuits in 15th century Scotland that when facing the threat of invasion from the English in 1457, Scottish ruler James II was forced to ban both sports. The King implored young Scots to instead concentrate on traditional and vital military pursuits such as archery. However, despite the Royal decree many Scots merely ignored the ban and carried on playing, such was their love for the fledgling sports.

Significant milestones in the history of golf include the adoption of the word 'caddie' to describe a person carrying a player's clubs. That was introduced in the 16th Century by French-born Mary Queen of Scots, who enlisted the use of French military 'cadets' when enjoying her regular round of golf.

The 18-hole stroke play game, the standard that still applies today, was first played at the 'home of golf' in St. Andrews in 1764. Of course, in those days there was no opportunity to pop down to the local golf shop to buy equipment; everything was handmade including the first golf balls which were feather-filled, stitched horse-hide, while golf clubs were whittled from beech or apple trees. Hickory shafts and iron club heads became popular during the mid-19th century when they were first mass-produced, bringing the cost of playing the sport down, and making it more accessible.

The 20th century saw a massive explosion in popularity of the sport as regular TV transmission of major tournaments prompted millions of people to take up the game. In the last 30 years prize money for the sport has grown exponentially and the status applied to top players, like Woods is almost god-like.

The game has certainly come a long way since its start on the 15th Century wind-swept dunes of East Scotland.

Victoria Cochrane writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Carrie GPS
Buy Canon SD1100
DVD Blue Ray Movie