Golf is a renowned sport across the world. Although golf's popularity is the highest in the United States, this club-and-ball sport is favored in many other countries as well. The golf we know today consists of various clubs players use to hit small balls into a series of holes on a specific course.
The goal is to get the ball into the hole with as few strokes as possible. The most common course is arranged with 18-hole progression. However, have you ever stopped to wonder where and when golf was invented? Worry not, because we've prepared a short history of golf to help you get more informed. Let's get to it, shall we?
Golf – as we know it today – originated in 15th century Scotland. However, the game itself was first recorded even further back during the Scottish High Middle Ages from 900AD to approximately 1268. Still, historians argue that the game is even older than that.
Some historians believe golf originated from the Roman game called "Paganica", where participants were hitting a leather stuffed ball with a stick. Other historians claim that golf originated in Ancient China from the Chinese game of Chiuwan (“Chiu” meaning club and “wan” meaning small ball) that was played from around the 8th to the 14th century.
Since historians cannot agree on the true origin of golf, they did agree that the modern game of golf was, indeed, developed in Scotland. A fun fact is that the Scottish king James II banned the game in 1457 because it was, as he claimed "an unwelcome distraction to learning archery". It wasn't until 1502 when Scottish king James IV lifted the ban and became a golfer himself.
The Scots were the first to really establish golf as a sport and set rules and guidelines for the game. They are also the first to establish an 18-hole course. As a matter of fact, The Old Links at Musselburgh Racecourse is believed to be the oldest golf course in the world.
The Scots pride themselves as the founders of golf and Scotland is oftentimes referred to as the "Home of Golf". One of the earliest recorded references to golf in Scotland is James IV purchasing a set of golf clubs from a bowmaker of St. Johnston back in 1502. Since then, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (R&A) was the world governing body for the game aside from the U.S. and Mexico.
It is believed that golf started to spread outside Scotland back when James VI succeeded to the thrones of England and Ireland during the Union of the Crowns back in 1602. Golf appeared in North America when the first shipment of 96 golf clubs and 432 golf balls was sent from the port of Leith in Edinburgh to Charleston, South Carolina in 1743.
On September 29th, 1786 Scottish merchants established the South Carolina Golf Club in Charleston, which was the very first golf club in the United States. The United States Golf Association (USGA) was established in 1894 to help regulate the game in the U.S. By the year 1900, there were over a 1000 golf clubs all over the United States. Today, the USA is the country with the largest number of golf courses in the world with 15,372 courses that make up 45% of the world's golf courses. They are followed by Japan with only 2,383 golf courses.
Photo by Taryn Elliott from Pexels
Nowadays, golf is one of the most popular sports in the world. Various professional golf tours and championships for both men and women are held all over the world. Golf even made its way back into the Olympic Games back in 2016, after a 112-year absence from the event. The game itself hasn't changed much since the 15th century.
However, the most drastic changes can be seen in the golf equipment. From wooden clubs that were all about the looks to modern-day clubs that utilize state-of-the-art engineering from the aerospace industry, development of golf equipment has become a true art form. Today, every professional golfer has equipment tailored to their specific skills and needs.
Golf has evolved over the centuries and it became widely popular all over the world. What's interesting is that golf not only grows in popularity but it also continues to change with the help of modern technology and latest engineering advancements. Nowadays, more and more individuals are striving to become professional golfers, as this profession yields fame and fortune to those with talent and skill.
Also to know, since the weather doesn’t always make golfing outside the option, you can also check all of the options for indoor golf events NYC has to offer.
Here, you and your whole family can enjoy playing golf and practicing your swings even when the weather outside is far from favorable.
