History Of Golf

History of Golf

The history of golf can be traced back to the Romans, but the game played today originated in Scotland in the 12th century. The game began with a tee off on a clear spot of ground and the player would stroke it towards 6 or more holes. After a while courses were designed for the game with a series of holes and players used a variety of clubs. The rolling hills of Scotland are called links, which is where we get this name for the golf courses of today. These hills had natural hazards, such as stands of trees, rivers and sandy areas.

By the 15th century, the Scottish parliament banned the game of golf because they deemed it a threat to archery, which was needed for training soldiers. However, the ban did not really have any influence as the Scottish players still continued to play. By the end of the 1400’s, the ban was lifted and the king, James 1V, actually started playing himself. Mary Queen of Scots is believed to be the first woman to ever play this game. It was during her reign as Queen that the course of St. Andrews was developed. This is the most famous golf course in the world.

Although a golf course today usually has 18 holes, this was not always the case in the history of the game. The first course at St. Andrews had 11 holes from the clubhouse to the end of the course. Players then played back to the clubhouse making the game one of 22 holes. In the 1700’s it was decided to combine some of the shorter holes and the course was reduced from 11 to 9 holes, making it an 18-hole course.

There have been developments in the types of clubs used in golf. The first clubs were wooden sticks, but metal shafts were designed in the 1930’s with the heads still made of wood. The 1970’s saw the introduction of shafts made of titanium and steel and today most shafts are made of graphite. Tees were also made of wood, but today plastic is the material of choice. Balls, too, have improved over the years, with the introduction of rubber. Better lawn mowers and techniques have also improved the quality of the courses making them into beautiful landscapes.