HISTORY OF GOLF

HISTORY OF GOLF

In the winter of 1297, a small Dutch town called Loenen aan de Vecht may have witnessed golf like game. Players hit a leather ball with a stick into a target several hundred yards away and the one to manage it in the least number of strokes was declared the winner. A similar game is also said to have been played in continental Europe in the 17^th century. It is generally accepted, however, that the modern game of golf is a Scottish invention. Scotland’s Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, established in 1754, is among the oldest and most prestigious golf clubs in the world and something of a pilgrimage for golfing enthusiasts.

A tolerable day, a tolerable green, a tolerable opponent –they supply, or ought to supply, all that any reasonably constituted human should require in the way of entertainment. Arthur James, First Earl of Blfour (1848-1930)

The word golf, or golf in Scots, is said to be corruption of the Dutch “Kolf” or “colve” meaning stick, club or bat.

A spokesperson for the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews: Stick and ball games have been centuries, but golf as we know it today, played over 18 holes, clearly originated in Scotland.

Interestingly, the earliest records of the game in Scotland do not suggest that the game had a welcoming reception. 

Through an Act of the Scottish Parliament in 1457, King James II prohibited the playing of the games of golf and football, citing them as distractions from archery –the practice of which was necessary for military purposes. In the 1560s, Mary, Queen of Scots, was accused by her political enemies of playing golf, a “sport clearly unsuitable to women”. But slowly, acceptance for the sport grew. In 1603, the Prince of Wales and his courtiers played golf at Blackheath, London. By the 19^th century, the game’s popularity was growing exponentially. In 1880, England had 12 courses: by 1887, it had 50 and over 1000 by 1914.

Golf was taken by British colonisers to their colonies, from India to the United States of America. The Royal Calcutta Golf Club (1829) and a club at Pau (1856) in south west France are the oldest golf clubs outside the British Isles.

Despite its popularity, golf has retained an aura of exclusivity. It is a gentleman’s game, perhaps unlike any other, for its inherent sportsmanship. Players are known to frequently call penalties on themselves. All-time greats like Bobby Jones and Greg Norman have sacrificed huge tournament victories by penalizing themselves when no cameras or officials were watching. Bobby Jones famously said, “When you cheat in golf, the only person you are cheating is yourself”.