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 17th 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 19th
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”.
