Golf

The Early History of Golf

Golf is a precision sport where golfers (competing players) use different types of clubs to hit balls into holes on golf courses. The golfer with the fewest strokes wins the game – this is called stroke play. In some cases, the golfer with the lowest score on individual holes in a complete round (by a team or an individual) wins – this is called match play. The game is among the few ball games where a standardized playing area is not required. The game is played on a golf course. Each golf course has unique design but most of them have 9 to 18 holes.

The game is however governed by a set of rules. The rules of the sport are international standardized and are jointly governed by The R&A which is a merger of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews rules and the United States Golf Association (USGA) rules. The underlying principle of these rules is fairness – this is even stated in the cover of the official rule book. There are strict regulations with regard to the amateur status of golfers. Anyone who has ever received payment or given instruction is not considered to be an armature. There is golf etiquette that has to be followed.

This is basically guidelines that cover the matters of fairness, pace of play, safety, and the players’ obligation to contribute to the caring for the course. There are no penalties for failing to live by these rules, but few golfers flaunt them. The only time penalties are incurred is when the players score is interfered with and when extra swings are taken.

When a golfer hits the ball, he either gets an albatross (which is 3 strokes under par), an eagle (which is 2 strokes under par), a birdie (which is 1 stroke under par), par (which is equal to the part of the stroke), bogey (which is 1 stroke over par), double bogey (which is 2 strokes over par), or triple bogey (which is 3 strokes over par). Par is usually 3 to 5 strokes. If you are considering playing the game, consider learning everything there is to know about it and its history.

Nobody really knows the origin of golf. Similar club and ball games have however been recorded in medieval Europe, especially around the port towns around the Firth of Forth in Scotland. From Scotland, the game spread to the rest of the UK, to the rest of the vast British Empire and then to the U.S. towards the end of the 19th century.

It is recorded that a golf-like game took place in 1297, more specifically on the 26th of February in the city of Loenen aan de Vecht in the Netherlands. The Dutch played the game with sticks and leather balls. The winners were those who hit the ball with the least number of strokes into targets that were several hundred yards away. It is argued that a similar game played in 17th century Netherlands predates the Scottish version of the game. There are reports of golf-like game in other parts of continental Europe.

In 2005, new evidence was discovered and this re-invigorated the debate on the origins of the game. Recent evidence that was unearthed by Prof. Ling Hongling of Lanzhou University seems to suggest that a game similar to what is played today was played in China during the Southern Tang Dynasty, 500 years before the first mention of the game in Scotland.

According to Dōngxuān Records (supported by drawings), a game the Chinese called chuíwán was played with 10 clubs that included a cuanbang, a pubang, and a shaobang (the equivalents of a driver, two-wood, and three-wood). These clubs were inlaid with gold and jade, suggesting that the game was for the wealthy. According to Prof. Ling Hongling, the game was exported to Scotland and Europe by Mongolian travelers towards the end of the Middle Ages.

The modern-day game is considered to have its roots in Scotland. The current version of 18 holes was first played at the Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. The word ‘golf’ actually comes from the Scottish word ‘gouf’ which is said to be the Scots alteration of ‘colf’ or ‘colve’, Dutch words meaning ‘club’, stick’, or ‘bat’. The first documented mention of the word in Scotland was in a 1457 Act of the Scottish Parliament which was an edict by King James II of Scotland prohibiting the play of football and ‘gowf’ as they were a distraction from archery practice which was vital for military purposes. Other Acts in 1471 and 1491 also prohibited the game, terming it as an ‘unprofitable sport’.