Golf: A Brief History

The game of golf originated from a game played in Scotland in the 15th Century. In the first games that are related to golf, there were no holes. But eventually holes were added, and the fact that the game originated in Scotland can't be denied. In the 16th century golf's status and popularity grew due to the fact that it got royal endorsement. King Charles introduced the game to England, and Mary Queen of Scots introduced the game to France. The game spread across Europe from there.

The popular golf course of this time was Leith near Edinburg. The first reference I could find of the famous course St Andrews was in 1552. The Public was originally not allowed access to the links, but the clergy allowed it in 1553. Stroke play (which many people think of when they think of European golf) was introduced into the game in 1759. St. Andrews famous clubhouse was built in 1854.

By this time in golf's history, golfers were using clubs and balls as we would think of them today. Some club heads were even made of iron although most were still made of wood of fruit trees. Golf balls were made of tightly compressed feathers wrapped in stitched horse hide. I would imagine that these balls didn't travel all that far. At this time the sport was a bit exclusive due to the cost of the handcrafted equipment. Not unlike today, except we don't have much hand crafted equipment. Although this early hand crafted equipment is now prized by collectors.

The first golf club formed outside of Scotland was Royal Blackheath in 1766, although golf was played there before this time, but there was no club. After Royal Blackheath, golf clubs began to spring up all throughout Britain and the rest of Europe.

At this time there were very few sponsored events, except for the British Open, which more or less started in 1860. There were some professional golfers at this time, but they mostly made their living betting against their opponents. They also made money from ball and club making, as well as caddying.

In 1894, the USGA (United States Golf Association) was established to regulate the game in the United States and Mexico. At this time, golf began to grow in popularity in the United States and by 1900 there were more than 1000 golf clubs in the USA. American golf courses were usually specifically landscaped parkland unlike those in the United Kingdom, which were almost always links courses. In 1897 the first monthly magazine, golf, was published in the USA, which shows how the games popularity was growing. Around this time the United States became the center of the professional game due to the growth of commercially sponsored competitions, although the prestigious events were still this hosted in the United Kingdom. Golf was confirmed to be a global sport when it became an Olympic sport in 1900.

The PGA of America was formed in 1916 and by 1944 the tour was played throughout the year and consisted of 22 events. Augusta, one of America's most famous courses, opened in 1933. And I believe we are all aware of the controversy that this course was embroiled in a couple of short years ago.
From this time until today, golf is more or less what you think of when you think of the term "golf". Golf's popularity continues to grow with each passing year.