History Of Golf - How This Great Game Started

One popular point of contention in sport is the history of golf - how exactly did it start? The most popular theory on golf's origins would be the one that it started out as a form of amusement for shepherds in Scotland, some time in the 12th century, where they would pass time shooting rocks into rabbit holes. And it just so happens that these shepherds played the game on what is now known as the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.

It is true that there are many references to other similar games in different parts of the world. Some of the world's leading Egyptologists claim that the ancient Egyptians mentioned golf, or something to that effect, in their hieroglyphics. And in another part of the globe, earlier Chinese civilizations, circa 1000s, were supposedly knocking a ball into a hole, as the Mongols would teach Europe this game in about 200 years or so. At the end of the 13th century there is a note of this type of game being played in Holland.

But we must all remember the beauty of golf and the fact that it is one of the world's most underrated sports, and forget the fact that different cultures have their own version of how the game started. And meanwhile, as scholars of different world cultures, may they specialize in Egyptian, Chinese or Dutch culture, engage in their own contest of one-upmanship, they fail to realize that golf, or "goulf" as it was once spelled, is closest in form to the game played by the shepherds at St. Andrews in Scotland.

St. Andrews is the home of several important golfing firsts - mainly the first permanent course and the first official set of rules. It was also the first golf club to offer membership. Tournaments began at St. Andrews, as did the tradition of challenge matches between different cities in Scotland.

It may be a bit of a surprise, though, that the course at St. Andrews wasn't always an 18-hole course. The unique strip of land where the course was located had a lot of steep inclinations, which necessitated some workarounds. The players gradually established a customary path which in the beginning was 11 holes long.

This 11 hole course stretched from the clubhouse to the end of the strip of land. But since players would go back and forth from clubhouse to strip and back, the first golf games were 22 holes. Several centuries later, in 1764, the club finally decided to streamline the game, noticing that some of the holes were too short. They were combined to make a total of 9 holes, resulting in an 18 hole game.

As golf gained in popularity in Scotland, more courses were constructed, eventually spreading out to England, then Europe, then the rest of the globe. The history of golf is a long and interesting one, but it wouldn't be complete without saying that the St. Andrews course would eventually convert to an 18-hole setup, which has since been the standard for golf courses worldwide.