The Early History Of Golf.

The actual beginning of the game of golf as long been argued. Research as dated the sport back to the Romans where they played a game of paganica,which involved using a bent stick to hit wool or feather stuffed leather ball. With the Romans conquering much of Europe during the first century B.C, the game soon spread throughout Europe, eventually evolving into the modern game.

According to the most widely accepted account, however, the modern game originated in Scotland around the 12th century, with shepherds knocking stones into rabbit holes on the current site of the site of the Old Course at St Andrews

It is fascinating to point out that though Scotland is the birth place of the game of golf. During the middle part of the fifteenth century, a ban on the sport was put in place. This took place when Scotland was preparing to defend itself from an invasion from England.

The game was so popular at the time in Scotland historians tell us.The Scottish Parliament of James 11 had the sport banned, because the people were neglecting their military training, which was required if they were to drive the English from their land. This ban was reintroduced in 1470 and 1491. However, the game was so fashionable that any ban that was imposed was totally ignored.

Scotland is the home of the world's oldest golf course, St. Andrews, which was used as early as the sixteenth century. St. Andrews established an 18-hole golf course in 1857, and other courses followed suit over the years until the 18-hole course was considered the norm.

To play golf well requires relatively short grass, in the 15th century mechanical crass cutters were not invented yet. The earliest golfers played on what we now call "Link" courses. The areas between the sea shore and the land, where the grass is naturally short bladed with sandy soil with plenty of sand dunes and pits. This sort of terrain was unfit to agriculture purposes so had very little value, but soon became extremely poplar with the golfers. Golf was played mostly in the winter months when the animals would graze, which kept the grass short.