Brief History Of Golf

The game of golf has been around for hundreds of years. The true origins of golf are unclear; however, it may have started in Holland in the late 1200s. There seems to be references to similar games throughout history and in many different countries. The game was played in Scotland as early as 1457, when King James II decreed it was forbidden so they could concentrate on defeating their enemies. Golf continued to grow in popularity.

By 1744 golfers at St. Andrews in Scotland formed one of the first known golf clubs, which is still in existence today. The first instruction book for golf was written in 1867. In the late 17th century, golf began in colonial America. It started to catch on slowly. By the end of the 19th century there were over 1,000 golf courses in the United States. The Japanese took up golf as well in the early 1900's. The game is popular among all age groups and is now played by both men and women. The first golf games were played with wooden balls, which did not work too well. This soon progressed to feather golf balls.

The balls were stitched leather stuffed with feathers. They were more expensive than golf clubs at the time. The balls were lightweight and didn't fly very far. They were also difficult to play with in poor weather conditions, as they would get soggy and waterlogged. Eventually, gutta percha, the dried gum from a Malaysian tree sap was used to form a hard, solid ball. These gutties as they were nicknamed helped to bring golf to more people because these balls were much more affordable. They also performed much better than the feather balls of the past. Eventually the guttie was replaced by the modern golf ball as we know it today.

Clubs also went through many changes throughout the years. They started out as very primitive sticks fashioned with larger wooden ends for hitting the ball. These became the woods as we now know them. People found that by using metal on the end of the stick they could hit the ball better and thus irons were invented. More and more play with irons become popular because the ball was easy to hit with the iron club. Eventually, metal replaced the wooden shafts on golf clubs and they became more as they are today.

Early golf was played more for fun and socializing than for scorekeeping. All that changed in the 20th century. As golf became more sophisticated, early golf stars began to emerge. But it was television that helped to make golf the important sport it is today. The first televised golf match was the U.S. Open in St. Louis in 1947.

From then on, televised golf tournaments became more and more popular. The game grew immensely thanks to golf stars and televised tournaments. Professional golf became a legitimate sport and with it came commercialization. Today there are hundreds of companies that manufacture golf clubs and equipment. There are thousands of golf courses and many golf resorts and country clubs. The game is now played by millions and watched on television by even more. There is even a whole television channel dedicated to nothing but golf. The game is more popular than ever and doesn't seem to be slowing down.