Golf History
Golf History
Golf is a very ancient sport that has been around more than 900 years. Its exact country of origin is unknown but the most commonly accepted theory is that it came from Scotland in the 1100's. A game somewhat similar to golf was recorded by the Chinese in the 11th century. Also, a game where players hit a leather ball with a stick was recorded in the Netherlands in the year 1297.
Modern golf is believed to be an entirely Scottish tradition. This is because the rules for a game called golf were mentioned in the 15th century. A game of putting a small ball into holes in the ground was played in the Netherlands in the 17th century. The oldest playing golf course in the world is The Musselburgh Old Links Golf Course. Evidence shows that golf was played here as early as 1672.
Golf courses as we know in modern times have not always been 18 holes. In fact, one of the most esteemed golf courses, St. Andrews in Fife was originally 22 holes. However, some of the holes were found much too short for actual play and were cut out of the course. This made the number of holes 18 which every game of golf is judged by today.
After the change in course construction not much else major changed about the game of golf. Into the 19th century mowers became much more technologically advanced. This allowed for the course to be cut much more precisely. The introduction of the metal shaft, a revolution in golf clubs was introduced in the 1930's. Before the metal shaft for golf clubs was introduced all golf was still played with antique wooden golf clubs. These metal clubs allowed many more people to play as they could be produced much cheaper and more efficiently than the old wood clubs.
The 1930's also brought about other changes in the world of golf. The wooden golf tee was introduced revolutionizing the way players hit the golf ball. This as well as the metal shaft began increasing golfer's performance levels. The 1970's brought yet another wave of change in the world of golf. Steel and titanium metals became affordable enough to be used in golf clubs. They further phased out the wood clubs that had been used before for the game. These new types of metal in the clubs helped players shoot further then they were ever able to before, thus bringing even more power to the game of golf.
Shafts made of graphite were introduced into the 1980's. Many of these performance enhancements were great for the game of golf, however, many became more acquainted with the game. During recent years many studies have shown that the total number of people who have golfed in a given year has dropped. The number of these people who golf often has dropped as well. Golf is going through yet another period of change, what will happen to it, only time will tell.