History
Main article: History of golf - PGA Professional Golfers Association
Golf is a very old game of which the exact origins are unclear. The
origin of golf is open to debate as to being Chinese, Dutch or Scottish.
However, the most accepted golf history theory is that this sport originated
from Scotland in the 1100s.
A game somewhat similar to golf was first mentioned in Dōngxuān Records
(Chinese: golf), a Chinese book of 11th Century. It was also mentioned
in February 26 in the year 1297 in the Netherlands in a city called Loenen
aan de Vecht. Here the Dutch played a game with a stick and leather ball.
Whoever hit the ball into a target several hundreds of meters away the
most number of times, won.
However, modern golf is considered to be a Scottish invention, as the
game was mentioned in two 15th century laws prohibiting the playing of
the game of gowf. Some scholars have suggested that this refers to another
game which is more akin to modern shinty, hurling or field hockey than
golf. A game of putting a small ball in a hole in the ground using clubs
was played in 17th century Netherlands. The word golf derives from the
Dutch kolf meaning stick, club or bat (see: Kolven). Flourishing trade
over the North Sea during the Middle Ages and early Modern Period led to
much language interaction between Scots, Dutch, Flemish and other languages.
There are reports of even earlier accounts of golf from continental Europe
The oldest playing golf course in the world is The Old Links at Musselburgh
Racecourse. Evidence has shown that golf was played on Musselburgh Links
in 1672 although Mary, Queen of Scots reputedly played there in 1567.
Golf courses have not always had eighteen holes. The St Andrews Links
occupy a narrow strip of land along the sea. As early as the 15th century,
golfers at St Andrews, in Fife, established a customary route through the
undulating terrain, playing to holes whose locations were dictated by topography.
The course that emerged featured eleven holes, laid out end to end from
the clubhouse to the far end of the property. One played the holes out,
turned around, and played the holes in, for a total of 22 holes. In 1764,
several of the holes were deemed too short, and were therefore combined.
The number was thereby reduced from 11 to nine, so that a complete round
of the links comprised 18 holes.
The major changes in equipment since the 19th century have been better
mowers, especially for the greens, better golf ball designs, using rubber
and man-made materials since about 1900, and the introduction of the metal
shaft beginning in the 1930s. Also in the 1930s the wooden golf tee was
invented. In the 1970s the use of metal to replace wood heads began, and
shafts made of graphite composite materials were introduced in the 1980s.
World popularity
In 2005 Golf Digest calculated that there were nearly 32,000 golf courses
in the world, approximately half of them in the United States. The countries
with most golf courses in relation to population, starting with the best
endowed were: Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, Republic of Ireland, Northern
Ireland, Canada, Wales, United States, Sweden, and England (countries with
fewer than 500,000 people were excluded). Apart from Sweden, all of these
countries have English as the majority language, but the number of courses
in new territories is increasing rapidly. For example the first golf course
in the People's Republic of China opened in the mid-1980s, but by 2005
there were 200 courses in that country.
The professional sport was initially dominated by Scottish then English
golfers, but since World War I, America has produced the greatest quantity
of leading professionals. Other Commonwealth countries such as Australia
and South Africa are also traditional powers in the sport. Since around
the 1970s, Japan, Scandinavian and other Western European countries have
produced leading players on a regular basis. The number of countries with
high-class professionals continues to increase steadily, especially in
East Asia. South Korea is notably strong in women's golf.
The last decade or so has seen a marked increase in specialised golf
vacations or holidays worldwide. This demand for travel which is centered
around golf has led to the development of many luxury resorts which cater
to golfers and feature integrated golf courses.
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