The History of Golf
The game of golf as we know it started in
Scotland. Shepherds who spent much of their time in the fields watching over
their herds would pass the day by hitting small rocks along the terrain with
sticks. Eventually a leather ball stuffed with feathers was hit into cans
positioned at various spots on the ground. The first sand traps were places
where animals burrowed into banks for protection from the strong winds. In
time, their burrowing would wear away the grass, leaving sandy areas similar to
the bunkers, or sand traps, found on today’s golf courses, King James II of
Scotland banned golf in 1457 because people were spending too much time playing
the game and not enough time working on their archery skills.
Golf did not move to other areas if the
world until the late 1700s when the first organized club was founded in
Southeast London. Golf coursed did not come to the United States until 1884,
The Oakhurst Links Golf Club in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia was the
first organized club in the U.S., but it is no longer in existence.
This popular leisure activity eventually
turned into the game it is today, a game played by many people in various
circles and venues. The game eventually developed into a structure consisting
of 18 separate holes, each of which includes the teeing ground, the fairway,
the rough, and the green. Golf is played for both leisure and competition. Some
people choose golf for their occupation and compete on a professional golf
tour. Today millions of people participate in the game of golf on thousands of
golf courses in all parts of the world!
_Golf Fundamentals