A Brief History Of Golf

The history of golf is murky at best. It is generally agreed that the game as we now know it originated in Scotland. Although the exact origin is not known, there is speculation that it all started around 1200 AD with shepherds using sticks or their crooks to hit rounded stones into rabbit holes. This is said to have taken place in the east of Scotland and variously on the land where St Andrews now lies. There is, however, no concrete evidence to support this.

The first historical golf record is actually a prohibition on golf (as well as football/soccer). This was done by Scotland's King James II in 1457 in order that golf would not interfere with the practice of archery. This was reinforced in two later prohibitions in the same century. (James III in 1471. And James IV in 1491). Apparently, these prohibitions had little effect, as golfers then were as passionate about the game as they are now. The ban was eventually lifted by James IV who by 1502 had become a golfer himself.

The historical origin of the name "golf" is likewise shrouded in mystery. It is thought to have been derived from one of the early Scottish names of "gouf" or "goulf". Although some twit has suggested that the name golf was derived from "Gentlemen Only - Ladies Forbidden", this is not the case. The name may also have derived from the Dutch game of "kolf".

Whatever the origins of the history of golf or of its name, there is no doubt that the Scots developed it into its modern form.

In the early years, golf was played on rough unimproved terrain with the holes being roughly cut into the ground. There was no "green" as such. There were no tee boxes, and play of the next hole was started from where the previous hole finished. In fact one of the first rules recorded was that the player must tee his ball from within one club length of the hole.

As time passed and the number of golfers grew, there was a move to have regular courses "built". The first such course and club was apparently that of the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith (1744), in Leith, near Edinburgh, Scotland (Later called the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers with a clubhouse erected in 1768). This was soon followed by others.

Competitive play between towns and cities developed and the game flourished. An interesting aspect of the early Scottish golf scene was the formation of golf "societies". These were groups of golfers who associated together to implement their enjoyment of the game of golf. They did not necessarily have their own golf course. They did, however, represent an essential part of the story of the history of golf.

A good example of this situation was the Royal Burgess Golf Society of 1735 (later known as the Edinburgh Burgess Golfing Society and much later, The Royal Burgess Golfing Society of Edinburgh). They played on Brunsfield Links for the first 100 years of their existence. In 1874 they decided to move to the course at Musselburgh (a 9-hole course) which they shared with the Honourable Company (later known as the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers), the Brunsfield Links Golfing Society, and the Musselburgh Golf Club (later the Royal Musselburgh Golf Club). Finally in 1895, they obtained their own golf course.

Early Scottish courses did not always have 18 holes. In fact, St Andrews originally had 11 holes, which when played out and then back, counted as 22 holes. In 1764 several holes were combined and thus reduced to 9, giving a game total of 18. Around 1863 the 1st and 17th greens were separated to provide the current design.

Because of the importance of St Andrews to the game, other courses eventually followed suit and thus the accepted standard of 18 holes for a game. Of course, not every course could afford to physically have 18 holes, and thus many were built with only 9 holes. Many smaller clubs throughout the world still have only 9 separate holes.

The development of the game is really a joint progression of the technology and the players. In many cases, the early players also made or designed new equipment in order to make their own play better (or that of their local teams). Thus the growth of the game is largely a story of the history of golf balls (see Golf Ball History) and the history of golf clubs (see Golf Club History)

Needless to say, the Scots were the heart and soul of the game and will forever have a place in the history of golf, but the game eventually spread to many other countries. The table shows some of the earlier clubs that were developed throughout the world. Today there are an estimated 30,000 plus golf courses and more than 50 million golfers.

To go to Golf Ball History click here!

To go to Golf Club History click here!

To go to Club and Ball Regulations click here!

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