The History Of Golf.

The exact history of golf is unclear. Arguments have been going on for generations about when and where the game of Golf began.

Some people believe that Golf came from the Roman times, where players would hit a ball stuffed with feathers. This game was called "Paganica".

Other people claim that golf can be traced back even further to China to the time of 200 B.C.

"Ket Kolven" was played in Belgium and Holland in the 1400’s. Players used to hit a ball similar to the size of a tennis ball with a "Kolf" toward a marker that was hammered into the Ice.

The game of Golf began in Scotland in the 1400’s where players used to hit stones into a hole.

The first documented use of the word "Golf" was in 1457, when King James II banned golf because he thought that it interfered with Archery practice, which in his opinion, was a better sport because it helped the Scottish people defend themselves in Battle.

There is a misconception that the word Golf is an acronym for "Gentlemen Only - Ladies Forbidden", but this is not true. Most people believe the word Golf comes from the word "Gowfe".

But who invented Golf?

Some people believe that since the Scots had strong trading ties with Belgium and Holland, that they based their game on "Ket Kolven".

But the most popular golf history belief is that Golf was invented by the Scots, and "Ket Kolven" was based modified by Holland and Belgium to be played on Ice.

The British adopted the game of Golf and formed clubs, where societies elite could play together and socialize. The first British club formed in 1744, it was called "The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers".

The game of Golf started to spread worldwide. The first South African Golf course was constructed by a Scottish regiment that built a 6 hole golf course outside of Cape Town just before the Boer War.

At the same time other Scots were designing and building the first American golf course at Yonkers, New York.

Scottish Migrants brought Golf to Australia in the early 1800’s, and in 1839 the first Australian Golf course was built in Tasmania.

However, the game of Golf was played differently in all of these countries.

To stop arguments, a joint committee was formed in 1951 between the Royal and Ancient Golf Club (R & A), the United States Golf Association (USGA), and the Commonwealth. The role of this committee was to discuss and standardize the rules of Golf. To this day the Committee meets to discuss variations to the rules of Golf.

The History of Golf is still discussed to this day, people still have different points of view. But the most important thing is that Golf still remains a popular sport and is enjoyed by millions of people around the world.