History Of Golf | The Caddie | The Cart
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I have dedicated a lot of my time in research to bring you detailed information on the history and origins on the great sport of Golf. Also included is history on the Caddie and the Cart! I hope you find this website interesting and.. Enjoy!
Golf’s popularity has grown since the turn of the new millennium. With Europe’s emphatic victory in the 2006 Ryder Cup and the popularity of players such as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickleson, interest in golf spread betting has seen a notable rise.
But whilst followers of the game look to place their next golf spread bet, one question that still creates confusion today is just how did the game actually become to be what we know it as today?
What country invented ‘golf?’ Many countries did. If there were sticks and objects that could be hurtled along, then there was ‘golf.’ Though the name didn’t come into being, until some time in the 15th century, there were many games that could be called an ancestor to golf. Nearly every area around the world has some claim to the origination of golf.
Scotland, of course, has its claim, but so do China, Rome, England, France, Holland, Belgium, even Laos. Every country had a game consisting of sticks and balls, and every country is probably correct in its assumption that it invented the game.But there is no one country where ‘golf’ actually began. Some games included a ball, a stick and some form of a target. These included ‘paganica’ in Rome, a Celtic game called ‘shinty,’ and ‘khi’ in Laos. The Chinese claim a form of golf – ch’ui wan (“beating a ball”) – which was played as early as 300 BC. Roman emperors in Caesar’s Empire, apparently played the relaxing game of paganica, using a bent stick to drive a soft, hair-filled or feather-stuffed ball. The use of hair-filled balls can be traced to the spread of the Roman empire, and similar balls were later used in Europe. Over the next five centuries, the game developed on several continents.
The Meaning Of The Word 'GOLF'
The origin of the name ‘golf’ is believed to be the Dutch word of 'colf,' which means 'club.' In the medieval ages, golf was also known as “spel metten colve,’ which literally meant 'game with clubs.'
The earliest traces of golf being played, are said to date back to 1340, from a sketch in a stained glass window – the Great East Window – in Gloucester Cathedral.The scenes are from the Battle of Crecy in France, but show a man apparently preparing to strike a ball in a golf-like manner. It was probably not actually golf, but the old English game of cambuca. This was more than 100 years earlier than the first written Scottish golf record.
In 15th century London, ‘Pall Mall’ was a game that derived its name from an early playing place of another game. This contest consisted of knocking a ball from one pre-determined place to another, sometimes as far as neighbouring villages. Many believe that golf emerged, when Pall Mall was completely ousted from the towns onto the nearest common land, or land that was not owned by any individual.
1800s - 1900s
The sport of golf, which had seemed so popular in Britain in the 1600s and early 1700s, slowly faded in the latter 1700s. The Industrial Revolution was about to blossom, and with towns expanding, the old links were quickly being mopped up for more industrious pursuits. The sport might well have died altogether were not for the Freemasons. Their enthusiasm alone, virtually saved the game from extinction. For about 100 years, from 1750 to 1850, they played the game with regularity. Golfing societies slowly formed, which were mostly members of the Freemasons.
Royalty however, played very little or none at all during this period, but golf was kept alive by the Freemason groups. Edinburgh, Scotland, claimed the first golfing society. The Gentlemen Golfers – later known as the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, and today still in residence at Muirfield – claim their club was already under way in 1744, when they petitioned the city of Edinburgh for a “silver club” for annual competition on the Links at Leith. This was followed in 1754 by the gentlemen of St. Andrews, Scotland, banding together to form the St. Andrews Golf Club. St. Andrews is today known as the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.
St. Andrews eventually became the traditional centre of all golf, thanks partly to a publicity stunt. The Society of St. Andrews Golfers had an open competition – everyone was invited, regardless if he were a member of the society or not. In a short time, St. Andrews became the premier golfing town. And in 1764, when the St. Andrews course finally settled on 18 holes (down from its previous 22), 18 holes then became the accepted number for all golf courses.
The invention of the mower was also critical. Before, it was hardly possible to play in the summer on inland courses because the grass would grow to such unwieldy lengths. It was cut back, whenever possible, by scythes. In most areas, cattle and grazing sheep kept the terrain levelled enough in the winter so that balls were not lost. But by 1840, the lawnmower started appearing at courses.
The St. Andrews Society of Golfers reached royal status in 1834. Murray Belshes had approached King William IV asking him to be their patron. The King not only agreed, but permitted the Society to rename itself “The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.” St. Andrews has since become known as the “Home of Golf,” From that time on, the authority of the Royal and Ancient was undisputed, with the exception of North America, where the United States Golf Association was the pre-eminent authority.
Since 1900s
Americans were taking rapidly to the game of golf as the 20th century began, taught enthusiastically by Scots who crossed the Atlantic for the sole purpose of instructing their Yankee cousins. And for a while, the British were the ones who did all the winning in America. ‘The Great Triumvirate’ — Harry Vardon, J.H. Taylor and James Braid — toured repeatedly and were consistent winners. These three ruled golf from 1894 until 1914. American golf took a giant step toward world-wide recognition with the victory in the U.S. Open by 20-year-old amateur Francis Ouimet. Vardon and Ted Ray were the overwhelming favorites, but Ouimet took them into an extra day for an 18-hole playoff and beat them both. An American, John J. McDermott, had made history by becoming the first home-grown winner of the U.S. Open in 1911, then repeated in 1912. Prior to 1911, the first 16 Opens were won by British golfers.
Brash upstart Walter Hagen became the first great American professional. Not only did he play throughout the country, but also in Europe — in Scotland, England and France. It was almost solely through his efforts that the professional golfer achieved ‘gentleman’ status. Told by haughty club members in Europe that professionals must change in the pro shop and not the country club, Hagen insisted on pulling his limousine up to the club’s front door to dress. Perplexed club members hurriedly relented, establishing a new tradition for the professionals. Hagen won two U.S. Opens, four British Opens and four PGAs.
The PGA of America was founded in 1916 when a group of professionals met in New York to form the organization. Their first championship was held later that year with Jim Barnes defeating Jock Hutchinson. The PGA continued as a match-play championship until 1958, when it became stroke play. Two great golfers were born in 1902, Gene Sarazen in Harrison, N.Y., on Feb. 27 and Bobby Jones in Atlanta March 17. Jones founded the Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia, in 1934, and Sarazen hit there the most famous shot ever played — a double eagle on the 15th hole during his win in 1935.
Jones was a brilliant player who retired at the age of 28 after winning all four legs of the then-grand slam in 1930. He was an amateur throughout his playing career, which lasted only from 1923 to ’30. Actually, Jones began playing major championships when he entered the U.S. Amateur — then considered a major because most of the best players were amateurs — at age 14. He exploded onto the scene with a boom when he led the field in the first qualifying round. He wouldn’t actually win the Amateur until 1924, a year after he won his first U.S. Open in 1923.
Jones would win 13 major championships, highlighted by his swan song quartet in 1930. In that year, he won the British Amateur (then a major) and the British Open, as well as the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open. He then halted his tournament play and focused on buying the property upon which he would establish Augusta National. His tournament would become the Masters. Three players were born in 1912 — Byron Nelson, Sam Snead and Ben Hogan — and each had a tremendous impact on golf in the 20th century. Nelson set an all-time record of 11 consecutive wins in 1945, a total of 18 victories that year. Snead set the all-time record of 81 wins and won the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open at the age of 52 years and 10 months — another Tour record.
Hogan is regarded by some as the game’s best player. He won four U.S. Opens, two PGAs, two Masters and the only British Open he ever played — setting a course record at Carnoustie though it was the only time he ever saw it. In 1953 he won three legs of the Grand Slam — Masters, U.S. Open and British Open — and couldn’t return from Britain in time to play the fourth, the PGA. Arnold Palmer began a cycle of great players born every 10 years when he was born in 1929, followed by Jack Nicklaus in 1940 and Tom Watson the latter part of 1949. Palmer had a tremendous influence on the popularity of the game, winning 60 times and boosting television coverage when it needed it most — at the end of the ‘50s and start of the ‘60s. He, along with Nicklaus and Gary Player, became known as the “Big Three” of golf in the ‘60s and played numerous exhibitions together. Nicklaus is the man generally recognized as the greatest ever to play the game. He won an astounding 70 times, including 18 professional majors, more than any other golfer. He won his final major at the age of 46 — the 1986 Masters — in an unbelievable career that stretched from 1962 to the Senior Tour age of 50 in 1990.
Watson won 34 times and dominated in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Player, a South African who is the most successful player on the world scene, won 21 times on the PGA Tour. The stage was set for a new hero when Tiger Woods came upon the scene in 1996. He won eight times in 1999, nine times in 2000, and won the four major championships in succession in 2000-2001, starting with the U.S. Open in 2000. Should his career be as successful in his 30s and 40s as it has been in his 20s, he will assume the mantle of “best player ever” and in all honesty, few would be against him.
With such a diverse and illustrious history, the game of golf has bred some established names. What remains to be seen is whether the current crop of players on which you can place your golf spread bet will be noted in golfing history in years to come.
Origins
A golf-like game is recorded as taking place on 26 February 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 least number of times, won. However, the modern game of golf we understand today is generally considered to be a Scottish invention, as the game was mentioned in two 15th-century Acts of the Scottish Parliament, prohibiting the playing of the game of gowf. Some scholars, however, suggest that this refers to another game which is much akin to shinty or hurling, or to modern field hockey rather than golf. They argue that a game of putting a small ball in a hole in the ground using golf clubs was played in 17th-century Netherlands and that this predates the game in Scotland. The word golf may be a Scots alteration of Dutch "kolf" meaning "stick, "club" and "bat" (see: Kolven). There are reports of even earlier accounts of a golf like game from continental Europe.
However, these earlier games are more accurately viewed as ancestors of the modern game we understand as golf. The fact remains that the modern game of golf originated and developed in Scotland: the first permanent golf course originated in Scotland as did membership of the first golf clubs. The very first written rules originated there, as did the establishment of the 18 hole course. The first fomalized tournament structures developed and competitions were held between various Scottish cities. Before long, the modern game of golf had spread from Scotland to England and from there to the rest of the world. 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.
The Gentlemen Golfers of Leith (1744) was the first club and was formed to promote an annual competition with a silver golf club as the prize. Duncan Forbes drafted the club's rules, which were
Golf Course Evolution
Golf courses have not always had eighteen holes. The St Andrews Links occupy a narrow strip of land on Queen Mary of Scots land along the sea. As early as the 15th century, golfers at St Andrews established a trench 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. Due to the status of St Andrews as the golfing capital, all other courses followed suit and the 18 hole course remains the standard to the present day.
Etymology
The word golf was first mentioned in writing in 1457 on a Scottish statute on forbidden games as gouf, possibly derived from the Scots word goulf (variously spelled) meaning "to strike or cuff". This word may, in turn, be derived the Dutch word kolf, meaning "bat," or "club," and the Dutch sport of the same name. But there is an even earlier reference to the game of golf and it is believed to have happened in 1452 when King James II banned the game because it kept his subjects from their archery practice.
There is a persistent urban legend claiming that the term derives from an acronym "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden". This is almost certainly a false etymology as acronyms being used as words is a fairly modern phenomenon, making the expression more likely to be a backronym.
You must tee your ball within one club's length of the hole.
Your tee must be on the ground.
You are not to change the ball which you strike off the tee
You are not to remove stones, bones or any break club for the sake of playing your ball, except on the fair green, and that only within a club's length of your ball.
If your ball comes among water, or any watery filth, you are at liberty to take out your ball and bringing it behind the hazard and teeing it, you may play it with any club and allow your adversary a stroke for so getting out your ball.
If your balls be found anywhere touching one another you are to lift the first ball till you play the last.
At holeing you are to play your ball honestly for the hole, and not to play upon your adversary's ball, not lying in your way to the hole.
If you should lose your ball, by its being taken up, or any other way, you are to go back to the spot where you struck last and drop another ball and allow your adversary a stroke for the misfortune.
No man at holeing his ball is to be allowed to mark his way to the hold with his club or anything else.
If a ball be stopp'd by any person, horse or dog, or anything else, the ball so stopp'd must be played where it lyes.
If you draw your club in order to strike and proceed so far in the stroke as to be bringing down your club; if then your club shall break in any way, it is to be accounted a stroke.
He who whose ball lyes farthest from the hole is obliged to play first.
Neither trench, ditch or dyke made for the preservation of the links, nor the Scholar's Holes or the soldier's lines shall be accounted a hazard but the ball is to be taken out, teed and play'd with any iron club.
The Putting Green
The area around the hole, also called the 'hole
green' or 'table-land' in the 18th and 19th centuries, was not distinct from the
rest of the course, nor specially prepared, until a separate teeing ground came
into use from 1875. R&A 1882 definition amended to be within 20 yards of the hole, excluding
hazards. That definition lasted until 1952, when the putting green was given its
present day definition of being an area specially prepared for putting. But,
references to being within 20 yds of the hole still existed in relation to a
ball striking the flagstick until 1956, or a
competitor's ball in stroke play until 1968 when finally, all 20-yard references
were removed.
Other innovations from the 1888 R&A rules include not
touching the line of putt and not being allowed to play until one's opponent's
ball has ceased moving. Also in 1968, putting astride or
touching the line of putt banned.The hole size was standardised in 1891 at
the dimensions of today.
The 'putting green' made its first appearance in 1812 without definition, in Rules 8 and 13, then defined in the 1815 Aberdeen code as being within 15 yards (13.71m) of the hole, and in 1829 St. Andrews rules as being within 20 yards (18.28 m). Both the terms 'putting green' and 'table land' were used in 1875. In 1842 the R&A decided that a ball to be played with a heavy or click-iron from a broken or uneven surface was not regarded as being on the putting green even if within 20 yards of the hole.
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