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A history of golf
The game of golf has grown to be one of the world’s most popular sports today. Its history goes back to the 1300s when a game resembling golf was played with a stick and ball.
The origin of golf is a great debate between the Scottish and the English. In England, there is a stained glass window in the Gloucester Cathedral of a man resembling a golfer. This is what the English claim to be their undeniable proof that golfing is a sport that they invented. On the other hand, the Scottish believe that the game of golf was their finding because of the rich history it has contributed.
In 1457, golf was banned in Scotland because it was said to interfere with archery practice. King James IV was the ruler at that time and was part of the conspiracy to ban the sport in 1491. Just ten short years later, he became a loyal player of the game. In 1651, other heads of Scotland gave their royal consent for the game to be played freely throughout the region.
Slowly but surely, golf became a very popular sport. By the early 1700s, golfing became more organized. Clubs and organizations began to form. The world’s oldest golf club is the Royal Burgess Golfing Society of Edinburgh. It was formed in 1735. Others include the Edinburgh Golfing Society and the Gentlemen Golfers of Edinburgh. These organizations were the first to set rules and regulations for this most prestigious game.
The number of holes on the courses was a largely disputed issue in the beginning. Some clubs played with five holes while others would play as many as twenty-two holes. In 1764, it was agreed that there would be 18 holes.
In the mid 1700s, golf began to spread to other areas and countries. A club was formed in England in 1766, and in 1856 the first club of France was formed. In 1888, the St. Andrews club in New York helped bring popularity to the game of golf in the United States, and in 1894 the United States Golf Association was formed.
A man by the name of Allan Robertson is known as the first great of the game of golf. His family had golf in their blood and even had a ball manufacturing business that overlooked the 18th hole on St. Andrews golf course. He died in 1859 at the age of 44, and his death prompted the sport to find the next great; hence, the British Open was begun.
Tournaments like the British Open were soon being held to determine who the greatest player of the game was. A man named Willie Park won the British Open competition with a score of 174. The tournament was played over 3 days on a 12-hole course. In 1895, the United States held its first Open in Newport, Rhode Island. The winner was Horace Rawlins. Tournaments of all kinds have developed since then and are played all over the world.
Golf equipment has changed a lot over the years. Golf balls were first made of wood and were far from being perfectly round. Later, a ball evolved called the “feathery.” This ball was made from leather and had feathers stuffed inside. Both of these balls were handmade and did not have uniform standards. In the mid 1800s, a man named Reverend Robert Preston came up with an idea for a new and more useful ball. He called this ball the “gutty.” This ball was made from a mold and therefore made all balls more uniform in size and weight. This creation of this ball soon led to another type of ball called the “Haskell,” which was made with dimples. The inside of the ball features a rubber core wrapped in elastic and then coated with a plastic dimpled surface.
The first golf clubs were made of wood. Different types of wood were used for each part of the club. The shaft was glued to the head and supported with twine. Some of the different types of wood used were ash, hazel, apple tree, beech, and pear. Later, as the club evolved, more sturdy woods were used. Hickory became the wood of choice. Iron was used for the head of the club. The wood stood up well to the first golf balls, but as the balls evolved, so did the clubs. Graphite, aluminum, and titanium were used to make more solid clubs and were sold in sets of 14.
Golfers today still play with the standard 14 club set. This set consists of 3 woods, 9 irons, a sand wedge, and a putter. As for the balls, they are now made in a universally uniform size of 1.68 inches round and 1.62 ounces in weight.
Written by Stephanie Baldwin
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GOLF