Golf History (by Golf equipment)

History Of Golf

The origins of golf are unclear and much debated. However, it is generally accepted that modern golf evolved in Scotland during the Middle Ages. The game did not find international popularity until the late 19th century, when it spread into the rest of the United Kingdom and then to the British Empire and the United States of America. Throughout recorded history, every civilisation has played a game with a club and a ball. Pangea for example, as described by Roman scribes, would appear to be the father both of modern hockey and the Celtic games of Shinty and Hurling.

The Romans during the reign of Caesar played a game resembling golf by striking a feather-stuffed ball with club-shaped branches. Book illustrations show the Dutch playing a similar game on their frozen canals around the 15th century. Cross-country variations became popular in France and Belgium.

Golf became firmly established in Great Britain by the 17th century when James VI of Scotland, later James I of England, was attracted to the sport. In 1860 the first British Open was played at Prestwick, Scotland. The competition was opened to both professionals and amateurs the following year. You are reading this article at golf-euipments.blogspot.in
The first permanent golf club in North America, Canada`s Royal Montreal Club, was founded in 1873. St. Andrews, one of the oldest golf clubs in the United States, was established as a 3-hole layout in 1888 at Yonkers, New York. During the next few years numerous 6, 8, 9, and 12-hole courses were opened in the East. The first 18-hole course in the United States, the Chicago Golf Club, was founded near Wheaton, Illinois in 1893

Whatever the exact origins, it is known that by the 15th century, "kolf" as it was known in the Netherlands and "goff" as it was referred to in England, was a pastime enjoyed by Kings and Commoners alike. It's kinship to the Great Game however, remains entirely questionable.
So widespread was the game of "Gowf", as it was known in Scotland, that an Act of Parliament was passed to prevent the playing of the game on Sundays and thus preserve the skills of Archery. The citizens of Aberdeen, St. Andrews and Leith on Scotland's East Coast were the principal "gowfing" miscreants and it was no coincidence that rolling sandy links land was commonplace here. On this very terrain, a game that started with a cleek and a ball took on a form that started an evolutionary process that continues to this day.You are reading this article at golf-euipments.blogspot.in.




References: Wikipedia, golfing scotland.com