Golf Brief History

Golf originated from a game played on the eastern coast of Scotland, in an area close to the royal
capital of Edinburgh. In those early days players would attempt to hit a pebble over sand dunes and around
tracks using a bent stick or club. During the 15th century, Scotland prepared to defend itself, yet again,
against an invasion by the ‘Auld Enemy’. The nation’s enthusiastic pursuit of golf however, led many to
neglect their military training, so much so that the Scottish parliament of King James II banned the sport in
1457.

Although people largely ignored the ban, it was only in 1502 that the game gained the royal seal of
approval when King James IV of Scotland (1473 -1513) became the world’s first golfing monarch.

The popularity of the game quickly spread throughout 16th century Europe thanks to this royal
endorsement. King Charles I brought the game to England and Mary Queen of Scots (pictured to the right)
introduced the game to France when she studied there; the term ‘caddie’ derives from the name for her
French military aides, known as cadets.

The game of golf officially became a sport when the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith formed the first
club in 1744 and set up an annual competition with silverware prizes. The rules for this new competition
were drafted by Duncan Forbes.

The first reference to golf at its now recognized historic hometown of St Andrews, was in 1552. It
was not until 1754 however that the St Andrews Society of Golfers was formed to compete in its own
annual competition using Leith’s rules.

The first ever 18-hole course was constructed at St Andrews in 1764, establishing the now
recognized standard for the game. King William IV honored the club with the title ‘Royal & Ancient’ in
1834, with that recognition and its fine course the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews was
established as the world’s premier golf club.

At this time golfers were using hand-crafted wooden clubs usually made from beech with shafts of
ash or hazel, and balls were made from compressed feathers wrapped in a stitched horse hide.

The Industrial Revolution of the Victorian era brought with it many changes. The birth of the
railways allowed ordinary people to explore outside of their towns and cities for the first time, and
consequently, golf clubs began to appear all over the countryside. Mass production methods were adopted
to manufacture the clubs and balls, making the game more affordable to the average person. The game’s
popularity exploded!
 The United States Golf Association (USGA) was established in 1894 to regulate the game there,
by 1900 more than 1000 golf clubs had been formed throughout the USA. With the availability of serious
funding through commercial sponsorship, the USA quickly established itself as the center of the
professional game.

Today, it is the golf courses themselves that reflect the history of the game, with the US courses
presented as beautifully sculptured and manicured landscaped parklands, unlike those in Britain, which are
typically rough links courses with bunkers you can hide London Double Decker buses in!