Golf History – An Amazing Golf History Lesson

Have you ever wondered who started the game of golf and where this amazing sport stemmed from? From the great lands of Scotland, to the television sets in the 1930s, to what it is today as a recreational sport and favourite pastime, you are about to receive a crash course on the amazing history of golf.

Boredom Springs A Sport

Historians of golf all agree that the game originated over a thousand years ago in Scotland. Scottish farmers and local shepherds would get bored and play a game of hitting small stones with sticks.

Their goal was to get the stone to reach inside burrows that were made by rodents. Interestingly enough, there is documentation that shows at least one king, perhaps more, during the 13th century in Scotland, would actively seek out soldiers and farmers who they deemed were spending too much time playing this game.

During the 16th century, James II and Mary Queen of Scots were known to be regular golfers. They were quite fond of the sport. In fact, there is an old golf course in Scotland which has been open since the 17th century named the “Old Course at St. Andrews”. It was in 1744 that the Scots lay down the very first set of rules for the game.

Over The Atlantic We Come

During the latter part of the 19th century, golf had made its way to the United States. Many wonderful courses were created in the East. These courses included Pine Valley which is located in New Jersey, Winged Foot which is built in New York, and Shinnecock Hills of Long Island.

Of course the sport caught on immediately with the wealthy, who expanded the game throughout the 20th century. They used the game as a way to flaunt their financial status as well as healthy competition with European aristocrats. Then in time, more and more golf courses were built, thus creating a huge interest in the game from people nationwide.

Golf On The Big Screen

The 1920s proved to be a flowering time for golf. Many competitions were created and tremendous players became popular such as Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, and Gene Sarazen.

These guys were dominating games that were initially won by the Europeans. When television came about during this era, golf started to pour into the homes of Americans in such a way that it created a huge frenzy of golf fanatics. Every Sunday, fans could tune in to their TV screens and watch the game.

A Household Name

As you know, today, the game of golf is absolutely huge. We have the Professional Golfer's Association (PGA) and the Ladies' PGA (LPGA) in existence. There are competitions both at home and abroad. And on the recreational side of golf, it is estimated that more than 30 million people in the United States alone are regular golfers, which contribute to billions of dollars in golf-related revenue every year.