It Is The Basic History Of Golf

Golf has seen an tremendouse rise in popularity over the past couple of decades, and that popularity continues to grow. Once the pastime of a dedicated few who walked the courses in brightly checkered pants, the sport today has a tremendous following. Charismatic players like Tiger Woods catch the attention of many, including those who have never picked up a golf club. Numerous new golfers are drawn to the game in hopes of playing one day at a professional level. The number of golfers in the United States now stands at about 24.7 million.

Golf appears to be at least 500 years old. We know that due to the interference of golf with much more serious combat drills, James II of Scotland banned golf in an act of Parliament on March 6, 1457. Most historians and golf fans agree that the Scots were the first golfers to become somewhat addicted to the sport. Various forms of golf were played in Holland, Belgium, France as well as in Scotland early on. Therefore the inventor of golf is open to debate.

It has been suggested that bored sheepherders became quite exceptional at knocking round stones into rabbit holes with their wooden shepherd’s staffs. Men being competitive in nature, a new game seemed inevitable

We are reasonably certain that a Scottish Baron, James VI, was the man who delivered the game we know today as golf to the English. In 1744 the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers was established as the first organized club. It was then that the first thirteen laws of golf were drawn up for an annual competition. This first competition consisted of players from any part of Great Britain or Ireland.

Outside of Scotland, the Royal Blackheath Golf Club of England in 1766 and the Old Manchester Golf Club on the Kersal Moor in 1818 were founded. The Royal Montreal Club and the Quebec Golf Club were formed in Canada in the late 1800’s to become the first in North America.

In 1888 a Scotsman, John Reid, who first built a three-hole course in Yonkers New York, founded St. Andrews Club of Yonkers on a thirty-acre site near the original three-hole course. Shinnecock Hills was founded in 1891 and by 1900, more than one thousand prestigious golf clubs opened in North America.

Finding a great place to golf has never been easier with the number of courses at more than 16,000 in the States. Those who manage the courses strive to make the most of the property available. If you look at the number of schools with a golf program for its students and the younger golfers on the links, you’ll see that it’s most likely a trend that will continue. As with any sport, the interest of the young people is a natural part of survival. Without future golf players there is no future to golf.

The basics of golf are rather simple. Actual play can be more diggicult. It has been called addictive, relaxing, demanding, and frustrating. Whatever the allure, it is golf.

By: Sam Shock

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Sam Shock The Basic History of Golf www.amgolfguide.com