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History of Golf

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The Birth of Golf

The birth place of golf originated in the 15th century on the eastern coast of Scotland in the Kingdom of Fife. Players would hit a pebble shaped ball around a natural course of sand dunes, rabbit runs and tracks using a hand crafted club or stick.

Some historians and university scholars believe that Cholie from Belgium and Kolvien from Holland first considered a game that vaguely resembles golf. Golf as we know it today was introduced into Scotland in 1421 and became the game we refer to as golf. However, while these games are based upon stick and ball games, they lack the pivotal parts of the golf game that we see today, that being the golf hole and reference tee blocks. The birth place of golf can be said, without any hesitation, to originate from the eastern parts of Scotland.

The most crucial period in the history of the evolution of the golf, was believed to be in the mid 15th century. It is believed that during this time and after the British army had invaded Scotland, that King James II (king of England) banned all sports, including soccer and golf within the Scottish community. During the time when golf was banned, people ignored military order’s and continued to play golf until such a time that the bill was lifted, some 25 years later. By this time, golf had slowly spread around Scotland and only decades after the ban was lifted, golf was introduced into England. It was believed that the introduction of golf into England was directly associated with King James II and his military noblemen.

The royal endorsement of the game of golf in the early 16th century resulted in the status and popularity of golf to explode rapidly. After the passing of King James II, King Charles I invested his time heavily to popularise the game, while Mary Queen of Scots introduced the game to Europe. The term ‘caddy’ in golf derives from French the military cadets, as they would carry essential military gear alongside their superior military soldiers, similar to caddy carrying golf equipment for professional golfers today.

The first golf course was constructed near Edinbugrh, England and was named Leith. The course was opened in approximately 1641, as historian have detailed news articles about the monumental achievement. The news featured King Charles I playing a golf match against another royal family member. However, it wasn’t until 1682 that the first international golf match was held. The first international golf match resulted in the Duke of York and George Patterson of Scotland defeating two English military noblemen of the English Army. After the first international golf match, golf quickly become the premier sport in Scotland and England and eventually ended up populating the world.

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The Modern Golf Game

The rules of the modern golf game has not dramatically changed all that much since the dawn of golf. Basically all that has changed since the dawn of golf is the equipment (balls and clubs) as well the technique and mechanics behind how to hit, pitch and putt the modern golf ball. The modern golf club and golf ball include the most recent and state of the art technologies to try and give the modern golfers the upper hand. This isn't always the case however, as the modern layout of the golf course has also changed providing golfers with a real challenge only dreamt of in medieval times.

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