History Of Golf: Where Did It Originate?
You’re sitting in another boring college history class. As you open your mouth up wide to yawn, the instructor finishes telling the class what will be discussed today:
The history of golf.
Suddenly, you sit straight up in your chair at perfect attention. Your eyes are wide open, and your pen is poised over your paper to begin taking notes.
Let’s begin.
It all started out with a simple stick and a rock. Man took these two items and decided to create a way to entertain himself. After all, what else was there to do for fun before the 15th century that didn’t involve beheadings and fighting wars? Although the game of golf started out by man swinging a stick towards a rock in order to propel it into a certain direction, this was the way that many current sports games started. Just about any place or country you could find a stick and a rock, you could find golf, baseball, tennis, lacrosse, or hockey!
As you might assume, however, when a great game such as golf was invented, EVERYONE wanted to claim that it was their country’s idea. For example, the country of Scotland claims that it invented the game. But then again, so does Italy, China, England, France, Holland, Belgium, and countries far away in Asia. Games that resembled golf in other countries included ‘paganica’ in Italy. This was a game that involved using a stick and a rock to hit a target. In Scotland, the same game was referred to as ‘shinty.’ In the country of Laos, it was called ‘khi’, and in China it was called ‘ch’ui wan’, which translates into ‘beating a ball’.
Some of these games were played before the year 300 B.C. – so to be able to pinpoint exactly where it started would be nearly impossible! Historians themselves have only one answer as to who invented golf: They just don’t know! Golf may be one of those games that was so great, and so many people loved to try it, that it really had no origin. It was born when the Earth was born, and it is universal in its popularity!
One thing that sways popular belief to accept that the modern game of golf began in Scotland is the fact that the hole was first used here. And today, as you know, without the golf hole, there is no golf. It is believed that rabbits, who often made their homes and play areas along the Scottish coast inside these holes. After a while, some people began to play with their sticks and rocks, trying to get the rock into the rabbit hole. This began the modern game of golf. It became so popular in Scotland, that Kind James II banned it on Sundays to bring focus back on another sport – archery.
Over the centuries, golf has become more and more popular all over the world. Even though no one knows where the game was truly born, we all know one thing – just about everyone enjoys playing it!
Matthew Hick
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/history-of-golf-where-did-it-originate-70604.html
what is the history behind the choice of exactly 18 holes for a golf course? Why not an even 20 or 24?
I was told once that it was because in Scotland where golf originated, one of the original architects of the modern game of golf said that it took exactly 18 shots of whisky to finish off a bottle while you played. As interesting as this sounds, I’m sure there has to be a better expalaination. After about 10 shots I’d be face down in the pond along with my clubs and the cart.
Scottish courses were only several greens with multiple approaches.
Some had only three holes, played at three different approaches or pin settings.
Players tried to make the courses more uniform in different areas and eventually came up with nine, as the most common.
Some of the longer play holes were broken into two.
They played nine out, and sometimes were far from the starting point so they play nine back, approaching from the opposite direction. There was no conflict with other groups except when sharing greens.
They felt that playing eighteen instead of nine would also average out more evenly.
Some say that the flask would last through nine holes, and more affluent players carried a spare, enabling them to plat nine holes back!
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Scottish courses were only several greens with multiple approaches.
Some had only three holes, played at three different approaches or pin settings.
Players tried to make the courses more uniform in different areas and eventually came up with nine, as the most common.
Some of the longer play holes were broken into two.
They played nine out, and sometimes were far from the starting point so they play nine back, approaching from the opposite direction. There was no conflict with other groups except when sharing greens.
They felt that playing eighteen instead of nine would also average out more evenly.
Some say that the flask would last through nine holes, and more affluent players carried a spare, enabling them to plat nine holes back!
References :
the standardization of 18 holes can be credited to St. Andrews.
Prior to the mid-1760s – and right up until the early 1900s – it was common to find golf courses that were comprised of 12 holes, or 19, or 23, or 15, or any other number.
Then, around 1764, St. Andrews converted from 22 holes to 18 holes. The reason? Well, everyone knows 18 holes are easier to take care of than 22!
Eighteen holes did not become the standard until the early 1900s, but from 1764 onward, more courses copied the St. Andrews model. Then, in 1858, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews atated a match would consist of 18 holes between members.In 1867, Old Tom Morris advised Carnoustie when they extended their ten holes to eighteen holes, apparently the second course to do so after St Andrews.
Montrose also dates to about this time. In 1810 it had at least 7 holes played as a round of 17 holes. By 1825, there were 14 separate holes, which became 11 holes played as a round of 17 holes, as detailed on a scorecard of 1849. However, by 1866 there were 25 holes, played in a recorded competition in 1866. So it would in theory have been possible to play 18 holes at Montrose at this time. Later, in 1871 the Town Council proposed alterations to the land use, which reduced the playing area , though these developments were not fully implemented until years later. The recompense they offered was a new golf course, referred to as the New Circular Course which was officially opened on Saturday 29th September 1888. There is a map, made in 1903, of the 18 hole course of 1896. This was after further course developments and with more being planned.
By about 1875, Old Tom Morris had, amongst other improvements to bunkers, greens and fairways, created separate teeing areas at St Andrews, which produced the present layout. Many credit Old Tom with the creation of the manicured golf course that we see today.
However, the Old Course, like most early courses, has the ninth hole as the furthest away from the clubhouse. The first nine are still the ‘out’ nine, then you turn to play back ‘in’. It was not until well into the twentieth century that the convention of two circles of nine holes, beginning and ending near the clubhouse, became fashionable.
From 1872, the British Open golf championship was held annually in rotation at Prestwick, St Andrews and Musselburgh, where the three sponsor clubs were based. The contest was over 36 holes and it was, therefore, three rounds when it was held at Prestwick, two rounds when at St Andrews and four rounds at Musselburgh. The competition must have created comparison of the courses and the 18 holes at St Andrews would have seemed the most appropriate.
Thus, in 1882, Prestwick expanded its course to 18 holes and in 1891 when the Honourable Company built Muirfield they created 18 holes in the first year. As they sponsored the Open, the championship moved with them from Musselburgh to Muirfield. With the three foremost clubs in the world using 18 holes, this set the norm for a golf round.
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews were given control of the Rules of Golf in the UK in 1897, and this would have added further weight to the 18 hole round, although it does not appear to have been laid down as a ‘stipulated round’ in the Rules of Golf until 1950. (It was however the default round for a golf match from 1933.) As late as 1919, when the Royal and Ancient took over sole control of running the Open, half of all the golf courses in Britain were still built as 9-hole courses.
Other early 18 holes course include Gullane which extended the seven holes it had in 1840 to 15 holes in 1878 and finally to 18 holes in 1884. It was also the first to follow St Andrews in having three golf courses. The third course at Gullane (Gullane 3) was completed in 1910, a facility St Andrews had in 1897 though not all the St Andrews’ courses were 18 holes until 1905, when the Jubilee course was extended from 12 to 18 holes.
Therefore the reason why golf courses are 18 holes is partly at least an accident of history
References :
scottishgolfinghistory.net
you are right, it took exactly 18 shots (from the bottle) to finish the bottle and he took one shot (from the bottle) per hole
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I’m told the same story you do but with slightly different details. It is said that there four person within a group. The scothman will take a bottle of whiskey and pour four small whisky glasses one for each of them per one hole. After nine holes, they will finish a bottle and hence the nineth hole lead back to the club house where they would get another bottle for another nine holes. By which time the four of them finish up the second bottle, they all drunk and can’t play any more. That’s why there are 18 holes. I am really rather puzzled by the way Tennis is counted: i.e. 15 love, 30 love, 40 love and game???
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See here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golf
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