A Brief Article on The History Of Golf

Golf has been played for a long, long time, and still it’s exact origins are unclear. The origin of golf is a much discussed topic and is open to debate as to to whether the Chinese, Dutch or Scottish were the first. History buffs have traced golf history back to a Dutch game called het kolven, then there’s the French and Belgian game called chole, another French game called jeu de mail, and would you believe an English game called cambuca.

Another theory put forward is that golf evolved from croquet, in my opinion they must have been drinking quite heavily to come up with that one, it’s more plausible that it’s the other way around. The arguments still continue to this day as to who first played golf, but the undeniable fact with regard to the origins of golf is, that golf was first played in the form we know it in Scotland.

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers in a village called Gullane, near Edinburgh Scotland, is recognized as the first organized golf-club, they reside at Muirfield and claim their club was already formed in 1744.

The first British Open was played in 1860 and was won by Willie Park snr at Prestwick Golf Club with a score of 174. The oldest championship in all of golf, the British Open – which is commonly known simply as “The Open,” is the third event to be played during the year of the four major tournaments in golf. The Open Championship still holds tight the roots of its prestigious history; spending its formative years exclusively in Scotland, the tournament retains a rich Scottish vein.

The Open Golf Championship was first played 35 years before the U.S. Open arrived and has been a global event since the turn of the century with the U.S. Open moving in that direction for the last decade. But “The Open” will always have the honour of being the most prestigious and most sort after piece of silverware in the history of golf.

Many historians believe that golf was played in America during the colonial period, but no documented proof can be found anywhere. When the golf boom got a grip of the USA in the 20th century, America became the world leader in great players. By 1900, the explosion of the game in America was complete.  As proven by the fact that at the turn of the century, there were more golf-clubs in the United States of America than there were in Britain.

In 1996 a young golf prodigy called Tiger Woods burst onto the scene. He won eight times in 1999, nine times in 2000, and won the four major championships in succession in 2000-2001, starting with the U.S. Open in 2000, this later became known as the “Tiger Slam”. Should his career be as impressive in his 30s and 40s as it has been in his 20s, he will assume the mantle of “best player ever.” And take over from jack Nicklaus as the greatest golfer in the history of this amazing game.

Not many people believed it was possible to challenge Jack Nicklaus’s Major Golf Championship record, but it may well be that in the not too distant future, Tigers Record in Majors will be the one all Professional Golfers have to aspire to.