Game Becoming a Sport

Game Becoming a Sport: The origin of the game golf was in the fifteenth century Scotland. The game was banned by the parliament of King James II in 1457. In spite of being banned till 1502, the popularity of the game kept on growing among the Scottish people. In the sixteenth century, St. Andrews Links emerged as the oldest golf course of the world. The old golf courses did not always have eighteen holes like the modern ones. The St. Andrews Links was situated at a narrow strip of land along the sea coast. The players also followed a fixed path through the territory driving the balls into the holes. The number of holes was not fixed during the initial days of the game.

By the seventeenth century, golf became one of the major games in Great Britain, as a result of the royal patronage. As King James IV of Scotland began to play golf, its popularity soared among the masses. The game got the status of a sport with the foundation of the first golf club, the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith in 1744. With this development of golf, the rules for the sport was drafted by Duncan Forbes. The reason behind the foundation of the club was the promotion of an annual competition. Later the club came to be known as the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. In 1768, a club house was established in the club premises.

In 1754, the St. Andrews Society of Golfers was formed. Stroke play was introduced to the golf practice in 1759. Then, in 1764, eighteen-hole golf course was designed. The sport under went radical development during the nineteenth century. The first golf club for women was established in 1895. The Golf Club of the St. Andrews was given the title “Royal & Ancient” in 1834 by King William. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) emerged to be the main golf club of the time.

The golf players also started to use advanced golf clubs and balls during the game. The club heads were made from wood. Iron clubs were also introduced to the game. Initially, the iron clubs were made with hand-forged iron. The balls were made with feathers stuffed in hand-sewn leather. With due time, the sport progressed to such an extent, that hickory and persimmon had to be imported from the United States of America to make club heads and shafts. A number of golf clubs was established during this period and the sport widened its horizon.