Golf Goes Overseas

Golf Goes Overseas: Golf was originated in Scotland during the fifteenth century. The game became immensely popular among the Scottish people. With the increasing popularity of the game, golf spread across the borders in other European countries. By the nineteenth century, the game got the status of an international sport.

The British Empire, with its colonial power, played a key role for the popularity of golf overseas. The Industrial Revolution caused drastic social and economical changes during the Victorian era. With the invention of railways, traveling from place to place became easier. Numerous golf clubs came into existence and people had option to avail the opportunity of playing in the clubs.

The Royal Blackheath was the first golf club established outside Scotland. The club was founded near London in 1766. the South Carolina Golf Club was founded in Charlestown in 1786. Among the British colonies, India was the first place where a golf club was established at Bangalore in 1820; the name of the club was Bangalore Club. The Royal Calcutta was founded in 1829 and the Royal Bombay in 1842. In 1856, Royal Curragh was established in Ireland, and the Pau in France. Some of the other golf clubs set up during this period are the Adelaide, Royal Montreal, Cape Town, St. Andrew’s of New York and Royal Hong Kong.

Before the invention of the metallic clubs and gutta percha balls, the equipments were handmade. For this reason, playing golf was much expensive for the common people. However, in the nineteenth century, they could afford the cheaper golf equipments and as a consequence, the game became international.