Golf
Golf is one of the most common and challenging sports
today. The game is played in a beautiful environment with a green grassy
surface surrounded by trees and different species of plants. The majority of
people consider golf as a perfect way to make more friends and relax after a long day of work. However, the game demands
experience and great skills necessitating long practice hours on a daily basis.
In comparison to any other sport, golf has a rich history, different
tournaments, and numerous rules that players must abide by as they play.
History
and Development of Golf
Historians have attempted to establish the origin of
golf. The majority believe that golf originated during the 15th
century. Much controversy surrounds its origin, with different historians
tracing it to different countries including Belgium, the Netherlands, and
Scotland. There is also evidence that the ancient Romans played a similar game
using leather balls and sticks (Newell, 2004).
Regardless of these controversies on its true
beginnings, it is well documented that the Scottish developed the game of golf
to what it is today. Early recorded history indicates that the game was
extensively played in Scotland because in 1457, the Scottish parliament voted
to ban the game all over the country because many soldiers were dedicating much
of their time to playing golf rather than practicing (Newell, 2004). In
addition, numerous bans that followed including one by the church prohibited
playing of the game on the Sabbath. In the sixteenth century, King James VI of
Scotland overturned the previous bans and became an avid player of golf. Over
time, the majority of royals embraced the game, making it the game of royal
families across Britain (Pinner, 1988).
The first golf course was situated in St. Andrews,
Scotland. Evidence shows that golf was played in this region as early as 1552.
In 1754, golf was formalized in St. Andrews through creation of the Royal and
Ancient Golf Club (Pinner, 1988). The first open tournament was organized by
the club and played at Prestwick. In the U.S., the first golf was played in
1786 at Charleston, South Carolina. Over time, golf has developed to involve
numerous clubs across the world. Different bodies, including the R&A and
the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA), have been formed to deal with the
creation of basic rules of playing the game, as well as organization and
management of major tournaments (Newell, 2004).
Golf Balls
The earliest artificial golf balls were made of thin
leather bags that were stuffed with feathers. The major disadvantage of these
balls was that they could not fly very far. In 1848, the Reverend Adam Paterson
invented the gutta-percha balls, which could fly a maximum distance of 225
yards. In search of balls that could fly longer distances, Coburn Haskell
introduced the first rubber-cored ball that could fly approximately 430 yards
in 1898. During the early golfing periods, all golf balls were smooth. However,
most players noticed that these balls travelled further as they became old and
scarred. Consequently, the majority of players took new balls and pitted them
intentionally. In 1905, William Taylor, a golf ball manufacturer, began adding
dimples to the Coburn Haskell ball, which explains the modern form of the golf
ball (Newell, 2004).
Golf Clubs
Golf clubs are used to hit and direct the balls to
destination points. They have evolved from wooden shafts to modern sets of iron
and wood with weight distribution, graduation utility, and durability. Golf
club evolution occurred as golf balls evolved to ensure that they withstand
harder whacks.
Caddies and Carrying
Golf bags first came into use during the 1880s. A
caddie was an individual tasked with carrying golfing equipment for players. In
1962, Merlin L. Halvorson invented the first engine powered golf car to make
the work of caddies easier (Newell, 2004).
Golf Tees
Golf tees are made from rubber and have vertical rubber
prongs used to hold the ball in place. Two Scottish golfers, Arthur Douglas and
William Bloxsom, documented the first golf tee (Newell, 2004). Golf tees have
also gradually evolved, with modern tees made of a metal spike that can peg the
ground and a cup-shaped top to hold the ball in a better position.
Golf Rules
The first standardized rules of golf were written in
1774 and used in the first golf championship played in Edinburgh, Scotland.
There were approximately thirteen rules that described how the game was to be
played (United States Golf Association, 2013). Since the period, golf rules
have continuously developed to modern comprehensive guidelines that define the
way in which it should be played. Unlike the old rules, modern rules emphasize
on showing consideration to all players at all times while at the course. The
rules are made to control game spirit, safety, consideration of other players,
scoring, care of the course, and penalties for breach of the rules (United
States Golf Association, 2013).
Golf is played without supervision from an umpire or
referee. It relies on the spirit and integrity of the players to follow set
rules. On safety, players are expected to ensure that other players are not
standing in close range or in a dangerous position before making a stroke. In
addition, a player should not cast a shadow or stand on the line of position of
another player. This is meant to avoid distracting players during their turn of
play. The rules also stipulate that all players must be prepared to play
immediately when it is their time to play. It is also the responsibility of all
the players to take care of the course by avoiding hitting the ground out of
anger or any other reasons. Players that fail to observe these rules can be
prohibited from playing for sometimes or even disqualified from play depending
on the level of breach (United States Golf Association, 2013).
Major Tournaments
The four major prestigious golf tournaments recognized
globally are the British Open Championship, US Masters, US PGA Championship,
and the US Open. These tournaments are held at standardized intervals to allow
professional players from across the world to plan their participation
(Brenner, 2009). In addition, each of these majors has its own qualification
requirements that players must observe, and for many professional golfers,
qualifying to participate in any of these four tournaments is an important
achievement.
The Open Championship of Britain is the oldest of the
major tournaments, and is well recognized for its great tradition. Established
in 1860, this tournament is run by the R&A, which is one of the major golf
governing bodies in the world. R&A is a name derived from the Royal and
Ancient Golf Club located in St. Andrews, Scotland. The tournament is held in
July every year, and takes place in one of the nine golf courses in England or
Scotland. The British Open tournament fields 156 golfers including those that
have earned special qualification from different qualifying tournaments and
those that receive special exemptions based on predefined criteria (Brenner,
2009).
The US Masters was founded in 1934, and takes place in
Augusta, Georgia. This tournament is played on a yearly basis at the beginning
of April, and is known for the green jacket given to the winner and its
picturesque setting. In comparison to all the other tournaments, the US Masters
involves the fewest golfers from across the world based on some specific
qualifications, such as top 50 global golfers and most recent winners of
specific tournaments. In addition, all previous winners of the tournament
receive lifetime participation invitations (Brenner, 2009).
The third tournament, the PGA Championship, is played
in August at a randomly selected course in the United States. The Professional
Golfers’ Association (PGA) of America conducts this tournament. Similar to the
Open Championship, PGA championship fields 156 golfers, with 136 selected from
various tournaments across the world and 20 professional golf instructors or
‘club pros’ (Feinstein, 2007).
The USGA (United States Golf Association) conducts the
U.S. Open, which can be held in any of the various golf courses in the United
States. Held in June, the tournament was founded in 1895 and fields 156 golfers
from across the world. Participants consist of golfers with exemptions to
participate based in certain qualification criteria similar to that of the
Masters tournament. Participants can also earn a spot by participating in sectional
and local qualifying tournaments (Brenner, 2009).
Other major tournaments include the Women’s Majors and
the Senior Men’s Majors. The women’s majors include U.S. Women’s Open, Kraft
Nabisco Championship, Women’s British Open, and Ladies Professional Golf
Association (LPGA) Championship. The senior men’s majors include The Tradition,
the Senior PGA Championship, the Senior Players Championship, Senior British
Open, and the U.S. Senior Open (Feinstein, 2007).
Conclusion
In comparison to any other sport, golf has a rich
history, different tournaments, and numerous rules that players must abide by
as they play. Historians have traced the history of the game to numerous
countries including Netherlands, Belgium, and Scotland. However, Scotland
played a greater role in the development of different aspects of golf including
tournaments and rules of play. Initially, there were only thirteen rules to
control the attitude of players in the field of play. Today, there are numerous
golf rules, the majority of which emphasize on showing consideration to all
players at the course at all times. In addition, there are numerous global golf
tournaments, with the four major ones being the U.S. Masters, British Open, PGA
championship, and the U.S. Open.
References
Brenner, M. G. (2009). The
majors of golf: Complete results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA
Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.
Feinstein, J. (2007). Tales
from Q school: Inside golf's fifth major. New York, NY: Hachette Audio.
Newell, S. (2004). A history of golf. Stroud:
Sutton.
Pinner, J. (1988). The history of golf. New
York, NY: Gallery Books.
United States Golf Association. (2013). Rules and decisions. Retrieved from http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Etiquette/.
GOLF - Google Search. (n.d.). GOLF
- Google Search. Retrieved January 8, 2014, from
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