Golf History – where did it all start?

In 1354 a derivative of Flanders hockey was named “chole” – it was probably the antecedent of golf as we know it. A hundred years later “gowf” (along with soccer) was banned by the Scots parliament to preserve the skill of archery, which was important at the time as they were at war with the English. In 1502 the ban was lifted and the first recorded purchase of golf clubs was made by James IV. Queen Catherine later remarked on the growing popularity of golf in England. Mary Queen of Scots upped the game when, shortly after the death of her husband, she was the first woman in golf’s history to be seen playing the sport.

The game was then banned and unbanned several times until King James of Scotland confirmed the right of the people to play. In 1641 Charles I was playing at Leith when he heard of the Irish rebellion, marking the beginning of the English Civil War. Like the gentleman he was, he made sure to finish his round.

“A solemn match of golf” between Alexander Elphinstone and Captain John Porteous in 1743 became the first match ever reported in a newspaper. A year later the first golf club ever is formed and called ‘The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers’.

In 1754 the golfers at St. Andrews (the first 18-hole golf course) bought a silver trophy cup for an open championship. Then the first Pro was hired by the Edinburgh Burgess Society - he had been the greenkeeper at the time. Bing Crosby died after completing a round of golf in Spain.

While members of the North Berwick club began to include women in their activities in 1832, other forward thinking included the invention of the “guttie” in 1848, which flew further than the feathery and was a great deal less expensive. This contributed greatly to the expansion of the game. “The Golfers Manual” by H.B. Farnie was published and was the first book to teach golf techniques. 1880 saw, via the use of moulds, the first dimples in golf balls after players noticed that scuffed balls flew better.

Africa’s first golf club was opened in Wynberg, South Africa in 1885 under the name of ‘The Royal Cape Golf Club’. The phrase ‘bogey’ is coined by Hugh Rotherham who described the hypothetical perfect golfer playing perfect golf at every hole a ‘Bogey Man’. A few years later “a bird of a hole” is called a ‘birdie’ at Atlantic C.C.

A year before golf was placed on the Olympic calendar in 1900 the Western Open was first played in what would evolve into the PGA Tour. The first course at the Carolina Hotel was completed by Donald Ross. Ross would go on to design 600 courses in his well-documented career as a golf course architect.

Five years later women golfers from Britain and the U.S. played an international match where the Brits won six matches to one. A year later the ‘pneumatic’ ball is invented with a core filled with compressed air. Although popular, they had the unfortunate habit of exploding in golfer’s pockets on sunny days and so were discontinued.

1914 saw the formation of The Tokyo Club at Komozawa, which kick-started the Japanese golf boom. Two years later the first miniature golf course opened in North Carolina.

The U.S. Open was discontinued in 1942 for the duration of the war. A worldwide shortage of rubber made the price of golf balls skyrocket. Fours years later Patty Berg is the first winner of the US Women’s open. Three years later Bobby Locke goes on to be the first South African to win the British Open. Gary Player becomes the first foreign player to win The Masters in 1961.

South Africa made golf history, when in 1981 Sol Kerzner created golf's first $1m purse event - the Sun City Million Dollar Challenge.