Golf in Scotland

English Salomé Morand – 2mg03

Golf in Scotland

Golf It’s a sport, playing all over the world. Every year there are tournament in some countries. But the capital of Golf is St-Andrews in Scotland.

History The origin of the game of golf has never been clearly established. The Romans during the reign of Caesar played a game resembling golf by striking a feather-stuffed ball with club-shaped branches. Book illustrations show the Dutch playing a similar game on their frozen canals about the 15th century. In 1457 golf was banned in Scotland because it interfered with the practice of archery, which was vital to the defense effort. In 1491 it was decreed that "no place in the realm there be use Football, Golf or other unprofitable sports". Nevertheless the Scots continued to brave the opposition of both Parliament and church by playing the game on seaside courses called links. Despite these attempts to outlaw its playing, golf was enjoyed by James IV, James V and Mary Queen of Scots (who is said to have popped out for a game after successfully plotting to murder her husband, Lord Darnley). James VI was also an avid player and encouraged the game in London when he became King of England in 1603. St. Andrews is now regarded as the home of golf. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club (known as the R&A), was founded in 1754. It is the world governing body for the game and is based in St. Andrews, along with the "Old Course" - perhaps the world's most famous golf course. The Old Course is a public course (a tradition widespread in Scotland, where the City Council owns and maintains the course) and as such is open to locals and visitors for a modest fee. During the 1800s the gutta-percha ball, or "gutty," replaced the feather-filled ball that had been used for centuries. The world's first professional golf tournament was held in Prestwick (on Scotland's West coast) in 1860, and the first British Open Championship was held there in the following year. The first permanent golf club in North America, Canada's Royal Montreal Club, was founded in 1873. St. Andrews, one of the oldest golf clubs in the United States, was established as a 3-hole layout in 1888 at Yonkers, N.Y. Its founders were known as the "Apple Tree Gang" because of the many apple trees on their course, which was extended to 6 holes on a cow pasture. During the next few years numerous 6-, 8-, 9-, and 12-hole courses were opened in the East. The first 18-hole course in the United States, the Chicago Golf Club, was founded near Wheaton, Ill., in 1893. English Salomé Morand – 2mg03

The rules The first known Rules of Golf date from 1744 and were formulated for the Annual Challenge for the Edinburgh Silver Club. These thirteen rules which form the oldest code read as follows:

1. You must Tee your Ball, within a Club's length of the Hole. 2. Your Tee must be upon the Ground. 3. You are not to change the Ball which you Strike off the Tee. 4. You are not to remove, Stones, Bones or any Break Club for the sake of playing your Ball, Except upon the fair Green/& that only/within a Club's length of your Ball. 5. If your Ball comes among Watter, or any Wattery Filth, you are at liberty to take out your Ball & bringing it behind the hazard and Teeing it, you may play it with any Club and allow your ambersant and a Stroke for so getting out your Ball. 6. If your Balls be found anywhere touching one another, You are to lift the first Ball, till you play the last. 7. At Holling, you are to play your Ball honestly for the Hole, and, not to play upon your Adversary's Ball, not lying in your way to the Hole. 8. If you shou'd lose your Ball, by its being taken up, or any other way, you are to go back to the Spot, where you struck last & drop another Ball, And allow your Adversary a Stroke for the misfortune. 9. No Man at Holling his Ball, is to be allowed, to mark his way to the Hole with his Club or, any thing else. 10.If a Ball be stopp'd by any person, Horse, Dog or any thing else, The Ball so stop'd must be play'd where it lyes. 11.If you draw your Club, in order to Strike & proceed so far in the Stroke, as to be bringing down your club; If then, your Club shall break, in, any way, it is to be Accounted a Stroke. 12.He, whose Ball lyes farthest from the Hole is obliged to play first. 13.Neither Trench, Ditch, or Dyke, made for the preservation of the Links, nor the Scholar's Holes or the Soldier's Lines, Shall be accounted a Hazard; But the Ball is to be taken out/Teed/and play'd with any Iron Club.

The last rule appears to be a local rule, but the other twelve all pertain to the general principles of how the game was played at that time.

Six other societies, apart from the Honourable Company, issued their own Rules of Golf between 1754 and 1786. They varied in size and content from 6 rules for Crail in 1786 and 22 rules for Aberdeen in 1783.1

1 Information taken from The Rules of the Green - A History of the Rules of Golf by Kenneth G. Chapman (1997) and A Round of History at the British Golf Museum by Peter N. Lewis, Fiona C. Grieve and Elinor R. Clarke. English Salomé Morand – 2mg03

The FAQs FAQs means Frequently Asked Questions.

Why is it called GOLF? As far as we know, there is no definite answer as to why the game of golf is so called. The term seems to have originated from the old Scots words golve, gowl or gouf and is possibly borrowed from medieval Dutch (colf being club and “spel metten colven” being game (played) with club - this was a Dutch game resembling golf). As time has passed, the name has remained and been refined to golf, as we know it today. You will still hear older Scottish golfers refer to the game as the Gowf, keeping the older Scots name in use. Indeed, a golf club in Ayrshire is still called Loudoun Gowf Club today.

What does LINKS mean? A golf links is a stretch of land near the coast characterised by undulating terrain, often associated with dunes, infertile sandy soil and indigenous grasses such as marram, sea lyme and the fescues and bents which, when properly managed, produce the fine textured, tight turf for which links are famed.

Why do golfers shout FORE? As is often the situation with questions about the origins of golfing terms, there really isn't a definite answer. It seems that the term fore has some relation to the forecaddie. The forecaddie was a person employed to go ahead of players to mark the lie of balls in play. It may be that, over time, the word forecaddie was shortened when yelled as a warning to this person and the word has remained in use since. In 1881, Robert Forgan in his book, The Golfer's Handbook, makes the following reference "...shouts "Fore!" to give the alarm to anyone in his way." indicating that the term has been used for a long time.

Sources

Just about the golf :  http://www.britishgolfmuseum.co.uk/  http://www.geocities.com/Augusta/6235/history.html

Sports in Scotland :  http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/scotland/sports.html

Rules of Golf :  http://www.randa.org/index.cfm? cfid=8365824&cftoken=90882042&action=rules.home  http://www.saint-andrews.co.uk/golf.htm  http://www.britishgolfmuseum.co.uk/the_first_rules_of_golf.htm

History of golf : English Salomé Morand – 2mg03

 http://www.golfing-scotland.com/history.asp

Questions:  http://www.britishgolfmuseum.co.uk/faq.htm