Golf is a precision sport that makes use of a ball and club as primary tools. The game is interesting because of its different challenging aspects and rules. Today, amazingly good players like Lorena Ochoa and Tiger Woods contribute a lot to its popularity. The international bodies responsible for governing the sport nowadays are the United States Golf Association as well as the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews, which is based in Scotland. In addition to all these interesting information, it is good to know the other important details about the game including who invented golf.
The Invention of Golf
Who invented golf? Based on historical accounts, there is sufficient evidence that the Scots invented the modern version of the game some time in the 12th century. Based on such records, shepherds living in Scotland were seen hitting stones right into rabbit holes. Today, the site where these people were first seen playing is currently the location of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews.
Until now, the exact origin of the sport remains unclear and is very much subject to debate. A number of historians believe that the game can be traced back to paganica, which is a game of Roman origin. According to this theory, the game was able to reach faraway areas like Europe and Britain when the Romans conquered these places some time in the 1st century B.C.
Aside from this one, another theory considers the Chinese game called chuiwan as the origin of the sport, which was a highly popular game in China some time in the 8th century. Other possible origins of the game include chambot in France, chaugan in Persia as well as cambuca in England. In 1297, a similar game referred to as kolven was played yearly within the Loenen area in Netherlands.
Additional Facts and Other Interesting Information
Stroke mechanics are highly important in the game of golf. For instance, players need to perform the putt especially for short distance shots, the purpose of which is to shoot the ball right into the hole or at least position it closer to the hole. When players are in the surrounding areas of the green, all they have to do is to perform the chip. The primary goal of this move is to put the ball right into the green area. For mid distance shots, players usually use the approach. For long distance shots, it is important to perform the drive.
Today, the game is made popular even more by the presence of professional golf tours, which are monitored by the Professional Golfers’ Association. These include major golf events such as the Sunshine Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and Japan Golf Tour.