subject: How To Learn About Golf [print this page] Golf is a sport that more and more people are getting involved in. It requires hitting a ball in a certain direction with the aim of getting it into a hole various lengths away. There many different clubs that golfers can use to hit the ball the price can vary on these but what is history of the sport?
The history of the sport is often debated with many different stories of the origins. One story dates back to the Romans who apparently introduced the sport. Other stories include the introduction from China, from England, from Germany and some more. What is not debated is the origin of the modern game. This dates back to the 15 century in Scotland where the game was banned by James II who considered it to be a unnecessary distraction to people learning archery. The sport then dates back to the Old Course at St Andrews where many golfers go as the birth place of the sport. Although the first recorded game was played at Musselburgh links in Scotland on the 2nd March 1672 and this is recognised as the worlds oldest gold course by the Guinness World Records. The first rules of golf were drafted in 1744 by the company of golfers which was later renamed The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers.
The worlds oldest gold tournament that is still in existence is The Open Championship which is held every year in Scotland. The tournament was first held in 1860 with the first winner being Willie Park Sr. the first 3 years of this tournament did not include a prize fund but in 1863 a 10 pound prize was awarded to the winner. The prize fund for this event now stands at 5,000,000 pounds which shows not only the growth in the tournament but also the growth in the sport. The growth of the sport has been tremendous with Professional Golfers Association (PGA) overseeing this. This association was formed in 1901 and now has over 7000 members. The top players within this sport have become household names with likes of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald all dominating the sport.
In 1900 and 1904 the sport was included in the Olympic regime with Team GB winning silver in 1900. While golf was part of the Olympics the USA dominated the sport with them winning 10 of the 13 medals that were up for grabs throughout the 2 Olympic Games. Since then the sport has not been included in the Olympics however the International Olympic Committee (IOC) met October 2009 and decided to reinstate the sport in the Olympics. The sport will begin featuring again in the Rio De Janeiro 2016 in which many professional golfers have expressed an interest in taking part in the sport.
Playing golf can be healthy as well. Whilst playing golf you are likely to get a lot of cardio vascular exercise as you walk about and put all of your power into a swing. Whilst walking between 18 holes it is possible to walk up to 5 miles so you will get plenty of exercise. With just 30 minutes of exercise 4 days a week you can reduce the risk of heart and other organ problems. As well as this with you being out in the sunlight you are more prone to get the vitamins needed from the sun like Vitamin D although large amounts of exposure to the sun can cause health problems. Finally it can help cheer you up as it is a social activity which is proven to help you cheer up and relieve stress.
Many people do refrain from taking up the sport due to the cost of the sport. As well as needing a gold course to play at you will need golf shoes, 14 golf clubs and gloves. The clubs can be very expensive with prices for decent clubs starting at 200 pounds and finishing above 1000 pounds. When learning you will likely need a few golf balls as you can easily lose them. These do not cost a lot but it does add to the cost. Golf shoes range in price again ranging from anything between 50 pounds and 100 pounds. For a full membership to a golf course for a year prices start from around 1000 pounds for a year, leaving prices to go at least above 4000 pounds for good quality equipment and a course. If you are good at the sport the rewards are huge leaving the sky as the limit with this sport.
