History of Golf
The history of golf may date all the way back to the Roman Empire. No one knows for sure, but it is believed that the Romans played a game that resembled golf. The Dutch are shown in illustrations playing a game on frozen canals that looks somewhat like golf as well.
But during the history of golf, it was not always a beloved sport. Because they felt it interfered with archery, a sport that was important when defending the country, the Parliment of Scotland banned golf during the 15th century. The Saint Andrews golf course, the world’s oldest course, is in Scotland. Golf spread to England during the 1600s with King James I himself being a fan of the sport. The famed British Open was first played in 1860 making it the oldest game in the Professional Golf Association’s tour.
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Although 6, 8, 9 and 12 hole courses were popular in the East, the first 18 hole golf course in America was not opened until 1893 in Chicago. The next year, the United States Golf Association was formed to govern the sport in America. The PGA was established in 1916.
The history of golf continued during the early 20th century in America with professionals Walter Hagen and Tommy Amour helping advance the popularity of the sport. However during the Great Depression golf, like so many other pastimes suffered. After World War I, some of the true greats of golf such as Ben Hogan and Sam Snead brought the game back to prominence.
Arnold Palmer opened a whole new aspect of the history of golf with his dominance of the sport during the 1950s. In another event that changed the history of golf, Jack Nicklaus became the first golfer to win more than $200,000 in a season in 1971. The Player of the Year for 1989, Tom Kite, brought home a record 1.4 millions dollars. Today, Tiger Woods continues to dominate the professional circuit.