Golf in Scotland was first recorded in theScottish late Middle Ages, and the modern game ofgolf was first developed and established in the country. The game plays a key role in thenational sporting consciousness.[1][2]
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club ofSt Andrews, known as the R&A, was the worldgoverning body for the game (except in the United States and Mexico).The R&A, a separate organisation from the club, was created in 2004 as the governing body. The Scottish Ladies' Golfing Association was founded in 1904 and theScottish Golf Union (SGU) in 1920. They merged in 2015 into a new organization, Scottish Golf.
To many golfers, theOld Course at St Andrews, an ancientlinks course dating to before 1574, is considered to be a site of pilgrimage.[3] There are many other famous golf courses in Scotland, includingCarnoustie,Gleneagles,Muirfield,Kingsbarns,Turnberry andRoyal Troon. The world's firstOpen Championship was held atPrestwick in1860,[4] and Scots golfers have the most victories at the Open at 42 wins, one ahead of the United States.
Although golf is often seen as anelitist sport elsewhere in the world, in the land of its birth it enjoys widespread appeal across thesocial spectrum, in line with the country'segalitarian tradition. For example, the Old Course at St Andrews is a charitable trust andMusselburgh Links arepublic courses.Council-owned courses, with low fees and easy access, are common throughout the country whereverdemography andgeography allow. Therefore, golf courses, whether public or private, are far more common in theLowlands than in theHighlands and Islands, whereshinty (a game which may share a common ancestry with golf)[5][6] is often the traditional sport.
Scotland is widely promoted as the "Home of Golf,"[2][7][8][9] and along withwhisky and the long list ofScottish inventions and discoveries,golf is widely seen as being a key national cultural icon throughout the world.[2][10] It is frequently used to market the country to potential visitors, for example for theHomecoming year in 2009, andgolf tourism accounted for approximately 2% of overallScottish tourism spending in 2004.[11] One page that explains the history of golf in Scotland starts off by stating that, "There has been much debate as to the origins of the game and, in some cases, how it was originally played. One thing is certain — the game of golf as we know it was born in Scotland".[12]
Scotland has 587 courses, the most courses per head of any country, with the majority being inGlasgow andEdinburgh.[13]
The wordgolf was first recorded in the 15th century, appearing twice in anact of theScots Parliament of 6 March 1457, in the reign ofJames II. The act, which ordered the holding ofwappenschaws (English:musterings) four times a year for the purpose ofarchery practice, stated that "the fut bal ande the golf" (football and golf) were to be "vtterly criyt done" (condemned; lit. "cried down") and "nocht vsyt" (not engaged in; lit. "not used").[14] Offenders were to be punished by thebarony courts, otherwise they were "to be tane be the kingis officiaris" (arrested by the king's officers).
Football (seeFootball in Scotland) and golf are again both explicitly named and forbidden in two further 15th century Scottishstatutes encouraging archery practice, in 1470 and 1491. The 1470 Act, in the reign ofJames III, again uses the spellinggolf, but the 1491 Act, in the reign ofJames IV, spells itgouff';[15] and variants such asgowf,gowff,gouf became the usual spellings during theEarly Modern Period. TheScottish National Dictionary states that "golf represents a revival of theMiddle Scots form; Loudoun Gowf Club,Newmilns, retains the old form in its title";[16] i.e. the spelling changed from Medievalgolf to Early Moderngowf, and then back again.
TheDictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue gives theetymology of the wordgolf orgouf (with many alternative spellings) as probably from theDutchkolf (seeKolven, a Dutch indoor ballgame); although the dictionary also records the noungolf (with alternative spellingsgolfe orgolph) as deriving fromMiddle Englishgolf orgoulf orOld Frenchgolfe, meaning "a deep pool or hollow; an abyss"; acognate ofmodern Englishgulf.[14]
The exact origins of the sport ofgolf are unclear. The most widely accepted theory is that the modern game of golf originated in Scotland in theHigh Middle Ages.[17] The first golf courses and clubs were established in the country.[18] The first written rules originated in Scotland, as did the establishment of the 18-hole course. The first tournament structures developed and competitions were held between variousburghs. The modern game was spread by Scots to the rest of the world.
The earliest reference to golf is the purchase of a set of golf clubs byJames IV from a bowmaker of St Johnston (Perth) in 1502. Where he played is not known, but it is likely to have been on the open ground called the North Inch at Perth. It is recorded that Robert Maule ofPanmure played golf atCarnoustie in the mid 16th century, as a wager for drink.[19] Around the same time, in 1552,John Hamilton theArchbishop of St Andrews granted the right of the people ofSt Andrews to play golf and gather turf on the links, retaining his rights to the rabbit warrens there.[20]
The Old Links atMusselburgh Racecourse is claimed to be the oldest playing golf course in the world. Evidence has shown that golf was played onMusselburgh Links in 1672, althoughMary, Queen of Scots reputedly played there even earlier in 1567.[21]
An entry in theEdinburgh burgh records for 19 April 1592 includes golf in a list of pastimes to be avoided on the Sabbath.[22] The parish register for neighbouringSouth Leith records the appearance of four parishioners before thekirk session on 7 December 1610 who "confessed they had prophaned the Sabbath be playing at the gowffe in tyme off preaching and thairfore was ordained to mak thair publict repentance the nixt Sabboth."[23]
Golf courses have not always consisted of eighteen holes. TheSt Andrews Links occupy a narrow strip of land along the sea-shore. As early as the 15th century, golfers atSt Andrews established a trench through the undulating terrain, playing to holes whose locations were dictated by topography. The course that emerged featured eleven holes, laid out end to end from the clubhouse to the far end of the property. One played the holes out, turned around, and played the holes in, for a total of 22 holes. In 1764, several of the holes were deemed too short and therefore combined. The number was thereby reduced from 11 to nine so that a complete round of the links comprised 18 holes. Due to the status of St Andrews as the 'home of golf', other courses followed suit and the 18-hole course became the standard which has remained to the present day.
There are now more than 550 golf courses throughout the country, with at least 21 courses inEdinburgh alone.
WhenJames VI succeeded to thethrones of England andIreland in 1603 (seeUnion of the Crowns) a large number of his Scottishcourtiers followed him toLondon. The King resided atGreenwich Palace, and there is documentary evidence that some of these Scottish noblemen played golf onBlackheath, on the hill behind the palace.Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, the king's eldest son, was playing golf in 1606. The Royal Blackheath Golf Club traces its origins from these Scottish noblemen, thus claiming a pre-1745 foundation date. Although it is certainly the oldest English golf club and the oldest outside Scotland, there is no evidence that it is the oldest golf club in the world, as is sometimes claimed.[24][25] This accolade is claimed by The Royal Burgess Golfing Society of Edinburgh who date back to 1735.
The first record of North American golf was a consignment of 96 golf clubs and 432 golf balls which was shipped fromLeith toCharleston,South Carolina, in 1743;[26] and on 29 September 1786 Scottish merchants established the South Carolina Golf Club in Charleston, the first golf club in the United States.[27]
Several Scots golfers are members of theWorld Golf Hall of Fame. Players marked * are also members of theScottish Sports Hall of Fame:
Belle Robertson (born 1936) andJessie Valentine (1915–2006) are all inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame, but not the World Golf Hall of Fame.
The game of golf is one of Scotland's greatest assets. A national icon, thousands of golfers from across the world descend upon the Home of Golf each year to take up the challenge of some of the planet's most famous courses and some of the game's finest hidden gems. Golf is a vital part of Scotland's economy and vitally important to our nation's psyche.
The very first Open Championship was held here in 1860, to determine golf's champion player.
The Royal & Ancient and three public sector agencies are to continue using the Open Championship to promote Scotland as the worldwide home of golf.
Scotland is the home of golf...
Welcome to Scotland, the home of golf...
Golf tourism now accounts for about 2 per cent of overall tourism spending in Scotland...
History of Golf in Scotland
Scottish Golf
in 1743 a shipment of 96 clubs and 432 golf balls were sent from Leith in Scotland to Charleston, South Carolina. Some time later the South Carolina Golf Club was established, the first of the many in the USA.
Scottish merchants formed the South Carolina Golf Club in Charleston. Club members played on Harleston's Green in Charleston until 1800.
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