History of Golf
The history of golf has featured a major controversy over the exact origins of the game. This debate was recently reignited by some evidence uncovered in China.
When you attempt to discuss the history of golf and want to speak of the origins of the game, you pretty much have to choose your side. Scholars have been engaged in debate for some time over the exact origin of the game. While it is commonly felt that the game originated in Scotland during the Middle Ages, a strong case can be made for alternative versions. One of the earliest mentions of a golf like game records it taking place in the Dutch city of Loenen aan de Vecht on the 26th of February, 1297.
The Dutch origin argument is supported also by the fact that a golf like game was being played in the Netherlands in the 17th century, and supporters of this side of the debate claim that the Scottish word, golf, is just a rendering of the Dutch word, kolf, that means a club or stick. Although "gowf" is mentioned twice in the 15th Century Acts of the Scottish Parliament, many people think this actually referred to a game that was a bit more like modern field hockey rather than modern golf.
The Scots do not abandon their claim to being the originators of modern golf, however, and it was certain that a true golf-like game was being played at the Musselburgh Racecourse in 1672. In fact, there are some that believe that evidence shows that Mary, Queen of Scots, was playing there in 1567, one hundred and five years earlier.
Right in the middle of all this historical controversy, a new claim was made in 2005 by China. Some very strong evidence shows a game being played that looks very much like modern golf. This game was popular at least 500 years earlier than the earliest Scottish reference to the game. The Chinese version even featured different types of clubs that very much resembled woods and irons of today. The clubs were very fancy and inlaid with jade suggesting it was a game for the nobility and the rich.
The modern game really was born in Scotland. The famous St. Andrews course started out with 11 holes that were laid out to match the topography of the land. The players would play out, and turn around and play back. This gave a total of 22 holes. In 1764, they decided that some of the holes were too short, so they combined them down to 9 holes. Now, playing both ways yielded 18 holes, and that number has remained with us as the standard ever since.