Official Golf Training Aids

The history of golf is actually unclear. But generally, it was said that the Scots were the earliest golf addicts. However, up to now it is still in open debate if it was the Dutch, Chinese or Scottish who really created golf. Hence, the most recognized history of golf is that this sport started off in the 1100s in Scotland.

Different forms of games resembling golf were played as early as the fourteenth century by sportsmen in Holland, Belgium, Netherlands and France as well as in Scotland. In fact, it was first mentioned in the Netherlands in the year 1297 in a city so called Loenen aan de Vecht.

In here it was said that the Dutch played a game with a stick and leather ball. And whoever hit the ball into a target that is several hundreds of meters away with the most number of times, will won.

Early Golf Course

Historically, golf courses have not had eighteen holes before. As a matter of fact, the course that emerged at St. Andrews, in Fife, featured eleven holes, laid out end to end from the clubhouse to the far end of the property that they bought along the sea. A player must play all the holes out, then turn around, and finally play the holes in, for a total of 22 holes all in all.

Hence, in 1764, a number of the original holes were believed too short, and so were therefore combined. Likely, the total number was then reduced from 11 to nine, thus the complete round of the links comprised 18 holes over all.

Early Equipments

Early clubs featured carved wooden heads of beech, dogwood, holly, pear or apple and merged into shafts of ash or hazel to give the club more beat. Consequent improvements were made by filling the back of the head with lead and by putting inserts of horn, leather, or bone into the club face.

Hence, later on, skilled blacksmiths took on the challenge of forging iron faced clubs, initially without grooves, to provide more loft for shorter shots.

On the other hand, the earliest balls were hand stitched leather, and meticulously stuffed with boiled feathers. Hence, in 1618, James I of England ordered James Melvill and an associate to create feathery balls for their court.

Early Organizations

The earliest clubs created outside of Scotland was the Royal Blackheath Golf Club of England in the year 1766, and then followed by the Old Manchester Golf Club on the Kersal Moor in 1818. Hence, in 1873, the Royal Montreal Club was formed, while the Quebec Golf Club was created in 1875 followed by a golf club at Toronto in 1876.

More likely, golf resurfaced in the United States in 1888. Consequently, a Scotsman, John Reid, first built a three-hole course in Yonkers, New York near his home resulting to the formation of the St. Andrew Club Yonkers on that same year.