It’s official: the popularity of the already-popular sport of golf soared in 2020 and 2021 with the advent of the pandemic. People had more time on their hands and with social distancing being the norm, the sport was one way to go. But have you ever thought about how golf was invented and its history? Gumtree did some digging just for you.
The history of golf:
The history of golf:
- The origin of golf has been debated over the years. The two schools of thought are as follows: It dates back to paganica, a Roman sport that involved a bent stick used to hit a leather ball stuffed with wool or feathers. It is also said to be like chuiwan, a Chinese game that required a stick to hit a ball while walking.
- There were also a series of other stick and ball games that could be the progenitors including cambuca (Celtic), chambot (France) and shinty (Scotland).
- In 1819, William Ousley, an English traveller, declared that golf was similar to the Persian game, chaugán, which is also known as the ancestor of polo.
- Golf became a popular sport in Great Britain in the 17 th century.
- In 1860, the first season of the British Open tournament was convened, which continues till date.
- In the United States, the then governing body of golf – the United States Golf Association (USGA) was established in 1895. In 1916, the current authority of golf – the Professional Golf Association of America – was founded.
- In South Africa, golf was first played in 1885 on the Waterloo Green near Cape Town.
