History of Golf

Golf is a sport played using a set of differently sized and angled clubs to aim a small ball into a hole or cup, distanced anywhere up to around 600 yards away. Each hole is assigned a 'par' score, depending on its length. This par score is the number of shots that a player has available to complete the hole and can be three, four, or five.

 

There are a number of different golfing formats. These include match play and stableford, but the majority of professional tournaments are in the stroke play format. In this format, if a player takes more than the allotted shots on a given hole then it is considered to be an 'over par' score. If they complete the hole in fewer, then this is considered to be 'under par'. Scores from each hole are accumulated over the course of a round, which lasts for 18 holes, and the lowest score wins. In tournament play, the winner can be decided by their aggregate score over several rounds.

The rules of golf are administered by the R&A (formerly the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews) and the US Golf Association and have changed very little since the modern game first originated in 14th century Scotland. Players at all levels adhere to the same rules, with the only variations made to take into account local factors peculiar to individual courses.

At a professional level, golf is a multi-million dollar pursuit, with the top players earning millions for winning the most highly prized tournaments. Financially, the Players Championship held at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida is said to be the largest prize on the men's PGA Tour, with the winner receiving over $1.7m. In terms of recognition, however, the tournaments that the players really want to win are the four majors: the US Open, the PGA Championship, the British Open and the Masters.

Jack Nicklaus, who won his first major at the 1962 US Open and went on to win 18 major titles in total, holds the record for the most major victories, although Tiger Woods, who has 14 wins, certainly has his eye on that record.  

In Ladies golf, five tournaments are currently considered to be major championships (the Ladies versions of the men's majors and the Evian Championship), although in the past a number of other events have also been given this title. In total, Patty Berg currently leads the way with 15 major wins spanning 1937-1958. 

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