Golf in Scotland

Fore!! Golf, the sport of Scotland

Golf, everyone knows golf, the game where you hit the little ball into the little hole.  Well, I'm here to tell you a little about the origins of the game, and since we're learning about Scotland this week I bet you can guess where the game started.  Right, Scotland.  The modern version of golf was first mentioned in history in 1457 as the game "gowf".  St. Andrews Golf Club in Scotland is recognized as the "home" of golf but some people debate about even older origins of the game.  Could it be the Roman game of "paganica" where a little ball was hit with a bent stick? Sounds logical.  Or was it the Chinese game of "chuiwan" where a little ball was hit into a cup with a stick?  That sounds right too.  Or the Persian game of "chaugan", etc. etc.  One thing for certain the idea behind golf can't be tied to any one country, however the rules and methods used today ARE direct descendants to the Scottish game.  So we got ourselves an old club at the Salvation Army for $3 (still had an $89 price tag!) and some whiffle balls and practiced on our strokes in the backyard.  Let's just say we are not ready for the real game yet - GOLF IS HARD!