The game of golf has a long and illustrious history, stretching back over five centuries. Its origins are in Eastern Scot­land, during the 15^th century. In the first golf games, players would hit pebbles with sticks around a natural course including hills, sand dunes, ponds, and tracks. There are several contemporary games that were similar, including versions from Belgium and Holland, but only the Scottish version included a hole. While these three stick-and-ball games might have originated from an even more ancient, single source, it’s reasonably clear that the Scottish version was the direct precursor of modern-day golf.

If you were to play a game of golf in the 15^th century, you wouldn’t have quite the same experience as you would have today on a modern golf course. Courses of centuries ago varied a great deal in the amount of holes-from five to 25. St. Andrews established an 18-hole golf course in 1857, and other courses followed suit over the years until the 18-hole course was considered the norm.

Golf requires relatively short grass-but there were no mechanical grass cutters in the 15^th century. The earliest golfers played on what is today referred to as a “links” course. The word “links” refers to the type of terrain, and is derived from the Anglo-Saxon hlinc, meaning “ridge,” dating to around 931 A.D. Links terrain was a rough, grassy area between the sea shore and the land. The grass was naturally short-bladed and the soil was very sandy, with lots of dunes and sand pits, as it was near the beach. The land had little agricultural value, and was thus accessible to golfers. Golf was traditionally played in the winter, when livestock grazed on the land and trimmed the grass.

The earliest balls were made of a leather shell tightly stuffed with feathers. yes”> Clubs were typically made of wood; wrought iron was sometimes used, but sparingly, as it could destroy the feathered balls. Special clubs were adapted to the terrain, such as the “rutting iron,” designed to get a ball out of a wagon wheel rut.

In the middle of the 15^th century, Scotland was preparing to defend itself against English hostilities. The public, however, wasn’t interested in war-they played golf instead of practicing for battle. The king believed golf was a dangerous distraction, and banned it in 1457. It stayed outlawed until 1502, when the king himself took up the sport.

After royalty began to show an interest, the game exploded in popularity. It spread into England and France, where the royal court employed military cadets to help them carry their clubs-hence the term “caddie.”

In the 16^th and 17^th century, the best golf course was at Leith, near Edinburgh. The first golf club, the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith, was formed in 1744 and ran an annual golfing tournament, with a silver golf club for first prize.

The game of golf was introduced all over the world with the spread of the British Empire in the 19^th century. However, it was still an elite sport-the clubs and balls were handcrafted and expensive to produce. Around 1848, golf equipment began to be produced en masse, making it accessible to average people for the first time.

The first major national championship was played at the Prestwick Golf Club in 1860. The tradition evolved into the British Open, and it was around this time that the first professional golf players were seen. There were still not many sponsored championships like the Open to compete in; most professional golfers earned a living by betting against their opponents. They supplemented this by caddying, teaching, and making golf balls and clubs.

At the beginning of the 20^th century, several technological advances made golf both easier and cheaper. One was the Haskell rubber-cored ball, which added about 20 yards to even a beginner’s range. Steel-shaft clubs were even more cheaply produced than the mass-market wooden clubs of earlier times. As a result, golf became even more accessible to beginners.

Golf now has the distinction of being the first sport ever played in space. In February 1971, astronaut Alan Shepard hit a golf ball on the moon during a two-day mission. The swing was one-handed, and impaired by the limited range of motion allowed by his spacesuit. Still, Shepard described the ball as traveling for “miles and miles and miles” in the moon’s gravity, which is a sixth as strong as Earth’s. The ball actually traveled between 200 and 400 yards.

Today, golf is played all over the world-by amateurs at public courses, enthusiasts at private clubs, and professionals at prestigious tournaments. Despite its history as an elite sport, it’s popular among people from all walks of life. Golf has survived for over five centuries, and with its wide appeal and accessibility, chances are it will still be popular in five more.

No matter what the game is, adopting proper etiquettes is an essential part of it, and golf is no exception. The golfers must be aware of certain rules that they need to keep in mind while playing the game. These include manners which help in making the game safe for the players, keeping pace of the play and keeping the field of play (the golf course) in order.

Here are the ones which are most important:

• When swinging your club (playing a stroke), make sure that all the others, including your opponent are at a safe distance. Likewise, you should stay at a safe distance too when he hits the ball.
• If a player plays a wrong stroke that is mistakenly aimed at anyone, shout ‘Fore’ which is an internationally known word to warn players of an error in a stroke.
• When playing a stroke, make sure that everyone, including the audience, is out of your stroke’s range.
• Practice your swing in a safe spot, away from other players.
• Follow the safety instructions listed in the golf cart.
• Keep track of your emotions and never let them make you too childish things such as throwing your club.
• Make proper preparations and make sure that you take your stroke immediately when your turn arrives.
• Try your best to keep pace with the group ahead of you or behind you.
• Don’t waste too much time in finding a lost ball. Incase you decide to follow the rule (five minutes are allotted to find the lost ball), make sure you tell the other group to play through.
• Always take spare (or different sized) clubs with you so that time is not wasted in retrieving them from the cart.
• Try your best to keep the golf cart out of the green patches and hazards.
• Take care (or repair) the areas, including the green and bunkers, after you play your stroke.
• Do not take a divot on while practicing swings.
• Do not talk when the game is in progress, and especially when the other player is taking his stroke.
• Keep your excitement level under control. Do not shout or yell under it.
• Be extremely cautious with other player’s putting line. Do not cross it or walk through it as it can damage it.These are some basic etiquette that you must keep in mind while playing. They help in making the game comfortable and more fun.

As the Ryder Cup clash at Celtic Manor fast approaches, something’s brewing in South Wales that Tiger Woods definitely won’t be happy about. No, it’s not a lap-dancer from Newport threatening to reveal all about an alleged tryst with the world number one in a Sunday red-top – but it does involve pictures of a scantily-clad blonde holding a ball. And it’s a golf ball, before you ask.

The Vale of Glamorgan Brewery, based in Barry, has produced a special beer to celebrate the arrival of Woods in the Principality for the Ryder Cup match. Around 6,000 pints of ‘Tiger Would’ will be sold in pubs throughout Wales, replete with glamour girl logo, and you can bet all the pubs in Newport will face heavy demand for this very special brew. The only question now is, will anyone dare to actually go up to Tiger and present him with a pint of the eponymously named ale?