Golf is a fascinating game and you can fall in love with it at 2 and keep playing at 92. Also, it is believed to be the only game played on the Moon and in outer space, as far as we can confidently say. which is a universal game. There are many interesting circumstances surrounding its origin, rules, famous players and achievements on the field and in this post you will find a compilation of just some of the most curious facts.

Origin of golf

There are many debates about the origin of golf and the Chinese claim that a similar game was played in their country in the 10th century. Today, however, there are two countries that can claim to be the homeland of modern golf: the Netherlands. and Scotland. A game similar to golf, called apocryphal, was developed in the Netherlands in the Middle Ages and the first record of it dates back to February 26, 1297. It was played with a club and a ball and the objective was to get the ball into a target multiple times. a hundred meters away with the fewest number of blows. There are some historians who also claim that in the 17th century the Dutch played a game of colf / kolf in which they had to put a small ball into a hole. Colf was considered a dangerous game at the time and there are several documents showing that it was prohibited, one of which is from 1360, when the Brussels council declared that anyone who plays colf will be fined 20 shillings or their coat will be confiscated. . However, the game did not disappear but prospered. The first recorded game of kolf / colf was played by Dutch settlers from Fort Orange (present-day Albany, New York) in December 1650. Interestingly, the game was played throughout the year, including on ice during winter.

On the other hand, the Scots claim that the modern game of golf, as played today over 18 holes, originated in Scotland. It is curious that the actual written evidence of this comes from a document issued by the Scottish Parliament and King James II of Scotland in 1457 that bans golf and football as they distract men from their military practice. There were later similar Laws in 1471 and 1491, where golf was even described as “an unprofitable sport”. It is also rumored that Mary, Queen of Scots, played golf after the murder of her second husband.

Overall, golf proved to be a worthy game that survived through the centuries despite numerous prohibitions and was loved by the masses and the nobility alike.

Interesting stories from the history of modern golf

Golf is played all over the world and not only. On February 9, 1967, while on the Moon to conduct scientific experiments, Alan B. Shepard used a modified six iron to hit a golf ball. At the same time, his colleague Edgar Mitchell threw a javelin and thus they competed in what Mitchell later described as “the first lunar Olympics”. The golf ball and javelin are still on the Moon, while the iron can be seen at the USGA Golf House in Far Hills, NJ.

Golf was replayed off-limits to Earth on November 22, 2006, this time in open space, when Russian cosmonaut Michael Tyurin hit a golf ball while on his fourth spacewalk. The ball weighs only 3 grams, while a standard golf ball weighs 48 grams, to avoid damaging the space station should you hit it.

Some curious facts related to golf have Asian origin. In Japan, golfers have “hole-in-one” insurance. This is to cover their expenses in case they dig a hole in one, because the tradition is to invite all your friends to a party with gifts to share the luck. In China, however, despite claiming to have something to do with the origin of golf, the development of new golf courses was prohibited. Well, it doesn’t mean it’s stopped because investors simply avoid declaring that they are building a golf course when submitting plans for approval.

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What does golf mean?

There is a popular myth that the word golf has nothing to do with the old Dutch or Scottish words for colf / kolf or gowf, but rather is an acronym that means “For Gentlemen Only, Forbidden For Ladies”. It’s interesting what Marlene Hagge, co-founder of the LPGA Tour, would say about that. Or Annika Sorenstam, considered the best golfer of all time.