Golf St Andrews
Golf in St Andrews
The birthplace of Golf
Golf - St Andrews is the birthplace of the sport of golf, and the keeper of many great golfing memories.
The excellent British Golf Museum here in St Andrews offers golfing enthusiasts an intriguing insight into the game. Through diverse displays, enthralling exhibitions and fascinating facts from around the globe, the Golf Museum paints a thorough picture of golfing history.
The first surviving written reference to golf in St Andrews is contained in Archbishop Hamilton's Charter of 1552. There is also later reference to St Andrews as the 'Metropolis of Golfing' which dates back to 1691 is as appropriate to golfers today.
In Archbishop Hamilton's Charter, he reserves the right of the people of the area to use the links land 'for golff, futball, schuteing and all gamis'. This tradition led to the creation of possibly the most famous course in the world. A course that has hosted the world's most prestigious tournaments since 1873 with the Open Championship and on to the Alfred Dunhill Cup, Walker Cup, Scottish Amateur Championships, Amateur Championship and others.
Twenty two noblemen and gentlemen from the county of Fife founded the 'Society of St Andrews Golfers' in 1754. The club gained the patronage of King William IV in 1834 and gained the title "Royal and Ancient Golf Club".
A round of 18 holes then? When the game was started, there was no standard number of holes on a golf course. What is now the Old Course for example had 22 holes until about 1764, when four were merged.
No one really knows when this was unanimously agreed as the standard for all golf courses, but in the year 1858, the Royal and Ancient issued new rules for its members.
Rule 1 stated; one round of the Links or 18 holes is reckoned a match unless otherwise stipulated'
It is recorded that the Duke of Montrose purchased some clubs in 1628 from James Pett of St Andrews. Henry Mill of St Andrews was a main supplier of clubs to the university students in 1713.
A history that includes many famous professionals, Kings, Queens and amateurs alike, all united in the story of the game that spans over 500 years. The fascinating collection of equipment reveals as much about man's innovation as it does about his enthusiasm for the game.
The Links
Links; players used the terminology to describe the strip of land between the beach and agricultural land. A stretch of land considered useless and characterised by bunkers of sand, poor soil and long thick grasses. The Old Course is a very typical example of a Links course.
The New Links Course
The New Links Course was opened in April of 1895, this course was built after increasing demand for facilities in the town, this pressure came from locals and visitors who were coming to town by train on the newly built railway.
The Royal and Ancient paid for the construction of the new course as part of an arrangement where they were allocated the right to certain starting times on the Old Course.
History
The game of golf was born on the east coast of Scotland during the Middle Ages where it spread to the rest of the Europe, and eventually the rest of the world. The Dutch game 'Kolf' and the French 'Jeu de Mail' claim to be the origins of the sport, but they didn't include the hole in the ground as the target. This element of the game clearly isolates it from all other ball and stick games.
In the year 1457 the game had been banned by King James II as it was hindering his subjects archery practice. The king's order to ban the game provides the first written record of golf. His subjects continued playing even after the ban, probably to the detriment of archery practice. The first record of the game in the town is in Archbishop Hamilton's Charter 1552. It is widely thought that the game was being played in the town, well before the foundation of the university in the year 1411.
James IV, grandson of James II, also tried to stop his Scottish subjects from playing the game, but ended up being a keen player himself. His royal influence helped the popularity of the game which then spread over Scotland. Treasury records in 1502 state he paid 14 shillings for some clubs, other entries show bills for balls. It is recorded that he lost a 14 shillings wager, on a game with the Earl of Bothwell.
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