Of all the games ever invented by man, golf is by far the greatest. Golf is different than other games. Golf challenges the mind, body, and soul. Golf is not a game that is meant to be played against other people or even against the course; it is a game that challenges the individual. It forces a person to make decisions that can lead to a feeling of great accomplishment or to a feeling of hopelessness and despair. To the average person, golf may be just a game; it is a way of life. It is something that is lived and breathed, it is royal and ancient, and it is the greatest game ever invented. Golf is a game of tradition and ritual. From the Green Jacket Ceremony at the Master, to the hallowed and haunted grounds of the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland, people drawn to the sport because of its tradition and timelessness. It is an almost religious experience to walk the fairways of golf’s sacred course. As a person strolls down the lush fairways of course such as St. Andrews, one can almost hear the roars of patrons from championships past echoing through time. However, with all of its tradition, golf is still evolving and changing just the same is it has been doing for hundreds of years. Some people feel that the most recent changes to the game are violating its history. I say that change is a part of life, and the modifications made to the game are a part of its life. Golf as we know it today originated from a game played on the eastern coast of Scotland in the Kingdom of Fife during the 15th century. Players would hit a pebble around a natural course of sand dunes, rabbit runs and tracks using a stick or club. Some historians believe that Kolven from Holland and Chole from Belgium influenced the game. The latter was introduced into Scotland in 1421. However while these games and countless others are stick and ball games, they are missing that vital ingredient that is unique to golf, the hole. Whatever the argument, there can be no dispute that Scotland gave birth to the game we know as golf today.
