Brief History of Golf

Although determining the origin of this sport is not an easy task, we will immerse ourselves in the history of golf to understand, a little better, how it has become what it is today.

There is No unanimity among experts when talking about how golf was born. Many determine their origin in the High Middle Ages in Scotland. However, others go back many centuries and relate this sport to the practice of a game in the Roman Empire.

Be that as it may, the truth is that games with stick and Ball have existed for millennia. Maybe golf is an evolution of one of them, or it may be the result of a combination of several.

The history of golf is full of unknowns. What can be traced are some clues on which much of the experts on this subject agree.

The first of these is that, indeed, the Romans practiced a game with a curved stick and a ball made of feathers that may be the germ of what is now known as golf.

Moving forward in history, in the 13th century, there are records in the Netherlands of a game that was also played with stick and ball and was called “kolf” (“palo” in Dutch). The similarity with the current golf goes beyond the name or equipment needed to play, as the game consisted of hitting a target with the smallest possible number of hits with the ball.

On nearby dates in France there are records of a game similar to this one and later became popular the Paille-Maille, a game known in Spain as Mallo, similar to croquet and which may also have influenced what we now know as golf. References to related games with the game of golf do not cease: there is in Brussels and England in the 14th century, or in Flanders in the XV.

The Most Popular and Important Golf Tournaments

We began the year by reviewing the main golf tournaments to be held in 2019. At our Golf club in Madrid, we always want to be up to date. From Retamares, we advance the 2019 golf calendar with the most important tournaments.

Let’s start with the majors. In 2019 the main novelty is the change of location in the PGA Championship calendar. It goes from last year to second place.

The 2019 Grand Slam calendar is like this.:

The Augusta Masters is held from 11 to 14 April. As always, at its headquarters usual: the Augusta National Golf Club (Georgia). This first major of the year coincides, as always, with the weekend of the second Sunday in April.

The PGA Championship will take place from May 13-19 at Bethpage Black Course, New York. It will be the first time since 1949 that this major will not be celebrated in August.

The US Open will take place June 13-16. It coincides, according to tradition, with the celebration of Father’s day in the United States. This edition will take place at the legendary Pebble Beach Golf Links (California).

In 2019, the last majors on the calendar will be the British Open. It is the oldest of the male majors. Will be played from 18 to 21 July at Royal Portrush Golf Club (Northern Ireland).

In addition to the majors, the PGA Tour includes another major golf tournament on its 2019 calendar. It is the Presidents Cup, one of the two great biannual meetings held in odd years. It alternates with the Ryder Cup, which is celebrated in even years.

The 2019 edition of the Presidents Cup will take place from 9 to 15 December. Will be played at Royal Melbourne Golf Club (Australia). It confronts the United States against the rest of the world except Europe.