Golf is a game that has slowly but surely infiltrated the global consciousness. Now, the sport has at least one genuine international superstar in the form of Tiger Woods, and there is truly no scarcity of information about golf’s rules, strategies, famous courses, and major athletes. Ironically, however, the beginnings of the game are rather mysterious. Nobody really knows where golf began, or which game (or combinations of games) birthed it. This is because of the multitude of claimants to the honor of the real “ancestor” of golf. Hundreds of years ago, the world was already full of games that involve people knocking balls around with sticks.
Many golf experts (whether widely acknowledged or simply self-proclaimed) say that golf actually began in Scotland. During this time, the game was simple and rather charmingly serendipitous. The game was mainly played by highland shepherds who used stones as balls. Instead of digging carefully spaced holes, as happens in today’s impeccably manicured golf courses, convenient rabbit holes were used—most likely without the consent of the rabbits.
It makes sense, then, that one of the world’s oldest golf courses is in Scotland, in a place that was first used by said athletic shepherds. This would be the Old Course at St. Andrews. The St. Andrews golf club was set up in 1552 and is still there. However, it does not actually have exclusive rights to the playing field. The general public is allowed to play golf there, as well, so we can say that this historic field is operated in a “democratic” manner.
The history of this course mirrors the evolution of the game. During its early years, the course had twelve holes, ten of which were used twice in the game, so, in a manner of speaking, one played with twenty-two holes. It was only later that some of the “extra” holes were eliminated, and we have the familiar eighteen-hole course that is now the standard all over the world. It was also at the Old Course that the shift from single to double greens seems to have taken place.
Still, we did say that the Scottish hypothesis has its (not very competitive) rivals. What, then, are the alternative theories?
Most of them involve games with their origins in Europe. One of these was paganica, an ancient Roman game that spread along with the Empire. The rules of paganica appear to have been rather different from those of modern-day golf, so the main connection appears in the similarity between the makeup of paganica balls and those in the earlier versions of modern golf.
Cambuca, an English game, or chambot (its French counterpart), appears to be another candidate. The game gets its name from the distinctive curved stick or club used to hit the ball. It is this special instrument that convinces some that cambuca is an important precursor to golf. China and the Netherlands also have reason to claim to be the real, original birthplace of golf.
However, wherever you end up locating the origins of golf, Scotland will always have a special place in golf history. Golf experts may eventually decide to place the game’s origins elsewhere, but Scotland is where the game emerged in its present form. Hopefully, the Old Course will also be preserved as an essential piece of golf heritage.