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A
Brief History of Golf
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How Did the Size of the Golf Hole Come to Be Standardized
at 4.25 Inches?How many times have you lipped out
a putt and wished that the size of the hole on the green
was just a smidge larger? Why is the hole that size to
begin with? That's one our most frequently asked questions:
How did the hole come to be standardized at its current
size of 4.25 inches in diameter?
Like
so many things in golf, the standardized size of the hole
comes to us courtesy of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club
of St. Andrews, with an assist from the links at Musselburgh.
In
new rules issued in 1891, the R&A determined that
the hole size should be standard on golf courses everywhere.
So the R&A discussed just what exactly that size should
be.
The
size they decided on was 4.25 inches in diameter. The
reason is that the folks at Musselburgh (now a 9-hole
municipal course and called Royal Musselburgh Golf Club)
had invented, in 1829, the first known hole-cutter.That
ancient hole-cutter is still in existence and is on display
at Royal Musselburgh.
That
first hole-cutter utilized a cutting tool that was, you
guessed it, 4.25 inches in diameter. The folks running
the R&A apparently liked that size and so adopted
it in their rules for 1891. And as was usually the case,
the rest of the golf world followed in the footsteps of
the R&A.
The
exact reasons for why that first tool cut holes at the
now-standard diameter are lost to history. But it was
almost certainly a completely arbitrary thing, a notion
supported by the story that the tool was built from some
excess pipe that was laying about the Musselburgh links.
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Golf
History FAQ
•
When
and where did golf begin?
•
What
is the origin of the word "golf"? Does it stand for
"gentleman only, ladies forbidden"?
•
When
were the first rules written, and what were they?
•
Why
are golf courses 18 holes in length ?
•
What is the oldest public golf course in the U.S.?
•
What
is a Links Course?
•Why
do golfers yell "fore" to warn others of an errant
shot?
•How
Did the Word "Mulligan" Acquire Its Golf Meaning?
•How
Did the Word "Dormie" Originate?
•Why
is the golf hole the size that it is?
•When
Was a Tour Event First Televised?
•What
is a stymie?
•My
Ball Struck Overhead Power Lines - Do I Get to Replay the Shot?
•My
Ball is Stuck in a Tree - What are My Options? |
Everyone
knows golf originated in Scotland, right?
Welllllllll ... yes and no.
It's
definitely true that golf as we know it emerged in Scotland.
The Scots were playing golf in its very basic form - take a
club, swing it at a ball, move ball from starting point to finishing
hole in as few strokes as possible - by at least the mid-15th
Century.
In
fact, the earliest known reference to golf comes from King James
II of Scotland, who, in 1457, issued a ban on the playing of
golf and football (soccer). Those games, James complained, were
keeping his archers from their practice.
James
III in 1471 and James IV in 1491 each re-issued the ban on golf.
But
the game continued to develop in Scotland over the decades and
centuries, until 1744 when the first-known rules of golf were
put down in writing in Edinburgh.
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Golf as it was then played would be easily recognized by any
modern golfer.
But can it be said that the Scots "invented" golf?
Not quite, because there's strong evidence that the Scots were
influenced themselves by even earlier versions of games that
were similar in nature.
Here's
what the USGA Museum says about the issue: "While many
Scots firmly maintain that golf evolved from a family of stick-and-ball
games widely practiced throughout the British Isles during the
Middle Ages, considerable evidence suggests that the game derived
from stick-and-ball games that were played in France, Germany
and the Low Countries."
Part
of that evidence is the etymology of the word "golf"
itself. "Golf" derives from the Old Scots terms "golve"
or "goff," which themselves evolved from the medieval
Dutch term "kolf."
The
medieval Dutch term "kolf" meant "club,"
and the Dutch were playing games (mostly on ice) at least by
the 14th Century in which balls were struck by sticks that were
curved at the bottom until they were moved from Point A to Point
B. Sounds a lot like hockey, doesn't it? Except that it sort
of sounds like golf, too (except for that ice part).
The
Dutch and Scots were trading partners, and the fact that the
word "golf" evolved after being transported by the
Dutch to the Scots lends credence to the idea that the game
itself may have been adapted by the Scots from the earlier Dutch
game.
Something
else that lends credence to that idea: Although the Scots played
their game on parkland (rather than ice), they (or least some
of them) were using balls they acquired in trade from ... Holland.
And
the Dutch game wasn't the only similar game of the Middle Ages.
Going back even farther, the Romans brought their own stick-and-ball
game into the British Isles.
So
does that mean that the Dutch (or someone else other than that
Scots) invented golf? No, it means that golf grew out of games
that were played in different parts of Europe.
But
we're not trying to deny the Scots their place in golf history.
The Scots made a singular improvement to all the games that
came before: They dug a hole in the ground, and made getting
the ball into that hole the object of the game.
As
we said at the beginning, for golf as we know it, we definitely
have the Scots to thank. |
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Did the word "golf" originate as an acronym for
"gentlemen only, ladies forbidden"? That's a common
old wives' tale. Or, in this case, more likely an old husband's
tale.
No,
"golf" is not an acronym for "gentlemen only,
ladies forbidden." If you've ever heard that, forget
it immediately. Better yet, find the person who told you and
let them know it's not true.
Like
most modern words, the word "golf" derives from
older languages and dialects. In this case, the languages
in question are medieval Dutch and old Scots.
The
medieval Dutch word "kolf" or "kolve"
meant "club." It is believed that word passed to
the Scots, whose old Scots dialect transformed the word into
"golve," "gowl" or "gouf."
By
the 16th Century, the word "golf" had emerged.
Sources:
British Golf Museum, USGA Library
There must have been rules known to golfers dating back to
the origins of the game. Otherwise, how could players have
squared off in competition? What those rules were, nobody
knows.
At
least not until the mid-18th Century, when the first known
written rules of golf were put into writing by the Gentlemen
Golfers of Leith, now the Honourable Company of Edinburgh
Golfers based at Muirfield. The rules were written for the
Annual Challenge for the Edinburgh Silver Club in 1744.
There
were 13 of them, and here they are (with a few explanatory
comments in parentheses). Note how many of these rules survive
today:
1.
"You must tee your ball within a club's length of the
hole." (A diameter of two club lengths.
Teeing grounds are now defined as two club lengths in
depth.)
Like many developments throughout golf history, the standardization
of 18 holes did not happen as the result of a momentous decision
agreed upon by many.
And
again, like many developments in golf, the standardization
of 18 holes can be credited to St. Andrews.
Prior
to the mid-1760s - and right up until the early 1900s - it
was common to find golf courses that were comprised of 12
holes, or 19, or 23, or 15, or any other number.
Then,
around 1764, St. Andrews converted from 22 holes to 18 holes.
The reason? Well, everyone knows 18 holes are easier to take
care of than 22!
Eighteen
holes did not become the standard until the early 1900s, but
from 1764 onward, more courses copied the St. Andrews model.
Then, in 1858, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St.
Andrews
issued new rules.
I'll
let Sam Groves, curator of the British Golf Museum who helped
me with this explanation, take it from here:
"In
1858, the R&A issued new rules for its members; Rule 1
stated 'one round of the Links or 18 holes is reckoned a match
unless otherwise stipulated'. We can only presume that, as
many clubs looked to the R&A for advice, this was slowly
adopted throughout Britain. By the 1870s, therefore, more
courses had 18 holes and a round of golf was being accepted
as consisting of 18 holes."
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When
Van Cortlandt Golf Course opened in New York City in 1895, it
became the first public golf course in America. There were other
golf courses in the U.S. by that time - perhaps 100 or more
- but Van Cortlandt was the first built for the masses.
And
Van Cortlandt Golf Course is still in operation today, the centerpiece
of Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. The park also boasts a lake
and two nature trails.
In
Van Cortlandt Park you'll also find the Old Croton Aqueduct
Trail. The aqueduct, built during the 1830s and 1840s, was New
York City's first major water supply project.
What
is a Links Course?
Especially
in the U.S., the term "links" is frequently misapplied.
"Links" refers to a very specific type of course.
But nowadays it is common for any golf course that is relatively
treeless to call itself a links course. And that's not accurate.
But
in America, they get away with it. Most American golfers - and
I am one - have never seen a links course ... except for the
ones we see each year while watching the British Open.
The
British Golf Museum says that "links" are coastal
strips of land between the beaches and the inland agricultural
areas. This term, in its purest sense, applies specifically
to seaside areas in Scotland.
So
"links land" is land where seaside transitions into
farmland. Links land has sandy soil, making it unsuited for
crops
The land, in fact, was thought to be worthless because it
was not arable for crops.
But
back in the mists of Scotland, someone got the bright idea
to put a golf course on that land. What else where they going
to do with it? And links golf courses emerged.
Because
they were close to the beach, lots of sand traps were a natural
(the soil was very sandy, after all). But the traps had to
be deeply recessed to prevent sand from being blown away by
the constant wind. Because the soil was of a poor quality
and constantly buffeted by the seaside winds, not much would
grow on it - mostly just tall, reedy grasses, and certainly
no trees.
So
a true links course is not any course that is treeless. The
term "links" historically applies specifically to
strips of land in seaside areas that feature sandy soil, dunes
and undulating topography, and where the land is not conducive
to cultivated vegetation or trees.
Because
they were built on narrow strips of land, links courses often
followed an "out and back" routing. The front nine
went out from the clubhouse, one hole stringed after another,
until reaching the 9th green, which was the point on the golf
course farthest from the clubhouse. The golfers would then
turn around on the 10th tee, with the back nine holes leading
straight back to the clubhouse.
In
modern terms, a "links course" is more broadly defined
by Ron Whitten, the great writer on golf course architecture
for Golf Digest, to include golf courses built on
sandy soil (whether seaside or not) and that are buffeted
by winds. Whitten says a links course must play firm and fast,
with sometimes crusty fairways and greens that feature many
knolls and knobs to create odd bounces and angles. And, of
course, a links course, in Whitten's definition, needs to
be relatively treeless with a native rough that is tall and
thick.
Sources:
R&A, USGA, Golf Digest
Why
Do Golfers Yell "Fore" for Errant Shots?
Fore"
is another word for "ahead" (think of a ship's fore
and aft). Yelling "fore" is simply a shorter way to
yell "watch out ahead" (or "watch out before").
It allows golfers to be forewarned, in other words.
The
British Golf Museum cites an 1881 reference to "fore"
in a golf book, establishing that the term was already in use
at that early date (the USGA suggests the term may have been
in use as early as the 1700s). The museum also surmises that
the term evolved from "forecaddie."
A
forecaddie is a person who accompanies a group around the golf
course, often going forward to be in a position to pinpoint
the locations of the groups' shots. If a member of the group
hit an errant shot, the thinking goes, they may have alerted
the forecaddie by yelling out the term.
It
was eventually shorted to just "fore."
A
popular theory is that the term has a military origin. In warfare
of the 17th and 18th century (a time period when golf was really
taking hold in Britain), infantry advanced in formation while
artillery batteries fired from behind, over their heads. An
artilleryman about to fire would yell "beware before,"
alerting nearby infantrymen to drop to the ground to avoid the
shells screaming overhead.
So
when golfers misfired and send their missiles - golf balls -
screaming off target, "beware before" became shortened
to "fore."
This
is another term, however, whose exact origin can't be stated.
It does originate, however, in the fact that "fore"
means "ahead" and, used by a golfer, is a warning
to those ahead.
How
Did the Word "Mulligan" Acquire Its Golf Meaning?"Mulligan,"
in its golf sense, is a relatively new word, but was in common
use on golf courses by at least the 1940s.
And
there are many, many stories about the birth of the golf term
"mulligan" ... and it's quite possible that none
of them are true.
Because
nobody really knows how mulligan acquired its golf meaning
(a mulligan, of course, is a "do-over" - hit a bad
shot, take a mulligan and try again). All we have are ...
those stories. And we'll tell a few of them here.
The
USGA Museum offers several possible explanations. In one,
a fellow by the name of David Mulligan frequented St. Lambert
Country Club in Montreal, Quebec, during the 1920s. Mulligan
let it rip off the tee one day, wasn't happy with the results,
re-teed, and hit again. According to the story, he called
it a "correction shot," but his partners thought
a better name was needed and dubbed it a "mulligan."Perhaps
because Mr. Mulligan was a prominent businessman - owning
multiple hotels - the term was more likely to catch on. But
that's only if you believe this version. Which, alas, does
not have any hard evidence to support it. (The USGA Web Site
actually provides two other alternate versions of the David
Mulligan story - the origins of "mulligan" are so
mysterious that the same story winds up with three different
versions!)
Another
story cited by the USGA is of a John "Buddy" Mulligan,
known for replaying poor shots at Essex Fells Country Clubs
in N.J.
Another
interesting theory is related by the Web site, StraightDope.com.
Responding to a question about the origins of "mulligan"
(a common Irish name and, remember, the Northeastern U.S.
was heavily Irish in the early part of the 20th Century),
StraightDope.com replied, "Another origin theory ties
to the period when Irish-Americans were joining fancy country
clubs and were derided as incompetent golfers. That would
make the term basically an ethnic slur that caught on, like
'Indian summer' or 'Dutch treat.' "
The
"Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins" offers a
more prosaic explanation. It postulates the word derives from
saloons that, back in the day, would place a free bottle of
booze on the bar for customers to dip into. That free bottle
was called, according to the book, a Mulligan. The term was
adapted to the golf course to denote a "freebie"
to be used by golfers.
There are some legends floating around that Mary Queen of
Scots had something to do with the origin of the term "dormie."
It's true that Mary was a golfer, but the word "dormie"
did not originate with her or because of her.
Dormie
comes from the word "dormir," which shares a French
and Latin origin. "Dormir" means "to sleep."
"Dormie" means that a player has reached a match-play
lead that is insurmountable - and so the player can relax,
knowing that he cannot lose the match. "Dormir"
(to sleep) turns into "dormie" (relax, you can't
lose).
At
least, that's what the USGA Museum says. Most dictionaries
list the etymology of "dormie" as unknown. |
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How Did the Size of the Golf Hole Come to Be Standardized at
4.25 Inches?How many times have you lipped out a putt and
wished that the size of the hole on the green was just a smidge
larger? Why is the hole that size to begin with? That's one
our most frequently asked questions: How did the hole come to
be standardized at its current size of 4.25 inches in diameter?
Like
so many things in golf, the standardized size of the hole comes
to us courtesy of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews,
with an assist from the links at Musselburgh.
In
new rules issued in 1891, the R&A determined that the hole
size should be standard on golf courses everywhere. So the R&A
discussed just what exactly that size should be.
The
size they decided on was 4.25 inches in diameter. The reason
is that the folks at Musselburgh (now a 9-hole municipal course
and called Royal Musselburgh Golf Club) had invented, in 1829,
the first known hole-cutter.That ancient hole-cutter is still
in existence and is on display at Royal Musselburgh.
That
first hole-cutter utilized a cutting tool that was, you guessed
it, 4.25 inches in diameter. The folks running the R&A apparently
liked that size and so adopted it in their rules for 1891. And
as was usually the case, the rest of the golf world followed
in the footsteps of the R&A.
The
exact reasons for why that first tool cut holes at the now-standard
diameter are lost to history. But it was almost certainly a
completely arbitrary thing, a notion supported by the story
that the tool was built from some excess pipe that was laying
about the Musselburgh links.
When Was a Tour Event First Televised?
The
1947 U.S. Open was televised locally in St. Louis, Mo., by station
KSD-TV. Lew Worsham (remember that name) defeated Sam Snead
in a playoff.
It
would take until 1953 before the first nationally televised
golf tournament.
It
was the Tam O'Shanter World Championship, played just outside
Chicago and televised by ABC. But get this - the owner of the
club paid ABC to televise the tournament!
The
owner of Tam O'Shanter Country Club was a fellow named George
S. May. May must have been quite a golf lover, and quite willing
to part with his money. Because, while he started hosting pro
tournaments in the 1940s, by 1953 he was putting on four tournaments
simultaneously (men's, women's and amateur events).
In
1953 his purse included a winner's share of $25,000, which by
itself exceeded the total purse of every other event on the
PGA Tour.
The
hullabaloo over the (for the time) outrageous money involved
- and the fact that May was also willing to pay ABC - prompted
the network to dive in with the first national golf broadcast.
And
the tournament wound up producing one of the great shots in
golf history.
Lew
Worsham (told you to remember that name) was trailing the leader
in the clubhouse, Chandler Harper, by one stroke as he teed
off No. 18 in the final round.
His
drive left Worsham 115 yards to the green. He hit a wedge onto
the putting surface and watched it roll 45 feet right into the
hole - an eagle, and a one-shot victory.
In
many respects, that shot - in the first nationally televised
golf tournament - helped launched golf into the American mainstream.
The "stymie" is an archaic part of the game that
required quite a bit of inventiveness (and probably invective)
on the greens.
In
singles match play, back in the day, if an opponent's ball
was in the way of your ball, but more than six inches away
from your ball, it was not lifted. You were just out of luck.
Your options would be to slice or draw your putt around the
ball in the way, or chip or pop your ball up over the offending
ball.
If
the opponent's ball was in your ball's way, but the balls
were within six inches of each other, then the offending ball
was lifted.
If
your ball struck your opponent's ball, your ball would be
played as it lie. But your opponent would have the option
of putting his ball from its new position, or replacing it
at its previous position. And if your ball knocked your opponent's
ball into the cup, your opponent was considered to have holed
out.
You
can still occasionally catch footage of players dealing with
stymies in broadcasts of pre-1952 match play matches, such
as the PGA Championship.
Beginning
in 1952, stymies were eliminated from the Rules of Golf.
My Ball Struck Overhead Power Lines - Do I Get to Replay the
Shot?
Here's the sitation: You're playing a golf course where large
electrical towers or utility poles are posted, and electric
wires are strung across one or more fairways. You tee the
ball up, take a whack, and your beautiful shot flies straight
into the overhead cables, deflecting away. Do you get to replay
the stroke without penalty, or is it rub of the green and
play the ball as it lies?
A.
This situation falls broadly under Rule 33-8a; it's specifically
addressed in Decision 33-8/13.
Rule
33-8a states:
"The
Committee may establish Local Rules for local abnormal conditions
if they are consistent with the policy set forth in Appendix
I." (Appendix I is the appendix that covers Local Rules.)
So,
broadly speaking, your local course or club can enact rules
specific to conditions at your course, as long as they do
so in accordance with the guidelines set forth in Appendix
I (covering Local Rules) to the Rules of Golf.
Luckily,
Decision 33-8/13 makes the proper course of action when your
ball hits overhead cables more clear. That decision states:
"Q.
An overhead power line is so situated that a perfectly played
shot can be deflected. Would it be proper for the Committee
to make a Local Rule allowing a player whose ball is deflected
by this power line to replay the stroke, without penalty,
if he wishes?No. However, a Local Rule requiring a player
to replay the stroke would be acceptable."
Decision
33-8/13 goes on to suggest how such a local rule should read
(see Rules of Golf and Decisions on the Rules of Golf on usga.com).
Note
carefully the wording of the quoted passage above: "...
to replay the stroke, without penalty, if he wishes?"
"No. However, a Local Rule requiring ..."
The
key to this Local Rule is that, if it is in effect, it
requires the golfer to replay the stroke without penalty.
There is no golfer's option. If your ball strikes a power
line, and the Local Rule suggested under Decision 33-8/13
is in effect, you must replay the stroke without penalty
(even if your shot deflected into the perfect spot).
Likewise,
if such a local rule in not in effect, you may not
replay the stroke (unless you are willing to declare the ball
unplayable and take the resulting penalty). You must play
the ball as it lies.
So
the key, obviously, is finding whether a Local Rule covering
power lines is in effect at a course where overhead cables
cross the line of play. Check with the pro shop to find out.
To
summarize: If your ball hits a power line or overhead cable,
and the Local Rule covered in Decision 33-8/13 is in effect,
you must cancel the stroke and replay it without penalty,
as close as possible to the spot of the original stroke. If
such a local rule is not in effect, you must play the ball
as it lies.
My
Ball is Stuck in a Tree - What are My Options?
So
your golf ball hit a tree beside the fairway ... and never
came down. It's stuck up there in the branches. What are your
options?
If
you're like most golfers, you'll either curse your luck or
get a good laugh out of the predicament. But what courses
of action are you allowed to take?
A.
There are three options for continuing play when your ball
gets stuck in a tree: play the ball as it lies; declare the
ball unplayable; or take a lost ball.
Play
It as It Lies
What this means, of course, is that you're willing to climb
up into the tree and take a swing at the ball. And if you
did, you wouldn't be the first. Nick Faldo famously played
a ball from a tree once.
But
the odds of coming up with a decent shot in such a scenario
are mighty slim. The odds of further messing up the hole are
much greater. So this option is best left to golfers who are
even crazier than you.
Unplayable
You can declare the ball unplayable under Rule
28, take a one-stroke penalty and, most likely, drop within
two club-lengths of the ball (there are other options for
continuing under the unplayable rule, but this is the most
likely to be used in this scenario). The spot from which you
measure the two club-lengths is that spot on the ground directly
under where the ball rests in the tree.
But
in order to use the unplayable option, you must be
able to identify your ball. You can't just assume that it's
up there somewhere, and you can't just assume that a ball
you see in the tree is yours. You must positively identify
it as yours.
That
might mean trying to shake it loose from the tree, or climbing
the tree simply to retrieve the ball for ID purposes. Before
you do either, make sure you've announced your intention to
treat the ball as unplayable. If you dislodge the ball without
having made your intentions clear (to continue under the unplayable
rule), you'll incur a penalty stroke under Rule
18-2a (Ball at Rest Moved) and will be required to put
the ball back in the tree! (Failure to replace a ball such
moved would result in an additional 1-stroke penalty.)
So
make sure you identify your ball before continuing under the
unplayable option, and make sure you declare your intentions
before retrieving or dislodging the ball from the tree.
Lost
Ball
Of course, you may not be able to find a ball that has lodged
in a tree, even if you know it's there. The only option then
is to declare a lost ball and proceed under Rule
27 (Ball Lost or Out of Bounds). The lost ball penalty
is stroke-and-distance; that means assessing a one-stroke
penalty and returning to the spot of the previous stroke,
where you must replay the shot.
Even
if you see a ball up in the tree, you'll have to take a lost
ball penalty unless you can positively identify it as yours
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