Who were first to play golf? The English or the Scots?
(Bit of an argument here at work.)
Bandobras Took, known as the Bullroarer, was the most renowned clan chieftan of the Tooks. He was so huge (for a hobbit) that he could ride a horse. He charged the ranks of the goblins of Mount Gram in the Battle of the Green Fields, and knocked their king Golfimbul’s head clean off with a wooden club. It sailed a hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit-hole, and in this way the battle was won and the game of Golf invented at the same moment.
Umm…ok…
Dc: It was a Scot, but I don’t remember his name. Try plugging “inventor of golf” or something like that into a search engine.
Ish: Some people just don’t appreciate classic literature
Here’s a reference for the invention in Modern, rather than Middle, Earth:
http://www.golfeurope.com/almanac/history/history1.htm
Partially, it depends on what you want to consider “golf”. The modern form is due to the Scots, but you could be really contrary and say the Belgians.
Some sources say the Romans invented a form.
The first organized golf club was in Edinburgh in 1744.
Like many sports, it just sort of evolved. When you think about it, it’s not that weird of a concept to hit a ball with a stick and try to get it to land in a hole.
No stranger than hitting a ball with a stick and running around in a circle or back and forth.
Sheesh…for some reason I didn’t think of that. (Honest!)
I guess I’m just use to coming here and reading the classic literature.
As they said in Fargo, “This is a true story.”
The Scots were known as a rather fierce people. Although they didn’t really go around killing just for the sake of killing, they did raise cattle and had to protect them. Cattle could easily step into gopher holes and break their legs. So the Scots would kill gophers whenever they found them. They’d creep up on them (notice how quiet people are whilst playing golf) and kill them with a club. Often, the rodent’s head would become detatched from its body. Soon it became great sport to knock the gophers’ heads into their own holes.
The credit is usually given to the Scots, who were playing golf by 1450 at the latest. Sometimes the Dutch are given credit, because they played a somewhat similar game called kolf or kolven. I have never heard that the English invented it.
I was sure the English had nothing to do with it…I just needed to prove it to a dope I work with.
He likes to ‘get me going’ up because I’m Scotish and I bug him by telling him that we invented just about everything
Well, now I know why St. Andrews doesn’t have a problem with gophers. I presume it just evolved (mutated?) and, yes, it’s usually said to have originated in Scotland, with the Dutch also in the running. Or also in the walking-about-with sticks-while-wearing-silly-hats. I’ve never heard it suggested that England invented it.
I am certain this question was around approx. 8 weeks ago, but am too lazy to search. But if you can find it, you’ll find dates of the Royal & Ancient, dates of first golf rules, King James the nth who wanted it banned etc.
Or the Belgians, due to their game called chole, as per the link I posted above, which agrees with your dates and also mentions kolven.
Curling and caber-tossing, too, yes. But the Irish came up with hurling.
Running back and forth is perfectly silly; running around a square set point to you makes perfect sense, an evolution from inanity to perfection, as it were. (running off before this bit of silliness explodes…)