Scottish culture and society:
GOLF

Very famous all around the world, Golf is a sport where the precision and the mental Strength are crucial for the player. The objective is to propel a small and hard ball into a hole. Thanks to different clubs the players have to hit the ball into the holes, generally 9 or 18, with as few strokes as possible. Born in Scotland several centuries ago, the Golf is now one of the most famous Scottish games played by million people all around the world. Most of the people already watched a golf tournament on TV but what they really know about this sport which is played since feudal times? To understand the evolution of this sport, you will find in this essay a description that explains what the signification of this game is and where the golf comes from. It very important to describe the emergence of this game, that’s why a part is devoted to the popularity of this sport. Finally you will discover which nations and which famous players became famous through this famous sport.

Today, many people think that the word “Golf” is an acronym which means “gentleman only, ladies forbidden”. But the truth is completely different; several historians think that the word is a distortion from a medieval Dutch word. Indeed it could be possible that the word comes from the Old Dutch word “Kolve” which means “club” in English. Other people suppose that the word is derived from an old Scottish word “goulf” which meant to strike or cut.
Even if Golf is practiced in Scotland for a long time, it’s very difficult to know precisely where the sport was born. But one thing is certain; the Golf as we know today was born in Scotland many years ago. Different historians agree that several civilisations already played a similar game. Indeed, an ancient Chinese book (Dongxuan) mentioned a Chinese game which included similar rules during the 11th century. Another comparable game was played by Dutch during the same century; they also played with a stick and