Golf History

Origins, First Courses, First Clubs

The origin of golf is not fully defined and, depending on the historian or the point of view, it may be based on other games played in the past. The Romans during the Caesar period played something similar to golf by hitting a ball full of feathers with irons that looked like tree branches.


Others speak of a game played in England in the 14th century, observing images of this game in one of the stained glass windows in Gloucester Cathedral, where a character appears with a bat in his hand as if to hit a ball. The Dutch played a similar game on their frozen channels in the 15th century. The variations were both very popular in France and Belgium.


These games had in common with golf the fact that they were played with a ball that was hit with a club that intended to project it in a straight line and in a certain direction. The most widely held theory is that today's golf stems from a game played on ice, called "Kolven", which the Dutch took to Scotland during the spice trade.


In 1457 the first official reference to the game occurred when King James II banned golf in Scotland because it interfered with the practice of archery, which was vital in the defense effort. The Scots, however, 토토사이트 continued to play on fields by the sea because these lands lacked agricultural skills and had creeping vegetation where holes were easily made and balls hit by wooden clubs were introduced. The aim of the game was to get the ball into each pit with the least number of strokes. The larger courses were five holes and 500 meters long. The official ban was only lifted in 1502, when the treaty of Glasgow was signed by James IV.

What was just a game The Gentlemen Golfers of Leithbecame a sport when, in 1744, The Gentlemen Golfers of Leith was formed and organized the first annual golf competition, with a silver club as a trophy.

Specific rules were created, which were recorded in a manuscript for future reference.

Among them, one of the curious precepts that lend golf a very particular characteristic - fair play. Right at the first golf tournament in history, players were obliged not to cheat and not to behave in any way that was not the most exemplary.

More than a century ago, golf in Portugal was an exclusive modality for a handful of English businessmen and another for Portuguese aficionados who joined early. It was a restricted elite dedicated to this sport, in fields that left much to be desired. From the pioneer Oporto Golf Club, passing through the Club de Golf do Estoril, the Club de Golfe de Miramar, to the courses of Madeira and the Algarve, golf has been conquering territory and fans. Today, Portugal is appreciated as one of the best international destinations for golfers. This illustrated album tells the story of the rise of golf in Portugal, of clubs and courses, golfers and tournaments, presenting a fantastic collection of historical photographs.


The fact that golf is considered a Scottish game is the result of the enormous popularity that it has attained among the inhabitants of Scotland. Two factors contributed to the game's success, the long free time that the ship's crews had to practice - between disembarking and loading the goods - and the natural conditions of the sandy lands of eastern Scotland, the well-known links Scots. These lands lacked agricultural skills and had creeping vegetation where, with ease, pits were made, and balls - made with goose feathers and leather-wrapped - were struck with wooden clubs. The aim of the game was to get the ball into each pit with the least number of strokes. The larger courses were, as a general rule, five holes and 500 meters long.


Synopsis


More than a century ago, golf in Portugal was an exclusive modality for a handful of English businessmen and another for Portuguese aficionados who joined early. It was a restricted elite dedicated to this sport, in fields that left much to be desired.

From the pioneer Oporto Golf Club, through the Club de Golf do Estoril, through the Club de Golfe de Miramar, to the courses of Madeira and the Algarve, golf has been conquering territory and fans. Today, Portugal is appreciated as one of the best international destinations for golfers.

This illustrated album tells the story of the rise of golf in Portugal, of clubs and courses, golfers and tournaments, presenting a fantastic collection of historical photographs.