How did the game of golf get started? Nobody knows. Some trace it back to early Roman times and a country game called paganica. A ball or stone was hit with a stick toward a goal. That would seem to be forerunner of field hockey. What makes golf distinctive is putting the ball in a hole. Everyone agrees that originated in Scotland, but no one knows how. One theory is that fishermen going from boat to village amused themselves by hitting a stone with a stick. Who could hit the farthest? When the stone fell into a rabbit hole or depression made by a sheep's hoof, the game started again. Soon, holes were being deliberately made, the scooped out sand being used as a tee next to the hole. There were no courses. Golfers simply played out in the field. The caddy's task was to scare away the rabbits and passersby. The first course wasn't built until 1754, St. Andrew's in Scotland. For a long time the ball in use was a leather pouch stuffed with wet feathers and called a "feathery". It was replaced in 1848 by the butta-percha, so named for an elastic Malaysian gum. The rubber-cored ball was invented in 1901 by one Coburn Haskell. It drove so far some wanted it declared illegal. Whatever its origins, golf has been played a long time. A stained glass window in Gloucester Cathedral, dating from 1350, shows it being played. In 1450, after the Scots lost a battle to the British, the king forbade the playing of golf in favor of archery. It didn't work. Many a modern "golf widow" would probably like to do the same, only she doesn't have archery in mind. And it probably won't work either

Why do full-length golf courses have 18 holes, and not 20, or 10 or an even dozen?

During a discussion among the club's membership board at St. Andrews in 1858, one of the members pointed out that it takes exactly 18 shots to polish off a fifth of Scotch. By limiting himself to only one shot of Scotch per hole, the Scot's figured a round of golf was finished when the bottle was empty ???

Winner of the most important golf tournament, the US Open, was Gene Sarazen.
What became of him?
He played golf until he was 92, died in 1999 at the age of 95.
He was financially secure at the time of his death.
The moral:   Screw work.Just Play golf.  

A few other things about golf.

Golfers don't have some of their players in jail every week.

Golfers don't beat up on each other during the game.

In golf you cannot fail 70% of the time and make nine million in a season.

Professional golfers are compensated in direct proportion to how well they play.

Golfers don't hold out for more money, or demand new contracts, because of another player's deal.

Professional golfers don't demand that the taxpayers pay for the courses on which they play.

When golfers make a mistake, nobody is there to cover for them or back them up.

The PGA Tour raises more money for charity in one year than the National Football League does in two.

Golf doesn't change its rules to attract fans.

Golfers have to adapt to an entirely new playing area each week.

Golf doesn't have free agency.

You can hear birds chirping on the golf course during a tournament.

Here are some more true facts

Ian Woosnam, 2001 British Open. Woosnam realised on the second tee of the final round that he had 15 clubs in his bag, one over the limit, because he had two drivers. The two-stroke penalty turned a first-hole birdie -- that apparently put him in the lead -- into a bogey. We can't know what would have happened without the upsetting penalty, but simple arithmetic says it meant a six-way tie for third instead of a solo second, costing Woosnam $312,326 and Ryder Cup points that would have ultimately put him on the European team.

Sergio Garcia, 2001 Greg Norman Holden International. Garcia was penalized two strokes in the third round for dropping in the wrong place while taking relief from a temporary immovable obstruction (he actually took one less clublength than he should have). He ended up losing a playoff to Aaron Baddeley.

Padraig Harrington, 2000 Benson & Hedges International Open. Harrington was disqualified before the fourth round for failing to sign his first-round scorecard, an error discovered only because the host hotel asked for copies of his scorecards from the first three rounds. Harrington was leading by five strokes when he was slapped with the DQ.

Karrie Webb, 2000 Firstar Classic. Webb earned a two-stroke penalty on the eighth hole of the final round for angrily hitting the sand with her club after leaving a shot in the bunker (that's grounding a club while the ball is in the hazard). She lost by one stroke.

Jaxon Brigman, 1999 PGA Tour Q-School. Brigman signed an incorrect final-round scorecard and was stuck with a 66 instead of the 65 he really shot. The extra stroke cost him his Tour card.

Ignacio Garrido, 1998 British Masters. Garrido was slapped with four penalty strokes (the maximum penalty for exceeding the 14-club limit on more than one hole) for carrying an extra 5-iron in the second round. He finished two strokes back, tied for fourth.

Taylor Smith, 1996 Walt Disney World/ Oldsmobile Classic. Smith was disqualified during the final round for using a putter with an illegal grip. He played the final nine while appealing the decision, and his score would have put him in a playoff with Tiger Woods.

Tom Purtzer, 1996 Bay Hill Invitational. Purtzer picked up a two-stroke penalty for playing a fellow competitor's ball during the second round. He finished two strokes back, in third place.

Nick Faldo, 1994 Dunhill Asian Masters. Faldo assumed a Local Rule allowing the removal of stones in bunkers was in force. It wasn't. His violation wasn't discovered until the next day; he was DQ'd for an incorrect third-round scorecard while standing on the 12th tee of the fourth round with an apparent six-stroke lead.

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