From Crooks to Clubs

Advances in the Game of Golf

Click here to view online magazine The first history of golf was written in the 1400s, but most historians believe that the game, or at least a semblance of the game, was played much earlier. One theory on how it started is that shepherds tending their flocks started swinging their wooden crooks at odd rocks or pebbles to kill time in the pastures. At some point, a hole in the ground was introduced to serve as the target, and the game was on. It wasn’t until the early 1900s, however, that someone decided to put a cup into the hole—before that, a golfer simply dug a hole with his hand. The wooden tee wouldn’t be introduced until the late 1800s; golfers would simply fashion a “tee” out of soil. Of course, caddies were generally given this choice assignment.

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