Golf Tidbits

There are several versions concerning the actual origins of modern golf. Some say that the Early Romans played a game very similar to golf by hitting a feather-stuffed ball with club-shaped tree branches. Some say that similar games originally came from the orient. Kind of like spaghetti.

The modern version of the history of golf as we know it seems to revolve around Scotland. It is interesting to note that Scotland had actually banned golf for a time during the middle part of the fifteenth Century when Scotland was preparing to defend itself against an English invasion. The reason? Too many Scottish Golfers became so obsessed with golf that they neglected the military training that would be required if the English were to be driven back so the Scottish Parliament of James II quite literally banned the game.

St. Andrews, in Scotland, is the home of the world's oldest golf course, which was used as early as the sixteenth century. The ten courses in and around St Andrews offer design and strategies to suit all skill levels. They claim that "nowhere else will you find a concentration of such quality, with seven championship courses open to everyone. www.standrewsgolf.org ."

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews, the birth place of golf, was founded in 1754.
The R&A is the oldest of several men's and women's golf clubs in St Andrews. It is a private men-only golf club and the governing body of golf throughout the world except in the USA. It works alongside the USGA on the Rules of Golf which are revised every four years.



Why Golf Balls Have Dimples-
According to LiveScience.com

There are two main types of airflow—laminar and turbulent. Laminar movement creates less drag but is vulnerable to "separation"—a phenomenon whereby the air layer that clings to the ball as it moves through the air separates from the ball. Turbulent flow creates more drag initially, but is less vulnerable to separation. At high speeds, like that of a flying golf ball, you want this air layer to cling to the ball as long as possible, and the added dimples do just that.

Better golfers are more likely to view the hole as larger than their bogey-prone counterparts, finds a new study.

Research, published in the June issue of the journal Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Better golfers envision the hole to be larger than their counterparts envision it to be.

"Golfers have said that when they play well the hole looks as big as a bucket or basketball hoop," said Jessica Witt, a psychologist at Purdue University in Indiana, "and when they do not play well they've been quoted as saying the hole looks like a dime or the inside of a donut." In reality, the diameter of a golf hole is 4.3 inches (10.8 cm).

Hole-In-One Facts and Figures

First Recorded - The earliest recorded hole-in-one was in 1868 at the Open Championship when Tom Morris (Young Tom) did the 8th hole 145 yards Prestwick in one stroke. This was the first of four Open Championships won successively by Young Tom.

First With 1.66 inch ball - The first hole-in-one recorded with the 1.66 inch ball was in 1972 by John G Salvesen, a member of the R&A Championship Committee. At the time this size of ball was only experimental. Salvesen used a 7-iron for his historical feat at the 11th hole on the Old Course, St Andrews.

Consecutive - John Hudson, a 25-year-old professional, achieved a near miracle when he holed two consecutive holes-in-one at the 11th and 12th holes (195 yards and 311 yards respectively) in the 1971 Martini Tournament at Norwich, England.



Two In a Tournament - In the 1973 Open Championship at Troon, two holes-in-one were recorded, both at the "Postage Stamp" hole, the 8th hole, in the first round. They were achieved by Gene Sarazen and amateur David Russell, who were by coincidence respectively the oldest and youngest competitors.


Oldest Man - In January 1985 Otto Bucher from Switzerland holed-in-one at the age of 99 on La Manga's 130-yard 12th hole.

• A good golf partner is one who's always slightly worse than you.

• That rake by the sand trap is there for golfers who feel guilty about skipping out on lawn work.

• If your opponent has trouble remembering whether he shot a six or a seven, he probably shot an eight.