In 2023, the 152nd golf open takes place between 16th – 23rd July. Here are 10 things you didn’t know about golf:
The sport as we know it was invented in Scotland. The origins of the game are unclear but it’s thought it was a game originally devised by shepherds in the Highlands to pass the time. The name, however, is devised from the Dutch word for ‘club.’Pronounced ‘kolve’ or ‘kolf’ in Dutch.
Origins of some more golf words: The word "links" derives from the Old English word hlinc meaning rising ground or ridge. “Caddy” is from the French word “cadet”, meaning student. The term “birdie” was coined by Ab Smith, who hit a “bird of a shot” in 1889.
Between 1457 and 1744, golf was actually banned. While early players might have caused a nuisance playing in the street, the recorded reason was that it distracted men from their military training. The order banning it was the first recorded use of the word “golf”.
Women’s golf didn’t become a thing for 400 years after it was first invented. The first golf club for women was inaugurated in 1867, after the first women’s round was played, again in Scotland, in Musselburgh. That said, the first woman known to have played was Mary Queen of Scots, who is known to have hit the golf course days after her husband was murdered.
The chances of an average golfer scoring a hole in one is 12,500 to 1. The chance of two in one game is 1 in 67 million.
The first golf balls were made from leather stuffed with feathers, and after that, they were made of wood. Today there are strict regulations about the size of the ball. It must have a mass of no more than 1.620 oz (45.9 g), and a diameter not less than 1.680 inches (42.7 mm). The number of dimples on the ball depends where you are. American golf balls have 336 dimples, while British ones have 330.
Golf in space: Golf is one of two sports which have been played on the Moon. (The other was a javelin throw.) Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. used a 6-iron on this occasion. Also, in 2006 Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin hit a golf ball into space while on a space walk. It’s possibly still out there. Nasa estimated it would travel about a million miles before burning up in Earth’s atmosphere.
Golf is the tenth most popular sport in the world. There are over 34,000 golf courses in the world and more are being added.
According to superstition, if you’ve had a good game of golf, you don’t wash that ball afterwards or you might wash away your luck.
The longest game of golf on record lasted 82 days. The longest recorded drive was struck by Michael Hoke Austin in 1974 and covered 515 yards, and the longest putt on record is 375 feet.
See also: Quotes about Golf
Character birthday
Old Man Pozzi, aka Gunther Pozzi, Patriarch and head of the New York gangster family, the Pozzis.
No comments:
Post a Comment