The game of golf has been around for about 600 years. Many people have played this game over the years and changed the rules and regulations many times. The game of golf has evolved greatly since the fifteenth century. The development of the game has completely changed over time.

According to The New Encyclopedia Britannica, "During the fifteenth century golf derived from a game played in Scotland." People in Scotland would hit pebbles with sticks when they were bored. The pebbles began to break the wooden clubs, therefore they invented new balls. "Wooden balls likely followed rocks. A wooden ball couldn't have felt nice even if you hit your wooden club's sweet spot. Likely made out of hardwoods, the first golf balls weren't what they are today." Many more ball inventions were to come after the wooden ball. The featherie ball was next in line to be invented. The outside of the ball was made out of wet cowhide and was stitched together in a ball shape. It was stuffed with boiled goose feathers, so when it dried the ball became hard. Next created was the Gutta Percha ball. It was created because the featherie ball was too expensive to make. The Gutta Percha was made from liquid latex, which came from the Gutta Percha tree. It became hard once the latex dried. In 1901 Walter Travis won the U.S. Amateur with a rubber ball. The U.S. Amateur was one of the main tournaments held annually for amateurs in the U.S. That ball ended the Gutta Percha ball and everyone started to use the rubber ball. The outside of the rubber ball was made of balata, which came from the Manikara tree.

Golf has come along way since the fifteenth century. The equipment has changed greatly over the years. The golf balls have made a dramatic change made from rocks all the way to rubber. The golf clubs have also changed from wooden sticks to metal shafts. I can't imagine playing with wooden clubs because I have tried before and it was very difficult to hit. I'm glad golf has changed over the years because I highly doubt I would be playing if it weren't for the technology we have today. Golf has made a major transformation, and it keeps changing everyday, and I can't wait to see what it will be like in the future.

Get Recruited
Put Your Athletic Profile online for FREE

$250 Essay
Competition.

How do I
contact the
coach.

  The inside of the ball was of course made out of rubber. It helped players control and hit better shots. Since the ball was rubber it was able to spin if a player hit the ball perfect. Therefore, a player could hit a shot pass the hole but spin it backwards and make it close to the hole again. That's why it helped players control their shots. Soon the United States Golf Association (USGA) made a rule that the balls had to be 1.68 inches in size and had to weigh 1.62 ounces. That rule led to the modern ball that is used today.

Besides the golf balls changing, the clubs have also changed too. Tour Canada. Com writes, "The first authentic record of a club maker was in 1603 when William Mayne was appointed to the court of James I of England to make clubs for the king and his coherts." These had carved wood heads of beech, holly, dogwood, pear, or apple. The shafts were also made out of these woods. To make the golf balls go farther they put leather, horn, or bone into the club face. "Golf clubs have evolved from wooden shaft clubs to today's set of woods and irons with durability, weight distribution, and graduation utility." In time wooden shafts turned into steel shafts. Since the clubs were made from steel, the ball would go farther because the steel was more compact.  Also the heads turned into steel and grooves were designed to get more loft for shorter shots.