Golf is a very popular hobby for many people around the world, with an opportunity to spend time in the great outdoors with friends, working to perfect that all important swing. There are so many golf courses to visit and master around the country, that there is always something new to experience
With the sport being a part of our culture, either competitively or for relaxing, we thought that we’d take a look at some of the fascinating facts which are associated with the great game.
It is believed that golf originated in the 1400s in Scotland
St Andrews is the oldest and the first official golf course
The Scottish government banned golf between 1457 and 1744 as it was seen to be interfering with military training
The first golf balls were made with feathers
Before the golf tee was invented, players would use mounds of sand to balance their ball
The first women's golf club was was started in Musselburgh in Scotland in 1867
Mary Queen of Scots was a regular golf player
The average golf handicap for men is 14.2
The average golf handicap for women is 27.5
It is estimated that 420 million golf balls are lost every year
The average length of a full sized golf course is 4 to 5 miles
Tiger Woods took an interest in golf at only 6 months old and made his first hole-in-one at 8 years old
There’s a 12,500 to 1 chance of getting a hole-in-one
It is thought that there are 38,081 golf courses in the world, across 208 countries
Golf was the first sport to be played on the moon
The longest hole-in-one in history was Mike Crean at 517 yards
Browse our wonderful range of golf gifts which are perfect for any player or fan of the sport.
