Golf History

Golf was a Gentlemen's Sport, is it Still?

The game of golf that is known and played today is very different than the game that was created in Europe in the early thirteenth century. Every year the PGA comes out with a new edition of a two-hundred and eight page rulebook. The rules of golf, as with every other sport, change with the world. These changes are in response to new issues, technology, and technicalities not considered or mentioned in previous editions of the rules. As American and global culture has changed, the game of golf has changed accordingly. Some global changes such as the invention of steroids in the early 1900’s resulted in golf, along with many other sports, addressing the usage of steroids in their respective leagues.

Other issues include the unequal treatment of women in the sport and the high cost of playing the game. Since the origins of modern golf in the 1400’s, women have not been seen as equals on the golf course. For women in the early days of the sport, it was not socially acceptable to play golf; golf was primarily for the rich white males. Similarly, for those who do not have a high socioeconomic status, golf has been inaccessible due to the high cost of playing the game.

This resulted in unknown potential going to waste because they did not have enough money to play the game. Addressing these issues, as well as others, have drastically changed the way society plays and views the game of golf.

Throughout the history of the game, many rules have changed the way the game is played. When the game was first invented there were only thirteen simple rules (“Rules of Golf-1744”). All of these rules are still enforced today; however, there have been many new rules implemented in the past few years that have had a major impact on how the game is played. Some of the rules were designed to get rid of an advantage of playing a certain way. One such rule, 14-1b, was designed to stop people from anchoring their putter ("Understanding Rule 14-1b-2"). Anchoring a putt means steadying the club by pressing the grip into the player’s belly. This practice makes the putt more consistent and some players used this to their advantage. Many older people depended on anchoring their putter because their hands were shaky from age or disease such that they could not make a putt without anchoring. Rule officials saw this as an unfair advantage and saw fit to make that practice against

the rules. This upset many professionals as well as elderly coaches and advisors because they could no longer putt accurately, nor could they teach others to putt that way. Another rule that was implemented relatively recently was the ‘no grounding your club’ in bunkers and water hazards rule. Grounding a club means resting the club on the ground prior to beginning of a swing which could be seen as an advantage because a golfer can better determine how to hit the ball. Rule officials thought there should be an additional disadvantage to hitting the ball in one of these hazards. Many golfers believe that there are a number of rules that serve no purpose. According to Rick Reilly, “Golf is the best game, with the stupidest rules ever invented”. There are definitely rules out there that seem to serve no purpose, like the grounding of a club; it does not seem to give an unfair advantage, after all, if everyone were to do it, it would not be unfair. There are countless other rules that seem to complicate the sport, and while these rules may be second nature to a professional, they make the game very difficult and complicated for new players to learn. It can be increasingly frustrating to a new player to recall every one of hundreds of rules, and getting penalized each time one is forgotten. As time goes on, new technology and scientific advances are made and are often prohibited due to the fact that they can offer an unfair advantage.
Steroids are an excellent example of something that was banned because of the advantage it offered. Steroids have been used to gain an advantage in athletic activities since their discovery in the 1930’s (“What Are Anabolic Steroids?”). During World War II, they were used to give soldiers increased weight, and improved performance. When steroids such as testosterone were used in the Olympics in 1956, other athletes quickly saw the advantage of using performance enhancing drugs (PED) and the illegal drugs quickly seeped into most sports. Baseball, track, and football are some of the main sports where these drugs are found. One would think that society as a whole did not notice the drug usage in golf for the reason that game is so prestigious that no one would dare use steroids; the actual reason that society had not heard about drug usage in golf, is that the PGA has only been testing for illegal substances since 2008 ("Historical Timeline”). This is relatively new considering the first sport to test for drugs, track and field, started testing for drugs as early as 1940. Clearly the PGA should have been testing for drugs at an earlier time. Many people believe that even though the PGA had not been testing for drugs, that golfers typically do not use steroids; but if history has taught anything, it is that if there is money to be had, there are competitive individuals looking to gain an advantage. Golfers such as Gary Player have claimed that they know golfers to have used illegal steroids. It was revealed at the British Open in 2007 that “...a tour pro confided in him that he was taking steroids” (Rudy et al). Mr. Player also believes that many more people than are being discovered are taking steroids. Even though the PGA is now testing for drugs, testing is hit-and-miss at best. Many steroids now come in the form of creams and are applied during workout routines. They come in such small amounts, that they are difficult to detect in normal tests. Things like Gary Player revealing the usage of drugs in golf show that the game is not as ‘pure’ as it is presented to the world. Other changes in the game have been for the better.
One such change in golf is the availability of the sport to women. Women playing golf was looked down upon by society; therefore, very few women played golf. Often times, women did not have the finances to pay for their own golf, and their husbands would forbid them from playing, saying that it was a sport for men. Many ‘men only’ clubhouses discriminated against women by not allowing them to play golf, “Muirfield is not the only Scottish golf club which is anti-women. The R&A at St Andrews and Royal Troon discriminate too” (“Golf Must Tackle”). These clubhouses often had young and beautiful women serving as waitresses, to attract young and wealthy men. Clubhouses were seen as dirty, filled with the smell of alcohol and cigar smoke, not a place suitable for a lady. Many men took advantage of the absence of their wives and had affairs with the attractive waitress in such clubhouses. Discrimination against women started then, but is rarely seen today. Today, women have their own organization, the LPGA; also, women typically receive more support, resources, and personal trainers than men (“Female Golf”). Many coaches want to teach female amateur golfers more than men. This is because women are better golfers than men at younger ages, but reach their peak of performance earlier and then fall out of the spotlight faster than men, to be replaced by younger athletes. Men on the other hand take longer to get good enough to play professionally, and for the few that reach the professional level, they manage to stay there for many years, which is why male golfers are more commonly found on television. Women, although they have been discriminated against in the past, have an advantage in learning and refining their game of golf. This advancement for women as well as other changes in the game of golf have made the game more accessible for society.
Lastly, and perhaps the biggest change in the game of golf has been the reaching out to those with low socioeconomic status.

Golf is not a poor man's sport. To play one round of nine holes for an adult is often between thirty to forty dollars, twice that if one wants to play a full round of eighteen holes. In addition to the cost of greens fees, a half-decent set of clubs will cost anywhere from seven hundred to one thousand two hundred dollars, estimates Brent Kelly. Golf balls cost between forty and sixty dollars for twelve to sixteen of them. Range balls to practice with cost about eight dollars for a small bucket depending on the practice facility. There can be no doubt, golf is an incredibly expensive sport when compared to other recreational activities. Because of this, for members of society with low socioeconomic standing, it was nearly impossible to afford to play golf. Today however, there are several programs in place to help people who cannot afford to play. Many clubhouses will have sets of clubs that people can rent for a very low cost, some will even lend sets of clubs for free when a round of golf is purchased. On top of lending out golf clubs, programs are in place such as Youth On Course (YOC) whose aim is to make “a way to increase the accessibility and affordability of golf for Northern California youth” (“Youth on Course”). Youth on Course, by accepting donations allows participants to play golf for under five dollars. For a mere five dollars youth

between the ages of twelve and sixteen can play eighteen holes, and practice balls are reduced from eight dollars to two dollars. This has given children born into families with low income the opportunity to play golf and to learn about the game. Another program that helps youth play golf, is the “First Tee”. This program is a series of lessons, and is related to Youth on Course. If youth sign up for First Tee, they are automatically eligible for all the benefits of Youth on Course (Stewart). The First Tee program will teach children ages seven to eighteen. They teach them proper etiquette, the rules of the game, as well as the physical aspect of playing the game. These two programs as well as others out there have given youth the opportunity to play golf at an extremely reduced price; both of these programs are new to the sport and they have a profound effect on future players of the game.
In conclusion, the game of golf has changed dramatically from when the sport was invented. In the past, it was men who primarily played golf. In the past, if one could not afford the game, they did not play it. Changes in American and world culture has made it so that these things are not necessarily true today. Today women have their own organization, the LPGA. Today low-income families can afford golf through organizations who enable them to play golf for as low as five dollars. There can be no doubt, the game has changed for the better, but that does not necessarily mean that every change has been advantageous. With steroid and other drug usage becoming a bigger problem, the rules which govern the game are changing. In the past golf was primarily a gentlemen’s game; whether it is now considered a gentleman's game is up to society.