the roots and beginnings of golf

The Romans played a game like golf by striking a feather stuffed ball with club shaped branches during the reign of Caesar. Golf was banned in Scotland in 1457.  The oldest golf course is in Scotland, called St. Andrews, and it  was used as early as the 16th century. 

Golf became firmly established in Great Britain by the 17th century.  In the 1800s the gutta perched ball replaced the feather filled ball.  In 1860 the first British Open was played.   The 1st permanent golf club in North America, Canada's Royal Montreal Club, was founded in 1873.  The 1st 18 hole course in the United States was the Chicago Golf Club that was founded near Wheaton, Ill., in 1893.

The governing body for current golf tournaments is the United States Golf Association (USGA) and it was founded in 1894.  The Professional Golf Association of America (PGA)  was founded in 1916.  Both Amateurs and Professionals can play in any golf tournament that is called an Open tournament.  Examples are the U.S. Open and the British Open.   Beginning in 1981, the name of the pro circuit was officially changed to the Tournament Players Association (TPA) Tour.  Tournament golf had became a well established spectator sport in the United States by the 1920s and has been gaining popularity ever since.