Golf dates back to the time of Julius Caesar. While it wasn't the golf that is played today, it was a similar game. They played by hitting a ball stuffed with feathers with the branches of a club-shaped tree. Golf is also traced back to the Song Dynasty in China in the years 960 to 1279. The games of these times were not exactly the golf known today; the roots of today's game can be traced back to Scotland in 1457. The game was later banned by King James II of Scotland, as it detracted from military training. Golf became a pastime in Britain in the 17th century and became a familiar theme around the world. The first British Open took place in 1860, a tournament that is still played today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The popularity of the sport then began to spread across the world. The first permanent golf club in North America was founded in Montreal, Canada, in 1873 and was called "Canada's Royal Montreal Club". The United States took notice and decided to embrace the golf craze as well. The first 18-hole course in the United States was at the Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois, in 1893. In 1850 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert built Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands. Railways arrived in St Andrews in 1852. By 1860 there were fast and regular services from London to Edinburgh. Royal enthusiasm for Scotland, much improved transport links and the writings of Sir Walter Scott caused a boom in tourism in Scotland and a wider interest in Scottish history and culture outside the country. This period also coincided with the development of the Gutty; a golf ball made from Guetta Pecha that was cheaper to mass-produce, more durable, and more consistent in quality and performance than the feather-filled leather balls used previously. Golf began to spread to the rest of the British Isles. In 1864 the golf course at Westward Ho! It became the first new club in England since Blackheath, and the following year the London Scottish Golf Club was founded on Wimbledon Common. 1890 to produce its first English-born Open champion, John Ball. The game also spread further throughout the empire. By 1880 golf clubs had been established in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa. Singapore followed in 1891. Courses were also established in several locations in continental Europe for the benefit of British visitors. The United States Golf Association (USGA) is founded in New York. One of his most important functions was to act as an arbiter for matters relating to amateur status. The five charter members of the newly formed USGA were St. Andrew's Golf Club in Yonkers, N.Y., Newport (R.I.) Golf Club, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., and Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton , Illinois. Golf's governing body began as the United States Golf Association (USGA) in 1894. Today's current governing body, the Professional Golf Association of America, was founded in 1916. Both amateurs and professionals are allowed to play in open events such as the US Open and the British Open, which are “open” to the public. Today, it is the golf courses themselves that reflect the history of the game, with US courses presented as beautifully sculpted and manicured landscaped parks, unlike British ones, which are typically rough links courses with bunkers where buses can be hidden two-storey London buildings. ! Some of the world's most famous golf courses are still found in Scotland - their names evoke the passion and tradition of the game of golf. Gleneagles, The Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie, Royal Troon,.’