Warrior Custom Golf

The Drive to win exists in every golfer's heart.

If there is one thing for certain about the origins of golf, it's that there is nothing certain about the origins of golf. Many historians believe that the game of golf actually originated in The Netherlands, not Scotland. It is stated that the Dutch played a game with a stick and a leather ball and whoever hit the ball into a target several hundred meters away in the least amount of strokes won. There are even some historians now claiming that the earliest origins of golf may have popped up in China during the Ming Dynasty, 500 years before any record of golf in Scotland. The game in China was referred to as chuiwan, and it was played with clubs made of jade and gold, a strong indication that it wasn't a game enjoyed by peasants.

As valid as the former theories might be, the most widely popular and well‐known theory about the origins of golf comes from Scotland. It has been stated that shepherds would hit rounded stones into rabbit holes with their wooden crooks to pass the time. In an Act of Parliament dated March 6, 1457, James II of Scotland banned the sports of football and golf because they were distracting the Scottish warriors from performing much needed archery practice. This statute contained the first documented use of the word golf, which is another controversy altogether. As much debate as there is about the origins of golf, there is no debating the fact that the modern game of golf as we know it has its roots deeply implanted into the ancient links of Scotland. It is Scotland where the first permanent golf courses started to pop up along the countryside, along with every self‐respecting golf course's bread and butter: club memberships. It is also Scotland where the early rules of golf were written, as well as where the 18‐hole golf course was born. Scotland also saw the birth of the formalized golf tournament structure, where competitions were held between various Scottish towns. According to a spokesman for the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, "Stick and ball games have been around for many centuries, but golf as we know it today, played over 18 holes, clearly originated in Scotland."

If you thought there was already plenty of disputed history to go around when it comes to golf, dissension lingers around the origins of the name golf itself. Before you get all agog about golf being an acronym for "gentleman only, ladies forbidden", you must realize that this is only a tall tale, more than likely the brainchild of an early pompous foursome that had consumed one too many pints at the turn. One theory is the word golf comes from the Dutch word "kolf," which means "stick," "club," or "bat." This of course would go along with the theory that golf originated in The Netherlands. The other popular theory surrounding the origins of the word golf comes from Scotland, mentioned in the aforementioned Act of Parliament. The statute contained the word "gouf," which means "to strike or cut off."

As disputed as the origins of the game and the name of golf are, one thing is crystal clear—the equipment has done its fair share of evolving. The earliest club makers were the skilled craftsman who crafted bow and arrows and other instruments of war. The earliest clubs featured carved wooden heads of beech, holly, dogwood, and either pear or apple. The heads were spliced into shafts of ash or hazel to give the club more whip. Improvements to the clubs were made by filling the back of the head with lead and by putting inserts of leather, horn, or bone into the club face. The first irons, which did not include grooves on the face, were crafted by skilled blacksmiths who forged iron into faced clubs, allowing more loft on shorter shots.

The earliest golf balls were made of hand stitched leather and stuffed with boiled feathers. Then in 1848, the Reverend Adam Paterson, a clergyman from St. Andrews, experimented with an Indian substance called gutta‐percha. The gutta‐percha ball was not a huge success at first, as it tended to duck in flight, due to its smooth surface. This all changed 55 years later in 1903 when Dr. Coburn Haskell, an American dentist, tightly wrapped a liquid‐filled rubber core with strips of elastic, then covered it with a gutta‐percha casing. The end result was the highly successful Haskell ball, which was finally taken seriously by the golfing masses in 1902 after Alex Hurd won The Open Championship using the Haskell ball. After the Open, the golfing masses gave up on the gutta‐percha ball and switched to the Haskell for good.

Warrior Custom Golf has been in business since 1999 and has been providing the community with superior quality golf clubs. With our innovative technology, our hybrid clubs will maximize your game. It is our mission to provide you with the best equipment to improve your score. Please visit us at http://www.warriorcustomgolf.com/ for all of your golf equipment needs.