Golf dates back to the time of Julius Caesar. Although it wasn't the golf we play today, it was a similar game. They played by hitting a ball filled with feathers with tree branches in the shape of a club. The origin of golf also dates back to the Song dynasty in China, between 960 and 1279. The games of this era were not exactly those we know today; the roots of the current game can be traced back to Scotland in 1457. The game was later banned by King James II of Scotland because it harmed military training. Golf became a pastime in Britain in the 17th century and it was a familiar theme around the world. In 1860 the first British Open took place, a tournament which is still played today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The popularity of this sport then began to spread around the world. The first permanent golf club in North America was founded in Montreal, Canada in 1873 and was named the "Royal Montreal Club of Canada". The United States caught wind of this and decided to get in on the golf craze as well. The first 18-hole course in the United States was played at the Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois, in 1893. In the 1850s, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert built Balmoral Castle in the Highlands Scottish. The railways came to St Andrews in 1852. By the 1860s 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 brought about 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 of Guetta Pecha that was cheaper to mass produce, more durable and more consistent in quality and performance than the feather-filled leather balls previously used. Golf began to spread throughout the rest of the British Isles. In 1864, the resort golf course of Westward Ho! Becoming the first new club in England since Blackheath, and the following year the London Scottish Golf Club was founded on Wimbledon Common. By 1880, England had 12 courses, increasing to 50 in 1887 and over 1,000 by 1914. The game in England had progressed enough by 1890 to produce its first English-born Open champion, John Ball. The game also spread throughout the empire. By the 1880s, golf clubs had been established in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa. Singapore followed in 1891. Courses were also established in several mainland European resorts for the benefit of British visitors. The United States Golf Association (USGA) is created in New York. One of its most important functions was to serve as arbiter for questions of amateur status. The five founding members of the new USGA were St. Andrew's Golf Club of Yonkers, NY, Newport (RI) Golf Club, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, NY, Country Club of Brookline, Massachusetts, and Chicago Golf. Club in Wheaton, IL. Golf's governing body began as the United States Golf Association (USGA) in 1894. Then the current governing body, the Professional Golf Association of America, was founded in 1916. Amateurs and professionals are allowed to participate in open events like the US Open and British Open, which are “open” to the public. Today, it is the golf courses themselves that reflect the history of the game, with American courses presented as beautifully landscaped parks.’