History

Golf traces its modern origins to 15th-century Scotland, where people played with
wooden clubs and balls full of feathers. One of the most common misconceptions is that the
word GOLF is an acronym for Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden. This is definitely not true. It is
now accepted that the word golf is derived from a word meaning club.

1867The first golf club exclusively for women was formedThe Ladies Club of St.
Andrews, Scotland. The sport has had a particularly uneasy relationship with women and
minorities. One all-male golf club in Scotland had, until a few years ago, a sign hanging outside
saying, "no dogs, no women".
1894The first ladies golf tournament in the U.S. was held at a 7-hole course in Morristown,
New Jersey. Golf went mainstream in America in the 1890s. The wealthy and upper middle
classes formed private golf clubs where they could play.
1944The Womens Professional Golf Association (WPGA) was founded.
Future for Golfing

Professional golf remains healthy, as sponsors and advertisers still seek the wealthy, older men
who form the core group of golf viewers and players.
In 2016 golf will be played at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro for the first time in 112 years.
People who have never watched golf on television will be exposed to it for the first time. Leaders
of America's golf establishment hope the Olympics will persuade new players in Latin America
and Asia to try the sport that swept their own country over a century ago.