The Scots were considered incurable golf addicts but the fact of its invention is still shrouded in mystery. The history of golf can be traced back to almost 500 years, because James II of Scotland, by an Act of Parliament, way back in the year 1457, had prohibited the playing of golf and football as they were diverting attention from the practice of archery that was at that time considered more important for the purpose of royal defense.
The Golf Story- How it All Began tells us that the early golfers indulged in the game simply for the love of it.
The Golf Story- How it All Began
The game in the earliest phase of its evolution was not properly organized in the sense that there were no formal clubs or society as such.
The first known club of such sort was called the Honourable Company of Ediburgh Golfers whose origin can be traced back to the year 1744. This was followed, a few years later, by St. Andrews Golfers which was later rechristened as the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. The Royal Blackheath Golf Club of England was perhaps the first club to be formed outside Scotland. Golf is also known to have existed in the eighteenth century United States but it was obviously not counted among the popular sports. Golf established its firm roots in Canada in North America.
Any study on Golf history remains inconclusive without the mention of the golf club and its makers. The earliest golf clubs were made by the highly skilled artisans who specialized in war implements. If the records are something to go by then William Mayer was the first authentic club maker appointed by James I of England to make golf clubs. Andrew Dickson of Leith and Henry Mill of St. Andrews were the other reputed Scottish club makers.