Nowadays’ youth frequently appear to lack interest in golf’s past. Sadly, many modern kids don’t engage with the sport much because of their smartphones and video games. But golf has a lot to teach young people who are curious about historical tales. Here are just a few of the game’s exciting past for young learners.
It Has Humble Origins
The majority of historians attribute the origins of the activity to Scottish stick and ball games that were popular in the St. Andrews, educating young people about these formative years will bring history to life. Children will enjoy learning about its history as a game in which players used a crude club to knock a pebble around the Scottish lowlands.
It’s Really Old
Unless young students are explicitly taught that the sport has some roots in the Dutch Low Countries, how are they to know that the Flemish poet Jacob van Maerlant was the first to mention the proto-sport of “kolf” in 1261? By extension, that means that people have been using the greens for more than 700 years!
It’s for Everyone
At St. Andrews that golf originally stood for, “Ladies are prohibited; gentlemen only.” But don’t mention that to Mary, Queen of Scots, who enjoyed hitting a few balls and scandalously played golf after her second husband was killed. Today, anyone can enjoy the game thanks to junior golf memberships!
It’s a Game for Friends
The best way to unwind with friends is to play some golf. John Rattray, a physician to Prince Charles Edward Stuart and one of the game’s pioneers, was saved from the hangman’s noose by his friend and fellow linksman Duncan Forbes after being imprisoned in the wake of the Jacobite Rising of 1745, according to young students studying its history. Sir John Foulis, a fellow Jacobean and Baron from the affluent Ravelston neighborhood of Edinburgh, was less fortunate but met with his friends at the Leith links at least once every two weeks before his execution.
It Has a Rebellious Side
After hearing the cautionary tale of the six boys from Perth, Scotland, today’s youth will value the freedom of a junior golf membership even more. In 1604, the boys were forced to make a public confession of their sins to their congregations after being discovered using the tees on the Sabbath.
It’s the Real Sport of Kings
There is no doubt that golf is unfamiliar to students who believe that horseracing is the sport of kings. The game was outlawed by James IV of Scotland in the late 1400s, but he continued to play. Around this time, a large portion of the upper class in Scotland and England insisted on having exclusive access to the sport.
Since its modest beginnings in Scotland, golf has come a long way. Today, there are more than 10,000 USGA-approved courses spread throughout the country, making the sport available to almost any young person interested in a junior golf membership. That’s a hole in one, for sure!