Golf history in Scott land

Golf is as integral a part of Scotland today as it was as far back as the 15th century when, the game of ‘gowf’, as it was known in those days, was banned by Parliament under King James II as a distraction from military training. Fortunately the ban was lifted when the Treaty of Glasgow came into effect in 1502 and the game has gone from strength to strength ever since.

Records show that golf was played at Scotland’s (and in fact the world’s) oldest course, Musselburgh Links, The Old Course, as early as 1672. However it is claimed that Mary Queen of Scots played the game as early as 1567.
Development of the modern game
Between 1750 and 1850, golf developed into the game as we know it today with the establishment of some of the world’s most prominent golf clubs. On 7 March 1744, the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, the world’s oldest golf club, which now resides at Muirfield, officially came into being at Leith Links. In the same year they drafted the first 13 rules of golf to compete for a silver golf club, presented by the City of Edinburgh, over Leith Links.
Origins of the 'Royal & Ancient'
This set a precedent for future golf competitions and on 14 May, 1754, 22

‘Noblemen and Gentlemen’ formed the Society of St Andrews Golfers and contributed to a silver club to be played for annually over the Links of St Andrews. St Andrews golfers adopted the rules of their counterparts in Leith and 20 years later changed their name to the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. The R&A is now the rulemaking body for golf throughout the world, apart from the USA and Mexico.
Over the next century a number of events took place in St Andrews which encouraged the evolution of the game. In 1764, the Links, which later became known as the Old Course, was reduced from 22 holes to 18 and that gradually became accepted as the standard format for golf courses. The “gutta percha” ball was developed in the town by Robert Paterson and its durability encouraged the development of iron-faced clubs and so continued the process of evolution.
The evolution of the game
A key figure in developing the game in St Andrews and Scotland was Old Tom Morris. To this day, he holds the British Open record for oldest champion at the age of 46 in 1867 and