Golf is one of the most popular games that is played on a large outdoor course with a series of 9 or 18 holes spaced far apart, the object being to propel a small, hard ball with the use of various clubs into each hole with as few strokes as possible.

The ball is hit with the "stroke" of a golf club, and each stroke counts towards the end score. A stroke is the forward movement of the club makes and hit the
ball, with the intention of moving the ball forward, but if a player stops his downswing voluntarily before the club head strikes the ball, he has not made a stroke.

The origins of golf have often been speculated about. Some historians think there may be a tentative connection to a similar game played on frozen ponds in Holland, but this association isn't concrete. The first record of the game of golf being played as we know it today was in Scotland in the region around Edinburgh in the 15th Century. Many historians consider St. Andrews, Scotland to be the home of the oldest golf course where golf was played as early as the 16th century. James VI of Scotland, who later became James I, imported golf to England in the 17th century.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews, the cradle of golf, was founded in 1754. During the 1800s the gutta-percha ball, or "gutty," replaced the feather-filled
ball that had been used for centuries. In 1860 the first British Open was played at Prestwick, Scotland. The competition was opened to both professionals and amateurs the following year. The first permanent golf club in North America, Canada's Royal Montreal Club, was founded in 1873.

Apparently, the other St. Andrews (the oldest golf club in the United States) was established initially with a 3-hole layout in 1888 at Yonkers, N.Y. Its founder's were
affectionately called the "Apple Tree Gang" because of the many apple trees on their golf course. St. Andrews was later expanded to 6 holes course (actually, a cow pasture). Over the course of the next few years a number of 6-, 8-, 9-, and 12-hole courses opened all over the east coast. The first club to offer a full 18-hole course was the Chicago Golf Club, founded near Wheaton, Ill., in 1893.

The game of golf has changed remarkably from the first games played at St. Andrews in Scotland. No longer is the game played with simple hand made clubs and leather balls stuffed with feathers. Today's game is a high precision sport, with clubs designed by high-tech computers, using advanced materials such as titanium and zirconia. Perhaps the biggest change to the game is the standardization of the
rules and playing field. But the actual process of hitting the golf ball towards the hole remains a mystery.