Golf :
In 26 February 1297 golf-like game is recorded as taking place in the Netherlands, in a city called Loenen aan de Vecht, where the Dutch played a game with a stick and leather ball. Some scholars argue that this game of putting a small ball in a hole in the ground using golf clubs was also played in 17th-century Netherlands and that this predates the game in Scotland.
Some historians trace the sport back to the Roman game of paganica, in which participants used a bent stick to hit a stuffed leather ball. One theory asserts that paganica spread throughout Europe as the Romans conquered most of the continent, during the first century B.C., and eventually evolved into the modern game. Others cite chuiwan ("chui" means striking and "wan" means small ball) as the progenitor, a Chinese game played between the eighth and 14th centuries. A Ming Dynasty scroll dating back to 1368 entitled "The Autumn Banquet", shows a member of the Chinese Imperial court swinging what appears to be a golf club at a small ball with the aim of sinking it into a hole. This game was, in turn, exported to the Low Countries, Germany, and England (where it was called pall-mall, pronounced “pell mell”). Some Newses, however, believe that golf descended from the Persian game, chaugán. In addition, kolven (a game involving a ball and curved bats) was played Yearly in Loenen, Netherlands, beginning in 1297.
In Scotland the modern game originated, where the first written record of golf is James II's banning of the game in 1457
The game of golf has grown to be one of the world’s most popular and gentle sports today. Its history goes back to the 1300s when a game resembling golf was played with a stick and ball.
In the mid 1700s, golf began to spread to other areas and countries. A club was formed in England in 1766, and in 1856 the first club of France was formed. In 1888, the St. Andrews club in New York helped bring popularity to the game of golf in the United States, and in 1894 the United States Golf Association was formed.
A man by the name of Allan Robertson is known as the first great of the game of golf. His family had golf in their blood and even had a ball manufacturing business that overlooked the 18th hole on St. Andrews golf course. He died in 1859 at the age of 44.
Golf equipment has changed a lot over the years. Golf balls were first made of wood and were far from being perfectly round. Later, a ball evolved called the “feathery.” This ball was made from leather and had feathers stuffed inside. Both of these balls were handmade and did not have uniform standards. In the mid 1800s, a man named Reverend Robert Preston came up with an idea for a new and more useful ball. He called this ball the “gutty.” This ball was made from a mold and therefore made all balls more uniform in size and weight. This creation of this ball soon led to another type of ball called the “Haskell,” which was made with dimples. The inside of the ball features a rubber core wrapped in elastic and then coated with a plastic dimpled surface.
The first golf clubs were made of wood. Different types of wood were used for each part of the club. The shaft was glued to the head and supported with twine. Some of the different types of wood used were ash, hazel, apple tree, beech, and pear. Later, as the club evolved, more sturdy woods were used. Hickory became the wood of choice. Iron was used for the head of the club. The wood stood up well to the first golf balls, but as the balls evolved, so did the clubs. Graphite, aluminum, and titanium were used to make more solid clubs and were sold in sets of 14.
Golfers today still play with the standard 14 club set. This set consists of 3 woods, 9 irons, a sand wedge, and a putter. As for the balls, they are now made in a universally uniform size of 1.68 inches round and 1.62 ounces in weight.
2011 match Schedule
The World Golf Championships Accenture is a global umbrella sponsor and the title sponsor of the series. Accenture Match Play Championship will take place February 23-27, 2011, at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain in Marana, Arizona. The top 64 players in the world will battle for the Walter Hagen Cup.
THE 2011 EUROPEAN TOUR INTERNATIONAL SCHEDULE :
The initial sector of The 2011 European Tour International Schedule, announced today, will begin with four tournaments co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour in South Africa followed by the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, the Volvo Tournament of Champions, the Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy and the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. The second Avantha Masters, co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour and the Professional Golf Tour of India, will be played in India ahead of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in the United States.
Volvo, one of the most prolific and longest serving supporters of world golf, has title sponsored 70 tournaments on The European Tour International Schedule and this number will increase with the announcement of the Volvo Tournament of Champions which follows the recent news that the Volvo World Match Play Championship will resume with a new date – May 19,2011 - May 22, 2011 – at Finca Cortesin Hotel Golf and Spa, Casares, Spain. The 2011 Volvo Tournament of Champions, to be played at the Royal Golf Club in the Kingdom of Bahrain from January 27, 2011- January 30, 2011 will have an initial prize fund of €1,700,000 with a field primarily comprising players who have won on The European Tour International Schedule. The inaugural Volvo Tournament of Champions, which has the full support of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, will have a field of up to 126 players with a halfway cut to the leading 60 and ties after 36 holes.
The Volvo Tournament of Champions is scheduled to be the first event on The European Tour International Schedule in both 2012 and 2013 when the prize fund will increase to a minimum of €2,000,000.
The 7243 yards, par 72 Montgomerie championship course, designed by European Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie with his associates at European Golf Design, offers a unique blend of links and desert golf by taking advantage of Bahrain’s natural rough desert terrain and combining it with vast man-made lakes. The rolling links-style fairways and undulating greens deliver an inspiring and demanding challenge.
George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: “Volvo’s support of The European Tour has been invaluable to our development and we again thank them for maintaining this strong and powerful partnership. The Kingdom of Bahrain becomes the 38th country to host European Tour competition and our members will look forward to exhibiting their world class skills in this new arena. We would also congratulate International Management Group for continuing their important support of the Tour Membership by adding another tournament to those which they already stage on The European Tour International Schedule.”
Keith Waters, Chief Operation Officer of The European Tour, said: “We are particularly delighted to announce this strong and exciting initial sector of the schedule for 2011.
This underlines The European Tour’s ethos to work with our partners around the world and to promote the game of golf globally. We thank all our colleagues at the Asian
Rank Name & Country
1 Lee Westwood, Eng
2 Tiger Woods, USA
3 Martin Kaymer, Deu
4 Phil Mickelson, USA
5 Steve Stricker, USA
6 Jim Furyk, USA
7 Paul Casey, Eng
8 Luke Donald, Eng
9 Rory McIlroy, Nir
10 Graeme McDowell, Nir
11 Matt Kuchar, USA
12 Ernie Els, Zaf
13 Dustin Johnson, USA
14 Francesco Molinari, Ita
15 Ian Poulter, Eng
16 Hunter Mahan, USA
17 Edoardo Molinari, Ita
18 Retief Goosen, Zaf
19 Zach Johnson, USA
20 Padraig Harrington, Irl
21 Robert Allenby, Aus
22 Louis Oosthuizen, Zaf
23 Anthony Kim, USA
24 Bubba Watson, USA
25 Justin Rose, Eng
26 Miguel A Jimenez, Esp
27 Ross Fisher, Eng
28 Rickie Fowler, USA
29 Nick Watney, USA
30 Camilo Villegas, Col
31 Tim Clark, Zaf
32 Sean O'Hair, USA
33 Charl Schwartzel, Zaf
34 Jason Day, Aus
35 Ben Crane, USA
36 Robert Karlsson, Swe
37 Y.E. Yang, Kor
38 Geoff Ogilvy, Aus
39 Peter Hanson, Swe
40 Kim Kyung-Tae, Kor
41 Adam Scott, Aus
42 Ryan Moore, USA
43 Bo Van Pelt, USA
44 Stewart Cink, USA
45 K.J. Choi, Kor
45 Ryo Ishikawa, Jpn
47 Henrik Stenson, Swe
48 Martin Laird, Sco
49 Lucas Glover, USA
50 Jeff Overton, USA
51 Charley Hoffman, USA
52 Angel Cabrera, Arg
53 Alvaro Quiros, Esp
54 Yuta Ikeda, Jpn
55 Heath Slocum, USA
56 Ryan Palmer, USA
57 Bill Haas, USA
58 Kevin Na, USA
59 Kenny Perry, USA
60 Richard Green, Aus
61 Scott Verplank, USA
62 Hiroyuki Fujita, Jpn
63 J.B. Holmes, USA
64 Rhys Davies, Wal
65 Liang Wen-Chong, Chn
66 Noh Seung-yul, Kor
67 David Toms, USA
68 Fredrik Andersson Hed, Swe
69 Danny Willett, Eng
70 Sergio Garcia, Esp
71 Brian Davis, Eng
72 Ricky Barnes, USA
73 Michael Sim, Aus
74 Brendan Jones, Aus
75 Simon Dyson, Eng
76 Bryce Molder, USA
77 Toru Taniguchi, Jpn
78 Soren Kjeldsen, Dnk
79 Oliver Wilson, Eng
80 Brandt Snedeker, USA
81 Jason Dufner, USA
82 Stephen Gallacher, Sco
83 Vijay Singh, Fji
84 David Horsey, Eng
85 Thongchai Jaidee, Tha
86 Tetsuji Hiratsuka, Jpn
87 Matteo Manassero, Ita
88 Gonzalo Fdez-Castano, Esp
89 Rory Sabbatini, Zaf
90 Brian Gay, USA
91 John Senden, Aus
92 Vaughn Taylor, USA
93 Shunsuke Sonoda, Jpn
94 Brendon de Jonge, Zwe
95 Marc Leishman, Aus
96 Gregory Bourdy, Fra
97 Justin Leonard, USA
98 Stephen Marino, USA
99 Darren Clarke, Nir
100 Chris Wood, Eng
