First Rules of Golf – 275 Years Ago – Do You Know Why They Came About?

First Rules of Golf – 275 Years Ago – Do You Know Why They Came About?

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The Rules of Golf – 275 Years Old Today

The 7th of March 1744 is a significant date in the world of golf, as it’s the date when the first rules of golf were introduced.  There were 13 of them in total, handwritten on 2 sheets of paper.  This made me wonder how many rules there are today.  
I found out that since 1744, we have only gone from 13 rules to 24 rules. That seemed ludicrous, as the number of golf rules appear never ending to me.  However, all is not what it seems, as I am sure you are aware. By the time you add together the 24 rules to the sub-rules, to the sub-sub-rules and to the definitions, you have a 240 page rules document.  A bit more daunting than the 2 sheets of paper in 1744.
 
This is a reflection of the popularity of the sport.  Without the instigation, moulding and developing of these rules, golf wouldn’t be the game that we know and love today.

So why were the rules set up in the first place?

In 1744, on the east coast of Scotland, the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith Links asked the Edinburgh town council for a prize for an annual golf competition.  The golfers had been jealous of the local archers, who received a silver arrow from the town council for a competition in 1709.

The Home of Golf - Leith Links Cairn
Leith Links today

The Edinburgh town council presented the golfers with a silver golf club to be played for over Leith Links.  This was on the understanding that The Gentlemen Golfers of Leith Links set down rules that would govern the game of golf. The event was to be the first ever ‘open’ golf competition worldwide, played under the first rules of golf.

What were The First Rules of Golf?

the home of golf - first rules of golfIt was on the 7th March 1744 that The Gentlemen Golfers of Leith Links changed their name to the ‘Company of Edinburgh Golfers’. This group of golfers created the first 13 rules of golf (above).  John Rattray, who won the first annual competition, signed off these rules, as captain.  The ‘Company of Edinburgh Golfers’ later became the ‘Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers’ who now reside at Muirfield in East Lothian, Scotland.

The Home of Golf - Leith Links
The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers’ plaque on the cairn at Leith Links

The Home of Golf – Scotland or…Leith Links?

The fact that rules were drawn up was very important for the development of the game. It ensured regulation and set the benchmark for the sport moving forward.  These rules formed the basis of the modern game and led to Scotland being viewed as the ancestral Home of Golf.

The Home of Golf - Leith Links
The Cairn at Leith Links

All that remains of golf on Leith Links today is a cairn with 3 commemorative plaques on it. The first shows the layout of the 5 holes of that first competition.  The second commemorates 250 years of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. The third and final plaque states Leith Links – The Home of Golf with a short description of the events of 1744.

The geographical term, The Home of Golf, will always be associated with Scotland, in the eyes of the golfing world.  However, within Scotland, at its golfing core, Leith Links could well be the place where the term finds its origin.

The Home of Golf - Leith Links
THE HOME OF GOLF – A plaque commemorating the first rules of golf that formed the basis for the modern game.

The Leith Rules Golf Society

The Leith Rules Golf Society have been fundraising for a bronze cast statue of John Rattray, winner of the first ‘open’ golf competition in 1744.  They hope to unveil the statue on Leith Links at some point this year.
 
The precise origins of the game of golf are unclear, in terms of the numerous ‘stick and ball’ games played throughout the ages. Despite this, these first 13 rules differentiated golf from any other stick and ball game.  They marked a clear turning point in the modern game and they have a significant place in Golfing History.
The Home of Golf - Leith Links
The course layout at Leith Links in the 18th century

 

The Leith Rules Golf Society

The Leith Rules Golf Society has been fundraising for a statue of John Rattray to be located at the original first hole of Leith Links. More information on the Leith Rules Society can be found
on their website – http://www.leith-rules-golf.co.uk/statue.htm

Tom Kelly – www.TheHomeofGolf.com

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