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the Home of Golf.com

Scotland is The Home of Golf and it is something we are very proud of as a nation.  Our golfing history cannot be matched anywhere on the planet and many of our courses are up there with the world’s best.

So when exactly did Scotland become ‘The Home of Golf’?  Well, here’s a little bit of history, which in our opinion, is when and where the label ‘the home of golf’ was first attached, so to speak!

The Home of Golf – A bit of history

Games involving balls being hit with bent or curved sticks/clubs have been played for centuries throughout the world, dating well beyond Christianity and written records. So we Scots can hardly lay claim to inventing stick and ball games – but what about golf?

Well, what we do know is that there is evidence of golf being played in the 15th century. The first mention of golf being played in Scotland was in 1457, when James II banned both golf and football through an Act of Parliament.

The 7th March 1744 – the date Scotland became ‘The Home of Golf’?

However, it wasn’t until 1744 that things started to become more ‘official’.  On the 7th March 1744, The Gentlemen Golfers of Leith Links became the ‘Company of Edinburgh Golfers’ and they created the first 13 rules of golf.  The ‘Company of Edinburgh Golfers’ later became the ‘Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers’ and they now reside at Muirfield in East Lothian.

The creation of these rules laid down the laws under which the game then developed and began to grow.  You can see our blog from March 2021, which gives a bit more detail.

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers originally governed ‘the rules of golf’ until the late nineteenth century, when the responsibility was eventually passed to the R&A in St.Andrews.

The Home of Golf – Our Blog

The aim of our blog at The Home of Golf .com is to promote Scotland and its golf courses.  We write about, & suggest playing, courses that are closer together, in the same region.  This way you can stay in the same accommodation and cut down on your travel time and costs.

We point out the hidden gems as well as the Open Qualifying courses.  Highlight courses that have maybe had an effective change of management, head greenkeeper or significant change in course layout. The blog also highlights what Open competitions various courses have on, and also, when courses offer reduced rates at special times of the day/week/year.

We endeavour to pick places to stay that are tailored to the travelling golfer.  ‘Things to do’ in the area, when you’re not on the golf course, are also blogged about.  Additionally, we hope you may see sights you wouldn’t otherwise have seen and discover places you wouldn’t otherwise have found.

The final word, regarding our blog, is left for Tom Kelly who set up The Home of Golf in 2002:

“Hopefully over time, I can get more visitors playing more of our great courses.  If our blog can encourage an additional 5x four balls, visiting 4 courses per week in Scotland, 32 weeks of the year, each paying apx. £40 a round, then that would bring in over £100k to Scottish golf clubs & their communities per year! By the time you add accommodation, food and drink that figure could easily treble to £300k or more – that would make this blog worth while.”  Tom Kelly (Sept 2017)

The Home of Golf – come & experience Scotland for yourself!

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