The beginning of the school year means this corner needs to wrap up another fine season of good articles, OK articles and silly articles.
Golf is a lifelong game, and it takes years and years and years to learn. In fact, as long as you play the game, you’ll probably learn something every year.
Golf can be traced back to the Roman game paganica, in which participants used a bent stick and a leather ball stuffed with feathers. Golf can also be traced back to China and the Ming dynasty of the 14th century.
For the most part, modern golf originated in Scotland in the 15th century. The first written record of the game was of King James II banning the sport as an unwelcome distraction to learning archery, which was need to support military efforts against England. Who can relate to pushing chores and boring obligations aside to play a round of golf?
Did you know?
The first golf balls used in Scotland were made of wood and lasted only one or two rounds.
Golf balls were then made of leather and stuffed with feathers and were called a “feathery.” It was realized that after the feathery was used for a few rounds, it performed better when it was scuffed up. These scuff marks created more lift, keeping the ball in air longer for greater distance — thus, the first dimples on a golf ball.
The modern golf ball has anywhere between 380 and 432 dimples on a single ball.
There are over $600 million worth of golf balls sold every year.
The word “caddy” comes from the French word for student, “cadet.”
The average driver club head speed of an average lady golfer is 62 mph; it’s 96 mph for an LPGA professional. The average club head speed of a male golfer is 84 mph; PGA Tour pros are closer to 108 mph. Tiger Woods can swing it up to 130 mph, and the long-drive champions exceed 150 mph.
An average distance sand shot from the bunker requires at 65 mph-plus club head speed to get the ball out.
The average walk for 18 holes takes you on a four-mile journey and will burn 2,000 calories. Golfers that ride in a cart will still burn 1,300 calories during a four-hour round.
A golf ball will fly about 6 percent farther one mile above sea level, so a 150-yard shot will fly 159 yards.
The highest golf course in the world is the Tactu Golf Club in Morococha, Peru, at 14,335 feet above sea level. A golf ball there will fly 16 percent farther than at sea level, so your 150-yard shot will fly 174 yards.
The Upper Valley has more than 200 golf holes for the public to play.
While golf has been around for a long time and its origin is often debated, we can all agree that the game captures our minds and attention and definitely plays with our emotions. Get out and play more golf and enjoy the Fall and we’ll see you next year.
Peter Harris is the director of golf at the Fore-U Golf Center in West Lebanon. His column appears weekly on the Recreation page during the golf season. This is his final column for the summer.
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