THE GAME OF GOLF AND ITS HISTORY

A game similar to Golf called ‘Colf’ in Dutch had been played in The Netherlands over 700 years ago but the game of golf, as we know today, played over 18 holes, was originated in Scotland some 400 years ago. Subsequently many properly designed and organized golf courses were built in the British Isles in those days including club houses and restaurants.  Golf equipment manufacturers established themselves in many parts of the country as the demand for equipment was high.

The British introduced the game of golf to the colonies and built golf courses in the early days for their own use and the locals were barred from joining those clubs. Royal Culcatta Golf Club in India was the first Royal Golf Club outside the British Isles and our own Royal Colombo Golf Club became the second when a member of the British Royal family played there.

Sri Lanka Amateur Open Golf Championship Tournament conducted by the Sri Lanka Golf Union, which is a world ranking tournament, is the second oldest Amateur Tournament in the world after the British Amateur Open Championship.

Royal Colombo Golf Club was the first golf course built by the British in Sri Lanka followed by Nuwara Eliya Golf Club which celebrated the 125th anniversary on the 16th of August 2014. Even though there were a few other 9 hole golf courses scattered in the country, these two clubs were recognized as the main clubs with a reasonable membership. Even today a long standing and a keenly contested match between the two clubs for the Burdett Trophy is been played annually.

Victoria Golf And Country Resort in Rajawella near Kandy was built only 17 years ago, yet the club has won the award for the BEST GOLF COURSE IN THE SUB-CONTINENT for no less than 8 times in those 17 years which is no mean achievement and a tremendous honour for a small country like Sri Lanka where only about 500 locals play the game regularly.

Sri Lanka Air Force, recently, built an 18 hole golf course in Trincomalee and a 9 hole course in Anuradapura.

Sri Lanka Navy too has built a 9 hole links course by the seaside in Tricomalee.

More about the game, governing body, rules and Sri Lankan golfers will appear in a future article.

S. Kasturiratne.