All Topics > Entertainment > Golf >

Golf Maryland

This site will introduce you to the world of golf. All important facts about golf is explained in 9 points.

1. Local Companies

2. Golf - Etymology

3. Professional Golf

4. World popularity

5. Featured National Company

1. Local Companies

Swan Creek Golf and Country Club
(410) 272-8311
Aberdeen, MD

Willow Springs Golf Course
(410) 489-7700
12960 Livestock Rd
West Friendship, MD

Longview Golf Course
(410) 887-8216
1 Cardigan Rd
Lutherville Timonium, MD

Four Streams Golf Club
(301) 349-2900
19501 Darnestown Rd
Beallsville, MD

Montgomery County Golf
(301) 607-9000
13501 Penn Shop Rd
Mount Airy, MD

Mncppc
(301) 317-0493
16601 Supplee Ln
Laurel, MD

Blue Heron Golf Course
(410) 643-5721
3270 Romancoke Rd
Stevensville, MD

Mount Pleasant Golf Course Pro Shop
(410) 254-5100
6001 Hillen Rd
Baltimore, MD

Atlantic Golf Tournaments
(301) 570-9088
Ashton, MD

Bay Hills Golf Club
(410) 974-0826
Bay Hills Dr
Arnold, MD

The word golf was first mentioned in writing in 1457 on a Scottish statute on forbidden games as gouf, possibly derived from the Scottish word goulf (variously spelled) meaning "to strike or cuff". This word may, in turn, be related to the Dutch word kolf, meaning "bat," or "club," and the Dutch sport of the same name.

There is a persistent urban legend claiming that the term derives from an acronym "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden". This is almost certainly false as acronyms being used as words is a fairly modern phenomenon, making the expression more likely to be a backronym.

3. Professional Golf

Golf is played professionally in many different countries. The majority of professional golfers work as club or teaching professionals, and only compete in local competitions. A small elite of professional golfers are "tournament pros" who compete full time on international "tours". The major championships are the four most prestigious men's tournaments of the year. In current (2006) chronological order they are:

The Masters

U.S. Open

The Open Championship (referred to in North America as the British Open)

PGA Championship

The fields for these events include the top several dozen golfers from all over the world. The Masters has been played at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia since its inception in 1934. It is the only major championship that is played at the same course each year. The U.S. Open and PGA Championship are played at various courses around the United States, while The Open Championship is played at various courses in the UK.

The number of major championships a player accumulates in his career has a very large impact on his stature in the sport. Jack Nicklaus is widely regarded as the greatest golfer of all time, largely because he has won a record 18 professional majors, or 20 majors in total if his two U.S. Amateurs are included. Tiger Woods, who may be the only golfer likely to challenge Nicklaus's record, has won twelve professional majors (15 total if his three U.S. Amateurs are included), all before the age of thirty-one. (To put this total in perspective, Nicklaus had won eight professional majors and two U.S. Amateurs at the same age.) Woods also came closest to winning all four current majors in one season (known as a Grand Slam completed first by Bobby Jones) when he won them consecutively across two seasons: the 2000 U.S. Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship; and the 2001 Masters. This feat has been frequently called the Tiger Slam.

Prior to the advent of the PGA Championship and The Masters, the four Majors were the U.S. Open, the U.S. Amateur, the Open Championship, and the British Amateur. These are the four that Bobby Jones won in 1930 to become the only player ever to have earned a Grand Slam.

4. World popularity

In 2005 Golf Digest calculated that there were nearly 32,000 golf courses in the world, approximately half of them in the United States. The countries with most golf courses in relation to population, starting with the best endowed were: Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Canada, Wales, United States, Sweden, and England (countries with fewer than 500,000 people were excluded). Apart from Sweden all of these countries have English as the official language, but the number of courses in new territories is increasing rapidly. For example the first golf course in the People's Republic of China only opened in the mid-1980s, but by 2005 there were 200 courses in that country.

The professional sport was initially dominated by British golfers, but since World War I, America has produced the greatest quantity of leading professionals. Other Commonwealth countries such as Australia and South Africa are also traditional powers in the sport. Since around the 1970s, Japan, Scandinavian and other Western European countries have produced leading players on a regular basis. The number of countries with high-class professionals continues to increase steadily, especially in East Asia. South Korea is notably strong in women's golf.

The last decade or so has seen a marked increase in specialized golfing vacations or holidays worldwide. This demand for travel which is centered around golf has lead to the development of many luxury resorts which cater to golfers and feature integrated golf courses.

5. Featured National Company

Briar Creek Golf Club

(704) 922-4208
P.O. Box 751
Mount Holly, NC

Read more about Golf

- PGA Tour Maryland

Regional Articles

- Golf Aberdeen MD
- Golf Abingdon MD
- Golf Annapolis MD
- Golf Arnold MD
- Golf Baltimore MD
- Golf Bel Air MD
- Golf Beltsville MD
- Golf Berlin MD
- Golf Bethesda MD
- Golf Boonsboro MD
- Golf Bowie MD
- Golf Brooklyn MD
- Golf Burtonsville MD
- Golf Cambridge MD
- Golf Capitol Heights MD
- Golf Catonsville MD
- Golf Chestertown MD
- Golf Chevy Chase MD
- Golf Clinton MD
- Golf Cockeysville MD
- Golf College Park MD
- Golf Columbia MD
- Golf Crofton MD
- Golf Cumberland MD
- Golf Damascus MD
- Golf Derwood MD
- Golf District Heights MD
- Golf Dundalk MD
- Golf Easton MD
- Golf Edgewater MD
- Golf Edgewood MD
- Golf Elkridge MD
- Golf Elkton MD
- Golf Ellicott City MD
- Golf Essex MD
- Golf Fallston MD
- Golf Finksburg MD
- Golf Forest Hill MD
- Golf Fort Washington MD
- Golf Frederick MD
- Golf Frostburg MD
- Golf Gaithersburg MD
- Golf Germantown MD
- Golf Glen Burnie MD
- Golf Greenbelt MD
- Golf Gwynn Oak MD
- Golf Hagerstown MD
- Golf Halethorpe MD
- Golf Hampstead MD
- Golf Havre De Grace MD
- Golf Huntingtown MD
- Golf Hyattsville MD
- Golf Jessup MD
- Golf Joppa MD
- Golf Kensington MD
- Golf La Plata MD
- Golf Lanham MD
- Golf Laurel MD
- Golf Leonardtown MD
- Golf Lexington Park MD
- Golf Lusby MD
- Golf Lutherville Timonium MD
- Golf Mechanicsville MD
- Golf Middle River MD
- Golf Millersville MD
- Golf Montgomery Village MD
- Golf Mount Airy MD
- Golf North East MD
- Golf Nottingham MD
- Golf Oakland MD
- Golf Ocean City MD
- Golf Odenton MD
- Golf Olney MD
- Golf Owings Mills MD
- Golf Oxon Hill MD
- Golf Parkville MD
- Golf Pasadena MD
- Golf Pikesville MD
- Golf Potomac MD
- Golf Princess Anne MD
- Golf Randallstown MD
- Golf Reisterstown MD
- Golf Riverdale MD
- Golf Rockville MD
- Golf Rosedale MD
- Golf Salisbury MD
- Golf Severn MD
- Golf Severna Park MD
- Golf Silver Spring MD
- Golf Stevensville MD
- Golf Suitland MD
- Golf Sykesville MD
- Golf Takoma Park MD
- Golf Temple Hills MD
- Golf Thurmont MD
- Golf Towson MD
- Golf Upper Marlboro MD
- Golf Waldorf MD
- Golf Westminster MD
- Golf Windsor Mill MD

- PGA Tour Maryland

Rate Article

Save to My Articles

Articles Insider

Advertising	Fashion	Nightlife
Business Services	Financial Services	Online Database
Career	Franchise	Real Estate Resources
Cars	Health	Software
Chamber of Commerce	Holidays	Technology
Computer Hardware	Home Appliances	Telecommunications
Construction	Home Electronics	Trade Shows
Education	Home Services	Travel
Educational Content	Internet	Weddings
Entertainment	Legal	World History
Family	Miscellaneous

Advertising	Educational Content	Home Appliances	Real Estate Resources
Business Services	Entertainment	Home Electronics	Software
Career	Family	Home Services	Technology
Cars	Fashion	Internet	Telecommunications
Chamber of Commerce	Financial Services	Legal	Trade Shows
Computer Hardware	Franchise	Miscellaneous	Travel
Construction	Health	Nightlife	Weddings
Education	Holidays	Online Database	World History

Searching...

Golf Maryland

1. Local Companies

2. Golf - Etymology

3. Professional Golf

4. World popularity

5. Featured National Company