Five surprising golf facts you (probably) haven’t heard

By a Correspondent

As a golf fan, you probably live, breathe and dream about golf, swotting player performances and statistics.

You probably think that, when it comes to golf, you know it all, but I’m willing to bet there are a few interesting tidbits about your favourite sport that you haven’t heard yet…

Golf was once banned

Golf seems like a pretty sedate and respectable pastime, so many people are pretty surprised to find that it was once banned.

However, from 1457 to 1744 golf was indeed not permitted in Scotland due to the fact the local government believed that it was interfering with military training.

This is because, back then, golfers would play in the streets or workplaces, which was pretty impractical, I’m sure you’ll agree.

It wasn’t just golf though – football was also prohibited too.

Phil Mickelson is actually right-handed

Normally, someone being right-handed wouldn’t be worth a mention because the vast majority of people on the planet have a dominant right hand.

However, in the case of golfer Phil Mickelson, it is a pretty interesting thing to note. why? Because although he is right-handed, he actually plays golf as a left-hander.

He does this because, when training, he would always mirror his father’s movement. There aren’t many people who’d excel like he has used their non-dominant hand!

Women’s golf has been around since 1811

When you look at websites like https://sportnews.in/ you will often see news about the latest and greatest female golfers, but that wasn’t always the case.

In fact, it was not until 1811 that the first round of golf was played by all females.

Perhaps, unsurprisingly, this ground-breaking round of golf was played in the Scottish town of Musselburgh, and it has paved the way for many talented women today to take their place in golfing history.

Golf balls used to be made from leather and feathers

It seems strange now, but the first golf balls were actually made from pieces of leather that had been wrapped in feathers.

Imagining how heavy they must have been and sure to give a few golfers nightmares, but they got the job done when more lightweight materials were not available.

How were they made? Wet feathers were wrapped around balls of leather and left until they dried out.

As you can imagine, this took a lot of time and didn’t exactly make for the most accurate shots, but it was all they had to work with, and without these feathery balls, we wouldn’t have the game we know and love today.

Average golfer will never have handicap under 18

Although professional golfers have scratch handicaps, the sad fact is that most recreational players will never have a handicap that is below 18.

However, this is not to say that they aren’t still great players – the pros train all day every day to get to the level they have!

Glowing balls

As if there weren’t enough goodies and trinkets available to golfers, add another: the glow ball.

These LED balls can add spectacular fun to a night game, or early birds, and there are also ultra-violet balls for variety, besides other battery-powered balls.

Typically, an LED ball has a life of up to 40 hours, or the equivalent of 16 full rounds either in pre-dawn light, or under floods.

Did you know any of these? Do you have any interesting golf facts of your own to share? Please let us know.

Also read: Golf in the Nilgiris-1: The Ootacamaund (Ooty) Gymkhana Club