Golf is a centuries old sport which has been enjoyed by millions of people around the globe for years. Pretty much everyone is aware of what the game entails in its bare bones essence, with many being familiar about the intricacies involved too. However, there are so many unknown yet amazing facts about golf that you probably didn’t know about. Here are a few:
Longest Recorded Drive
The longest recorded drive was made in 1974 by Michael Hoke Austin, a kinesiology expert and a pro golfer. He drove the ball 515 yards in the U.S. National Seniors Tournament.
The First Ever 18-Hole Golf Course
The first ever 18-hole golf course in America was built on a sheep farm in 1892 in Downer’s Grove, Illinois. Golf lover and businessman, Charles Blair McDonald started the construction of this golf course, along with his colleagues. The name of the golf course is Downer’s Grove Golf Course and it is still open for golfers, though it has been downsized to 9 holes now.
Wooden Golf Balls
Yes, golf balls were originally made from wood! These were entirely made from hardwood like box trees and beech. These wooden golf balls started in the 14th century and were used by the golfers till 17th century. An average wooden golf ball was only able to last for a few games.
Golf Balls Made from Feathers
There was an alternate golf ball which was called feathery. This made its appearance during the time of wooden golf balls. These balls were made from by filling goose or chicken feathers in a leather pouch. These balls were expensive as compared to the wooden ball because of the materials and the extensive labor required.
One of the Two Sports Played on The Moon
In 1967, Alan Bartlett “Al” Shepard, Jr. played one shot of golf on the moon by performing a one-hand swing using a six-iron. He sent the ball flying through the low gravity atmosphere or the moon. Hence, golf was one of the only two sports ever to be played on the moon. The second sport was javelin.
New Golf Courses Can’t Be Developed In China
China banned the development of new golf courses many years ago. However, this didn’t stop local communities and cities from constructing them. In order to get around the ban, all the developers ‘conveniently’ avoided mentioning that a golf course will be created in their proposed plans.
Aren’t some these amazing facts? Want some more facts? Here goes:
- An average golfer use around 100 golf balls in a year.
- The standardization for golf balls’ weight (1.620 oz.) size (1.6810 inches) was made in 1932.
- There are more than 5,000 patents that are granted for golf balls.
- There range of dimples on golf balls are between 400 and 1000.
- Golf balls have three types – high performance, multi-layered, and two-piece.
- The golf ball cover is typically made of Elastomer, Balata, or Surlyn.
- A golf ball has three different compressions – 100 (harder and tighter core compression), 90, and 80 (lowest compression).
You can use some of these facts to help impress your playing partners, next time you hit the course!
