After having been a walking marshal at the VicOpen over the last weekend, the Editor has decided to have a brief story about this sport this week.
A large number of members of the Rotary Club of Mt Eliza enjoy this very pleasant pastime.
While the Dutch lay claim to a "golf-like" game that was played from the Thirteenth Century the modern game of golf, played over 18 holes, is generally considered to be a Scottish invention. Documented evidence suggests that the game was widely played and at times banned in Scotland, onwards from the Fifteenth Century.
While there are several claims as to the introduction of golf to Australia, the only one with documented contemporaneous evidence indicates that golf was played at Grove Farm, NSW in 1839.
The oldest continuing surviving club is believed to be the Australian Golf Club in Sydney. However, due to the fact that the Australian Golf Club did not play for a number of years in the 19th Century, the Royal Melbourne Golf Club maintains that it is the oldest golf club in Australia 'without interruption'.
Locally the Flinders Golf Club, established in 1903 and the Mornington Golf Club established in 1905 are among the oldest clubs in Australia.
Over the years Australia has produced some of the world's best golfers.
All professional players aspire to win golf majors - the most prestigious tournaments held each year.
The Australian golfer with the most major wins is Karrie Webb with 7. Other women Major winners are Jan Stephenson (3) and out latest major winner Hannah Green who won the US PGA Championship last year.
Eleven Australian men have won Majors - Jim Ferrier (1), Peter Thomson (5), Kel Nagle (1), David Graham (2), Greg Norman (2), Wayne Grady (1), Ian Baker-Finch (1), Steve Elkington (1), Geoff Olgivy (1) Adam Scott (1) and Jason Day (1).
This century golf has really taken off in Asia, especially in Korea.
In this week's Women's VicOpen of the top 10 placed players 4 were from Korea, one is Australian born with Korean parents (Minjee Lee) and one is an Australian who was born in Korea (Su Oh). Minjee Lee has previously won the VicOpen twice.
Minjee Lee's brother Min Woo Lee won the Men's VicOpen last weekend making it a real family affair.
