Golf is a traditional ball sport. Various golf clubs are used to hit a ball from the tee into the hole using as few strokes as possible, in accordance with the official rules of golf. A round of golf usually includes 9 or 18 holes, completed one after another on a golf course.

Golf variations

In addition to the traditional game of golf, several variants have been derived from it:

Short courses

Depending on their size, these practice facilities might provide a training zone, a putting green, a short game area for chipping and pitching, and sometimes even a few holes.

Pitch and putt

These are courses with 9 or 18 holes. The holes are par 3s and they are never more than 90 m (just under 100 yards) long. Golfers normally complete each hole in two to three strokes.

SwinGolf

This is version of golf which originates from a an old French farming game. Neither club membership nor a handicap are needed to play SwinGolf. The movement patterns are considered easier than in classic golf. It is played with a three-faced, universal club and softer balls.

Indoor golf

These facilities offer the conditions and infrastructure for golfers to improve their technique with the aid of analysis software, golf simulators or professional mentoring.

History

It is generally accepted that the Scots invented golf, but there are also a number of other theories that it originated in continental Europe. Often mentioned in this regard are Holland (1297: “colf” in Loenen aan de Vecht), France (“chole”, circa 1200; “paille-maille”, documented from 1416 onwards; the figure of a golfer circa 1450), Brussels (1360: ban on “colven”) and Flanders (an ice figure of a golfer circa 1480). In Gloucester Cathedral, there is a glass window from 1340 which appears to show a golfer. But even in ancient Egypt, in ancient Rome (paganica) and in early Japan, Korea (tagu, from 1400 onwards) and China (chuiwan, from circa 1000), there are documented references to a game with a ball and clubs.

Golf in Switzerland

Golf in Switzer­land is organ­ised by the Asso­ci­ation Suisse de Golf (ASG). The «ASG» was founded in 1902 in Lucerne due to ever-increasing tourism. In 1945, after the Second World War, the «ASG» comprised 18 clubs and just 560 members. Since 1946, the «ASG» has been a member of the umbrella organ­isa­tion for Swiss sport asso­ci­ations, Swiss Olympic. In 1998, the Swiss Asso­ci­ation of Inde­pendent Golfers (Asso­ci­ation Suisse des Golfeurs Indépend­ants – «ASGI») was founded. In 2008, the «ASGI» and «Golf­parks Migros» joined the ASG. As a result, at the end of 2016 the ASG comprised a total of 96 golf clubs and 11 affil­i­ated asso­ci­ations, with around 90,700 golfing members. In 2019, the association was renamed as «Swiss Golf» and is headquartered in Bern. As of 2024, «Swiss Golf» had approximately 105,109 Players with 98 clubs and two public golf organisations namely «ASGI and «Migros GolfCard».

Golf in Europe

In 1937, the «ASG» was a founding member in the form­a­tion of the «EGA» (European Golf Asso­ci­ation). As of 2024, the «EGA» links 49 national golf asso­ci­ations and around 4.7 million registered club golfers. The head offices of the «EGA» and the «ASG» are both in Épalinges, Vaud, Switzer­land. The inter­na­tional governing body is the Inter­na­tional Golf Feder­a­tion (IGF), which organ­ises 154 member federations from 149 coun­tries. In total there are more than 66.5 million asso­ci­ated golfers world­wide.