Golf's Asian Link
Golf is widely considered to have originated in Scotland, and indeed the modern game played over 18 holes with all its rules and traditions owes its origin to the Scottish. In 2005, however, the debate about the origin of golf
was re-ignited.
The reason was Professor Ling Hongling of Lanzhou University, who had unearthed evidence that seems to suggest a game highly similar to modern day golf was being played in China hundreds of years before its purported birth in Scotland.
The Dõngzuãn records, dated far back to 943 A.D, describe such a game. Called
Chuíwán (quite literally translated to “hitting a small ball” in Chinese), it consisted of driving a ball into a hole with a stick quite similar to the one used in golf today.
Chuíwán had its origins in an even older game called Buda. Initially played by the common folk of China as a pastime, it was taken up by the nobility in the Song and Yuan dynasties and developed into a competitive
sport.
As the reach of the game extended to the well to do, the rules and apparatus diversified. At this time, the game was played with 10 clubs, including ones quite similar to the modern two-wood, three-wood and driver. The clubs made
for the wealthy were made of ivory and decorated with jade, gold and other precious stones. Several murals, paintings and illustrated scrolls depict the game being played by people as eminent as Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty.
Ling maintains that during the 12th century the game was exported by Mongol travelers to Europe and the British Isles, the land of its eventual ‘birth’. While modern golf was being born in Scotland,
Chuíwán was entering its period of decline in China.
The reasons for this are unclear. Whether it was due to political instability, the rising exclusivity of the game or due to a general lack of interest; by the 1600s, the game was almost extinct. This is why, to many, Chinese golf
is a foreign sport. The lack of references to Chuíwán is the reason that has led to the popular belief that the game never existed.
Golf in Asia today owes its rise to colonial powers that held sway over the region, especially the British. Many of the golf courses that exist in Asia were built during the colonial period for the benefit of British military officers.
The game encountered its main boom in Asia after the World War 2 period. While, individually, the game continued to grow in countries such as Singapore, China and India, it was in Japan that golf experienced its most significant
rise. In 1973, the Japan golf tour was founded, later joining the other principal men’s tours at that time. At this time, there were over a thousand courses across the country.
The rest of Asia had to wait until 1994, before their own professional golf association, the Asian PGA was founded. Initially consisting of eight countries its membership has now grown to fifteen countries. The first corresponding
professional golf tour, the Asian Golf Tour was played in 1995. In 1998, the Tour became the 6th member of the International Federation of PGA Tours.
Most of the players on the tour are Asian. However, in recent times the Tour has been contested by foreign players as well, especially Australians. The reason is the steadily rising prize fund, which has swelled from $11.4 million
in 2004 to almost $40 million in 2009, making it one of the most lucrative tours on the international circuit.
Despite the growing status of the Asian Tour, it has not been able to reach its full potential yet. The reason being, that it suffers from an often-unpredictable calendar. Tournaments are constantly being cancelled or re-scheduled.
However, this is a relatively smaller obstacle to overcome. We are slowly but steadily heading towards a future where the Asian Tour will be the most sought after golfing event. The top courses will be Asian and the rankings would be dominated by Asian players.
Tags: