National Golf Day: beware the dog chasing the ball on the carpet, April 10th

On April 10, 1916, also referred to as “Golf Day”, the Professional Golf Association (PGA) was founded, and first professional golf tournament was held.  Time to yell out “Four!” and play on through.

The only question is, does this day honor the golfer, the sport, or the weather? Well, it’s a little of each. Golfer’s Day is a chance to be thankful that someone conceived this addicting, yet calming hobby.  Relaxing that is, if you are not competitive.

No matter what the origin, the game we currently recognize as golf in Scotland, somewhere in the 14th century. The earliest recorded use of the term in reference to the game was a ban enacted by King James II in 1457, who thought that young men spent too much time golfing, and not enough time practicing archery!  The earliest golf club (building, not stick) was established in 1552, after the ban was lifted in 1502. J.R.R Tolkein, author of the Lord of the Rings books, had a different opinion. According to him, the game was invented when a hobbit used a club to knock the head off of the goblin Golfimbul, which sailed through the air and landed in a hole!

During a pandemic in order to comply with “stay at home” and “hunker down” mandates, I suggest watching the movie “Caddyshack” while you set out a toy course on the floor at home.  Pro tip: be careful the dog does not chase after the golf ball as it rolls across the carpet.