GOLF – the 64 million dollar question

Although Scotland has exported all of these at various times, we are equally well known for the export of ideas. Amongst these ideas was one that recognised that sport and recreation were valuable parts of life which merited attention, time and organisation. Perhaps for this reason, Scots have been involved from the beginning in the organisation and framing of rules for sports such as football (soccer), athletics and, most significantly, golf.

But ideas can be controversial and the benefits of sport were not always accepted by those in charge. This was the case for golf, in particular. The first ever mention of the game is in a Scottish document, an Act of the Scottish Parliament of 1457, in which King James II decreed that "football and golf be utterly cried down and not used". Instead there would be regular archery target practice and military parades. So the game was seen as too democratic, occupying too many of the people too much of the time, detracting from our martial skills. Bizarrely, 500 years later the game was still frowned on, if not banned, in some places, notably parts of 'socialist' Eastern Europe, where, presumably it was seen now as elitist or undemocratic and not involving enough of the people. Plus ca change. . . .

But the times are changing. The last two decades has seen significant expansion of the game around the world. Some estimates suggest there are more than 30,000 golf courses registered worldwide with the United States accounting for more than half with over 17,000 courses and possibly 25 million golfers (not a bad pay-off for an earlier Scottish export: in 1743 a shipment of 96 clubs and 432 golf balls were sent from Leith in Scotland to Charleston, South Carolina. Some time later the South Carolina Golf Club was established, the first of the many in the USA). It was, of course, an American who showed the game is more than global, it is extra-terrestrial! In 1971 golf finally expanded beyond the bounds of the earth, when Alan Shepherd hit a six iron while standing on the surface of the moon.

The rest of the world is catching up and reports ranging from Canada to Hungary to China suggest that there will be a boom in growth of both the numbers playing and the facilities needed. Who, twenty years ago, would have imagined a 'Desert Classic'? A Hungarian report advises that people playing there will increase tenfold in the next ten years and will lead to the creation of more than twenty new courses. If the Scandinavian countries are anything to go by, this will not be a highly optimistic rate of growth. In Sweden, it appears that around 5% of the population is registered golfers and this has shown through in Scandinavian success in international competition. Anika Sorenstam, the first woman to shoot 59 in the history of golf, started as a 12 year old near her home in Stockholm, and in 2003, became the first woman in 58 years to play in a PGA tour event.

And that is the other big change in the world of golf. Although Scotland's St Andrews saw the world's first ladies club established in 1867, it was almost a further 25 years before a US club allowed women members. Nowadays the ladies game is also flourishing worldwide. This should not be surprising, as from the earliest times in Scotland, women have played the game. Indeed it had queenly patronage in Mary Queen of Scots. She was criticized for playing within days of her husband, Lord Darnley's violent death – perhaps she recognized the curative benefits of getting away from it all by playing a few holes. These days it is thought that around one third of all registered golfers are women. The Netherlands, Austria and Germany lead this trend with female participation reaching more than 40%.

So what is Scotland's place within the game it gave to the world? Firstly, it still plays a major part in shaping how the game is regulated. The R&A, based in St Andrews, is golfs world rules and development body. It operates with the consent of more than 125 national and international, amateur and professional organisations, from over 110 countries and on behalf of an estimated 28 million golfers in Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific and the Americas (outside the USA and Mexico where the United States Golf Association is the games governing body). It is also the organiser of The Open Championship, and appropriately this returns to St Andrews for the 27th time in 2005. In 2000 when the Open was last held at St Andrews over 235,000 people attended.

As golf starts to be recognised as a game for all, interest in its historic and popular roots also grows. Our national tourism body, VisitScotland has recognised that this will mean many golfers around the world will wish to visit the true home of golf and play some of its magnificent courses. In particular, many feel drawn to St Andrews which is seen as the heart of the golfing universe. VisitScotland has set up its own specialist golf website on which it offers a free "Guide to Golf in Scotland" . This comprehensive guide contains an A to Z golf course listing with contact details and information for all of Scotland's courses. There is also information on the six golf regions of Scotland, practice facilities, golf passes, travel tips, events, accommodation listings and information on golf tour operators. It has a particularly interesting section aimed at exploding some golfing myths about Scotland, and showing:

• that golf can be played year round (winter golf is now popular here with Scandinavians when their own courses are closed)
• that our courses are not members only (99% are open to the public)
• that we have the best links courses in the world but also some of the world's best inland courses (Gleneagles for three, for example!)
• that golf is not too expensive (average club green fee here is less than £40 and many areas offer further discounts with golf pass schemes)
• golf is not for men only (how could it be in a country that has had hundreds of years of lady golfers)
• practice facilities are not limited (over 60 superb venues open to visitors).

VisitScotland also sponsor four professional golfers: Sam Torrance OBE, Catriona Mathew, Kathryn Marshall and Steven O'Hara who act as ambassadors for Scottish Golf and promote Scotland as a golf holiday destination.

Sport has the potential to improve people's quality of life everywhere. Scotland is proud to continue to play a major part in one of the world's most popular pastimes.

And the $64 million question? As golf reaches 64 million players worldwide, how many can we expect to come and play at least one round on one of Scotland's 552 courses?