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The most expensive sports to play are ice hockey ($2,583 a year), skiing and snowboarding ($2,249) and field hockey ($2,125), based on what U.S. families spent on one child in one sport in the Aspen Institute's 2019 survey. That's still the latest national study to rank 21 sports side by side. Gymnastics and lacrosse round out the top five, and golf ranks 8th at about $925 a year. Prices have climbed since then. In Project Play's 2024 parent survey, families spent an average of $1,016 on a child's main sport, 46% more than in 2019, and Tier 2 club hockey fees alone averaged $2,448 a season in 2025. Below you'll find what's changed since 2019, the top 10 sport by sport, a few sports that cost even more just to get started, where golf fits and how to play it for less. Updated November 2026. Jump to: The most expensive sports to play: quick list What's changed since 2019 The top 10, sport by sport Sports with a sky-high price of entry Where golf ranks Why is golf so expensive? How to play golf for less Is golf worth the cost? FAQs [product:master-bunny-edition-towel-black] Master Bunny Edition Golf Towel, Black: $110. A premium take on an everyday essential. This lightweight, quick-drying towel attaches easily to your bag and keeps your ball clean for every shot. The Most Expensive Sports to Play: Quick List Average yearly family spending on one child in one sport, 2019 (the latest national ranking of all 21 sports): Ice Hockey: $2,583 Skiing and Snowboarding: $2,249 Field Hockey: $2,125 Gymnastics: $1,580 Lacrosse: $1,289 Tennis: $1,170 Bicycling: $1,012 Golf: $925 Swimming: $786 Martial Arts: $777 Source: Aspen Institute/Utah State University 2019 National Youth Sport Survey, 1,032 parents, 21 sports. All-sport average: $693. The cost lines in each section below don't add up exactly to the totals, because the survey also counted "other" expenses. What's Changed Since 2019: The 2024 Numbers Project Play's 2024 National Youth Sports Parent Survey asked 1,848 parents in late 2024 what they'd spent on their child's primary sport over the past year. The average was $1,016, up 46% from 2019 and about twice the rate of inflation. Counting any other sports the child played, the total came to nearly $1,500. Families earning $100,000 or more spent $1,471 more than those earning under $50,000, and spending ranged from $0 to almost $25,000. The 2024 survey reports costs for only six sports, so it doesn't replace the 21-sport ranking above. Here's what it shows: Sport Total a year (2024) Travel and lodging Change since 2019 Dance $2,048 $448 Not reported Baseball $1,113 $379 +68% Soccer $910 $237 +69% Basketball $876 $242 +105% Tackle Football $634 $160 Not reported Flag Football $444 $105 Not reported All primary sports (average) $1,016 $278 +46% Spending per child on their primary sport over the past year. Sources: Aspen Institute 2024 National Youth Sports Parent Survey (published 2025) and Project Play, February 2025. Project Play reported changes since 2019 only for basketball, soccer, baseball and the overall average. The 2024 survey didn't report golf, hockey or skiing separately. Dance stands out at $2,048, two to four times what the other five sports cost. Across all sports, travel and lodging is now the biggest line: Travel and lodging: $278 Registration: $197 Lessons: $183 Equipment and uniforms: $165 Camps: $148 1. Ice Hockey: $2,583 a Year Ice hockey tops the 2019 ranking, and it isn't close. Every one of its cost lines came in above the all-sport average, and travel alone ($829) cost more than the average family spent on a whole sport. Where the money goes (2019): Registration: $634 Equipment: $389 Travel: $829 Lessons: $389 Camps: $302 Newer numbers point the same way. Registration data from youth sports software company PlayMetrics shows Tier 2 club hockey averaged $2,448 a season in 2025 and Tier 1 averaged $7,055, with fees up nearly 60% since 2022 (PlayMetrics, 2025). That's club fees alone, not a family's full spending. 2. Skiing and Snowboarding: $2,249 a Year Here the cost is mostly gear: $1,174 a year per child, the highest equipment line in the survey. For adults, lift access adds up too. As listed on epicpass.com in November 2026, an adult (31+) Epic Pass for the 2026/27 season costs $1,169. Where the money goes (2019): Registration: $168 Equipment: $1,174 Travel: $434 Lessons: $281 Camps: $56 3. Field Hockey: $2,125 a Year Field hockey is the surprise at No. 3. Travel was its biggest cost, at $934 a year, the highest travel line in the survey, and registration and equipment were well above average too. Where the money goes (2019): Registration: $409 Equipment: $521 Travel: $934 Lessons: $86 Camps: $132 4. Gymnastics: $1,580 a Year Gymnastics is light on equipment, at $111 a year. Most of the cost went to travel ($763) and lessons ($422). Where the money goes (2019): Registration: $152 Equipment: $111 Travel: $763 Lessons: $422 Camps: $104 5. Lacrosse: $1,289 a Year Lacrosse rounds out the top five, with costs spread fairly evenly. Registration was the biggest line, and camps ($231) were the second-highest camp figure in the survey. Where the money goes (2019): Registration: $411 Equipment: $280 Travel: $281 Lessons: $68 Camps: $231 6. Tennis: $1,170 a Year In tennis, lessons drive the bill: $471 a year, the highest lessons line in the 2019 survey. Racquets and balls barely moved the total. If you play both, our look at golf and pickleball covers the court-to-course crossover. Where the money goes (2019): Registration: $115 Equipment: $122 Travel: $352 Lessons: $471 Camps: $95 7. Bicycling: $1,012 a Year Bicycling just cracked $1,000 a year in the 2019 survey. The bike and its gear were the biggest line, at $504, while lessons barely registered. Where the money goes (2019): Registration: $120 Equipment: $504 Travel: $247 Lessons: $29 Camps: $106 8. Golf: $925 a Year Golf lands 8th of 21 sports in the 2019 survey, at $925 a year for one child. That's about a third above the $693 average across all sports, and less than half of what families spent on ice hockey or skiing. It's a long way from the private clubs and premium gear that give golf its price reputation. The 2024 survey didn't report golf separately, so this is still the latest national figure for junior golf. Where the money goes (2019): Registration: $81 Equipment: $364 Travel: $238 Lessons: $88 Camps: $113 Equipment is golf's biggest line, at $364 a year, followed by travel at $238. Registration was the lowest in the top 10, at $81, and lessons ($88) were modest next to tennis or gymnastics. Golf can also start small, and junior players can find junior golf clothing without buying an adult wardrobe. It also made our list of the fastest-growing sports, helped by newer formats like par-3 courses and indoor simulators. [product:vice-golf-ball-yellow] Vice Junior Pro Golf Ball, Yellow: $42 a dozen. Made for golfers aged 6 to 14, with a three-piece cast urethane cover and 70 compression for a softer feel. It conforms to USGA and R&A rules. 9. Swimming: $786 a Year Swimming barely needs gear, at $59 a year. Travel was the big line, at $388, and the total came in about $140 below golf. Where the money goes (2019): Registration: $116 Equipment: $59 Travel: $388 Lessons: $154 Camps: $68 10. Martial Arts: $777 a Year Martial arts closes out the top 10, and here you're mostly paying for instruction: lessons came to $467 of the $777 total, second only to tennis. Where the money goes (2019): Registration: $82 Equipment: $86 Travel: $107 Lessons: $467 Camps: $25 Beyond the Kids' List: Sports With a Sky-High Price of Entry A few sports sit in a different price bracket altogether, usually because they involve an engine or an animal. Formula 1 and Motorsport If you're asking about the most expensive sport in the world, Formula 1 is hard to beat. Under the 2026 cost cap, teams can spend up to $215 million a year, up from a $135 million base, and that figure excludes driver salaries and the three highest-paid staff (Formula1.com). That's a professional team budget, not the cost of playing. Equestrian Sports A 2023 Synchrony/CareCredit study of 1,231 U.S. horse owners put basic yearly costs at about $8,600 for a backyard horse, $11,800 for a recreational horse and $26,000 for a competition horse. Add events and other operating costs and the totals climb to $11,538, $16,460 and $36,851 (TheHorse.com). New Mexico State University's 2022 guide puts basic care at $1,350 to $3,000 a year per horse, with startup costs pushing the total past $6,500, and suggests adding about 10% for inflation (NMSU Extension Guide B-715). Polo Few polo clubs publish prices, but Farmington Polo Club in Connecticut does. Its 2026 memberships run from $1,500 for beginners to $3,700 for full members, plus tax. Practice chukkas are $125 and game chukkas are $250, and a monthly horse lease is $3,400, which covers four practice chukkas a week, two stick-and-ball days and four game chukkas a month. Players also need U.S. Polo Association registration (Farmington Polo Club). That's one club, not a national average. Where Golf Ranks (and Why) Golf sits in the middle of the pack for youth sports. At $925 a year in the 2019 survey, it's about a third above the $693 average across 21 sports, and well below ice hockey ($2,583) and skiing ($2,249). How it compares: Rank (of 21) Sport Total a year Equipment Travel 6 Tennis $1,170 $122 $352 7 Bicycling $1,012 $504 $247 8 Golf $925 $364 $238 9 Swimming $786 $59 $388 11 Baseball $660 $121 $175 14 Soccer $537 $125 $107 21 Track and Field $191 $47 $49   All 21 sports (average) $693 $144 $196 Family spending on one child in one sport, per year. Source: Aspen Institute/Utah State University 2019 National Youth Sport Survey. By 2024, baseball had risen 68% to $1,113 and soccer 69% to $910 (Project Play). Golf wasn't reported separately. Golf's equipment bill is higher than most team sports, but its registration costs are among the lowest. The survey also found that kids who stopped playing golf were, on average, 11.8 when they last played regularly, after 2.8 years in the sport. That's a little older than the all-sport average of 10.5. More kids are picking up the game. Just under 4 million juniors played on a golf course in 2025, up 58% since 2019 and the most since 2004, and 35% of them are girls (National Golf Foundation, 2026). Regular golf participation rose 55% among kids 6 to 12 and 73% among teens from 2019 to 2025, but cost still matters: across all sports, participation among kids 6 to 12 from households earning $25,000 or less fell 7% in 2025 alone (Project Play, October 2026). We've looked at we've looked at why more young people are taking up golf and why the game is winning over Gen Z. Why Is Golf So Expensive? Golf's price reputation comes from private clubs, premium gear and travel. The everyday cost is lower than most people think: municipal and daily-fee courses average about $41 for 18 holes, and about three-quarters of the country's roughly 16,000 courses are open to the public (National Golf Foundation, 2026). Equipment is golf's biggest youth cost. Green Fees Green fees have gone up, but roughly in line with everything else. The National Golf Foundation found that peak 18-hole fees at public courses rose about 29% from 2019 to 2025, compared with about 27% cumulative inflation. Municipal and daily-fee courses average about $41 a round, while resort fees rose faster, at about 37% (NGF). The country's roughly 2,900 municipal courses average 22% less than other daily-fee courses (GOLF.com, 2025). Gear The sticker shock lives at the top end of golf gear. A single Honma Beres 5-Star driver can list for up to about $6,000, and we've rounded up the most expensive golf clubs if you're curious. Clothing has its own premium tier: our guide to luxury golf apparel brands covers labels like Lanvin Blanc, where a $357 designer polo sits at one end of the range and a $14 golf tee at the other. Our Korean golf apparel covers plenty of price points too. Travel and Destination Golf Golf trips cost more. In Korea, for example, the mandatory caddie system makes golf pricier than in many countries. Here's what a round costs in Korea. Private Clubs Initiation fees and dues are what most people picture when they call golf expensive. They vary widely, and nobody has to pay them: about three-quarters of U.S. courses are public. How to Play Golf for Less A few ways to spend less: Play public and municipal courses. Munis average 22% less than other daily-fee courses, according to NGF figures reported by GOLF.com. Start at the range or a par-3 course. Buy used clubs to start. Upgrade once you know what you like. Buy balls by the dozen. For kids, look at Youth on Course. Its more than 457,000 members can play some 2,500 partner courses in the U.S., Canada and Australia for $5 or less a round, and they've logged over 1.5 million rounds in 2026 alone (Youth on Course, November 2026). Looking good doesn't have to mean spending a lot either. Try our picks for golf outfits under $100, golf gifts under $100 and gifts that look expensive but aren't. If it's your first round, here's what to wear for your first time on the course. [product:dollar-golf-marker] Dollar Bill Golf Marker: $25. Proof that golf style can come cheap: a dollar-bill ball marker that adds a little swagger to every putt. [collection:gifts-under-100] Browse our golf gifts under $100, from headcovers to accessories. Is Golf Worth the Cost? The numbers are kinder than golf's reputation. In the 2019 survey, a year of junior golf cost families less than tennis, bicycling or skiing, and most U.S. courses are open to anyone. Private memberships, premium clubs and destination trips are choices, not requirements. And it's a game plenty of people keep playing for decades. FAQs What is the most expensive sport to play? Ice hockey, based on what families spend: $2,583 a year on one child in the 2019 Aspen Institute/Utah State survey, the latest to rank 21 sports. It hasn't gotten cheaper: Tier 2 club hockey fees alone averaged $2,448 a season in 2025, according to PlayMetrics. At the professional level, Formula 1 is in a league of its own. Teams can spend up to $215 million a year under the 2026 cost cap, and that excludes driver salaries. Where does golf rank among the most expensive sports? Golf ranks 8th of 21 youth sports at $925 a year in the 2019 survey. That's more than swimming ($786), baseball ($660) and soccer ($537), and less than tennis ($1,170) and bicycling ($1,012). It's about a third above the $693 all-sport average. Project Play's 2024 survey didn't report golf separately. Why is golf so expensive? Golf's reputation comes from private clubs, premium gear and travel. The everyday cost is lower than many people think: municipal and daily-fee courses average about $41 for 18 holes, and about three-quarters of the roughly 16,000 U.S. courses are public, according to the National Golf Foundation. Equipment is golf's biggest youth cost. How much does a round of golf cost? About $41 for 18 holes at municipal and daily-fee courses, according to the National Golf Foundation's 2026 analysis. GOLF.com reported a national average of about $43 in 2025. Prices vary a lot by region, season and time of day, so check the course's own rates before you book. What is the cheapest sport to play? In the 2019 Aspen Institute/Utah State survey, track and field was the least expensive sport, at $191 a year for one child. Flag football ($268) and skateboarding ($380) came next. All three cost families well under the $693 average across 21 sports. In Project Play's 2024 survey, flag football was still the cheapest of the six sports reported, at $444. Has youth sports spending gone up? Yes. Project Play's 2024 survey found families spent an average of $1,016 on a child's primary sport, up 46% since 2019 and about twice the rate of inflation. Basketball costs more than doubled (up 105%), and soccer and baseball rose 69% and 68%. That's why the 2019 figures in this ranking are best read as a comparison between sports, not as today's prices. Is golf a rich person's sport? Not by the numbers. Most U.S. courses are public, average public green fees have roughly tracked inflation since 2019, according to the NGF, and golf sits mid-table for youth sports costs. Private clubs and premium gear are part of the game, but they're optional.

Spend one afternoon on a golf course and you'll see things that make no sense from the outside. Someone yells one word at the top of their lungs. Caps come off at the clubhouse door. In Japan, players bow when the round ends. None of it is random. Golf traditions are some of the oldest habits in sport, and most of them started for a practical reason. Here's the short story behind each one. The short answer: Golf's best-known traditions include yelling "fore" to warn people of an incoming ball, playing 18 holes (St Andrews cut its round from 22 holes to 18 in 1764), heading to the "19th hole," the clubhouse bar, after a round, shaking hands on the final green, and the Masters' green jacket. Many began as practical habits in Scotland. Jump to: Why golfers yell "fore" Why there are 18 holes The 19th hole Handshakes, hats off, and bowing The Masters' green jacket Lesser-known golf traditions Dressing the part FAQ Why Do Golfers Yell "Fore"? Golfers yell "fore" to warn anyone ahead that a ball is coming. It means look out. Where the word came from is still argued over. The most common story involves the forecaddie. When golf balls were handmade and expensive, players paid a caddie to stand out ahead and watch where each shot landed. Golfers called out to that caddie before hitting, and over time the shout shrank to "fore." The British Golf Museum points to this explanation. The USGA leans toward a different theory: "fore" is an old Scottish shortening of "before" or "afore," borrowed from a military warning to troops standing in front of the guns. Either way, the job's the same. Now you'll often hear a direction added, like "Fore, right!", so people know which way to duck. When to shout it, and how loud, is covered in our golf etiquette rules. Why Are There 18 Holes in Golf? There are 18 holes in golf because St Andrews ended up with 18, and the rest of golf eventually followed. On 4 October 1764, the Society of St Andrews Golfers (the club that became the R&A) decided to turn the first four holes on the links into two. The course was played out and back, so that cut the round from 22 holes to 18. It was a fix for one course, and other courses kept all sorts of hole counts for years. St Andrews' influence made it stick. The R&A's 1858 rules said one round of the links, or 18 holes, counts as a match unless players agree otherwise. By the late 1800s, 18 holes was widely accepted as a full round. For the bigger picture, read about golf's Scottish origins. And the one about 18 holes matching the shots in a bottle of Scotch? Good bar story, no record behind it. What Is the 19th Hole? The 19th hole is golf slang for the clubhouse bar or restaurant, where players head after their round. After 18 holes, the bar is jokingly the next one on the card. It's where bets get settled and good shots get longer in the telling. The phrase was showing up in British newspapers by the early 1890s. In the US, it's usually a relaxed grill room or patio. In Japan, the clubhouse is part of the round itself: many courses build in a lunch break between the nines, and a hot bath after the round is a common ritual. Shaking Hands, Hats Off, and Bowing When the last putt drops, players take off their hats and shake hands. It's plain sportsmanship: whoever won, the handshake ends the match on friendly terms. Hats come off indoors, too. Wearing a cap into the clubhouse is still frowned on at a lot of traditional clubs, worth knowing if you own more than a few golf hats. Our golf headwear guide covers what to wear on the course. In Japan, players remove their hats in the clubhouse and bow at the end of a round. There's more on golf culture in Japan, Korea, and the US in our comparison guide. The Masters' Green Jacket The green jacket is golf's most famous prize, and it started as a way to spot club members. In 1937, Augusta National members began wearing green sport coats so patrons would know who to ask for reliable information. In 1949, Sam Snead became the first Masters champion to get one, and earlier winners got theirs after the fact. Today the defending champion traditionally helps the new winner into it. The champion can take it home for a year. After that, it stays on club grounds. It's one of many Masters traditions, along with the Champions Dinner and the Par-3 Contest. Heading to Augusta yourself? Here's what patrons wear at Augusta. Lesser-Known Golf Traditions Golf traditions also show up in the small moments of a round. Honors on the tee The player with "the honor" tees off first. In stroke play, that's whoever had the lowest score on the previous hole. In match play, it's whoever won the last hole. Casual stroke-play groups often skip it for "ready golf," which the rules allow when it's safe. Marking your ball on the green On the green, you mark your ball's spot with a small coin or marker before lifting it, so it's out of other players' lines and you can clean it. Then it goes back exactly where it was. Here's how to mark your ball properly. A marker with some personality, like a penguin ball marker, makes the habit more fun. [collection:golf-balls-markers] The mulligan and the gimme A mulligan is a do-over your friends let you take, usually off the first tee. It's a casual-play custom, and it isn't allowed under the Rules of Golf. Nobody agrees on where the name came from. A gimme is a short putt your partners agree you'd make anyway, so you pick it up. In match play, conceding a putt is allowed by the rules. In stroke play, every putt has to go in. The golf clap and staying quiet Golfers go quiet when someone's about to swing. No talking, and no moving in their line of sight. When a good shot lands, the applause is soft and polite: the famous "golf clap." The point is the same: everyone gets a fair swing. Bird names for scores Birdie, eagle, and albatross all have a backstory, and we tell it in why golf uses bird names. For the full list, see our guide to golf scoring terms. Caddies in Korea In most of the US, a caddie is a treat. In Korea, caddies are part of the standard round at most courses, and that shapes what a round costs. Our guide to caddie fees in Korea breaks it down. Planning a trip? Start with South Korea's best courses. Dressing the Part: Golf's Oldest Unwritten Rule How golfers dress is a tradition too. Collared shirts, no denim, and hats off indoors are still the norm at many clubs, long after the days of vintage golf clothing like tweed and ties. Dressing for a private club? Start with our country club outfit guide. New to the game? Read what to wear for your first round and which hand a golf glove goes on. Seoul and Tokyo take these customs seriously, and it shows in the clothes. Dressing well for the round is part of the respect, which is a big reason Japanese golf wear is so precise. See how the two scenes compare in our guide to Korean and Japanese golf brands. [collection:mens-country-club] Golf Traditions FAQ What does fore mean in golf? "Fore" is a shouted warning that a golf ball is heading toward someone, so they should duck. The most widely told origin is the forecaddie, a caddie sent ahead to watch where balls landed. The USGA favors an old Scottish military warning, "beware before." Either way, it means look out. Why are there 18 holes in golf? In 1764, St Andrews turned its first four holes into two, which cut its round from 22 holes to 18. Other clubs followed, and the R&A wrote "one round of the links, or 18 holes" into its 1858 rules. The idea that it matches the shots in a bottle of whisky is a myth. What is the 19th hole? The 19th hole is golf slang for the clubhouse bar or restaurant where players meet after finishing 18 holes. It's where scores get compared and the round gets retold over a drink. The term goes back to at least the 1890s in Britain. What is a mulligan in golf? A mulligan is an unofficial do-over. In a casual round, your group lets you replay a bad shot, often your first drive, without counting it. Mulligans aren't allowed under the Rules of Golf, so they don't belong in competition or an official handicap round. The name's origin is disputed. What is a gimme in golf? A gimme is a short putt your playing partners concede, agreeing you'd make it, so you can pick up without putting. It's common in friendly rounds because it saves time. In match play, an opponent is allowed to concede a stroke, but in stroke play every putt has to be holed. What is a golf clap? A golf clap is quiet, polite applause for a nice shot that doesn't bother anyone nearby. It comes from golf's tradition of keeping the noise down around players about to hit. Big tournament crowds still roar for great shots, but the soft clap is the classic. Why do golfers shake hands after a round? Golfers shake hands on the final green as a sign of sportsmanship. It ends the match on good terms, no matter who won. Players usually take their hats off first. In Japan, players also bow at the end of a round, a gesture of respect for their playing partners and the game. Most of these golf traditions started for a practical reason, like saving an expensive ball or fixing one course. Now you know the why. Use it well at the 19th hole.

When was golf invented? Golf was invented in Scotland in the 15th century, and it was already popular by 1457. We know that because it's the year the Scottish Parliament tried to ban it. From Scotland's seaside links, it spread around the world. This is the short history of golf: where it started, the oldest courses still in play, and how it reached America, Japan and Korea. Golf as we know it began in Scotland in the 1400s. The earliest written record is a 1457 Act of the Scottish Parliament under King James II that banned "the golf" because it pulled men away from archery. Stick-and-ball games were played earlier in the Netherlands and China, but the version played to a hole took shape in Scotland. Jump to: Where was golf invented? A quick timeline The oldest golf course in the world How golf came to America How golf reached Japan and Korea How golf's look changed Golf today FAQs Where Was Golf Invented? Golf was invented on the east coast of Scotland, on the sandy links land around St Andrews, Edinburgh and Leith. Links are the strips of dunes and rough grass between the beach and the farmland. Sheep and rabbits kept the turf short and the wind shaped the ground. The sheltered hollows turned into natural bunkers. It was poor farmland, but it was perfect for golf. Where did golf originate before that? Historians still argue about it. The Dutch played a club-and-ball game called colf, later kolf, and the word "golf" likely shares roots with the Dutch kolf ("club") and the old Scots gouf. China had a game called chuiwan centuries earlier. But there's no clear proof that either one led to the Scottish game. The Scots played across open ground to a hole, in as few strokes as possible, and that's the version that leads straight to the game we play now. It's why the origin of golf is generally credited to Scotland. So who invented golf? No single person did. It grew out of games ordinary Scots were already playing on the links. When Did Golf Start? A Quick Timeline Records show golf was already a habit in Scotland by the mid-1400s. Here are the dates that matter most in golf history, from the first ban to the game's arrival in Asia. Year What happened 1457 King James II's Parliament bans "the golf" (and football) so men will practice archery instead. It's the oldest written mention of golf in Scotland. 1502 James IV, a golfer himself, lifts the ban and buys clubs from a bow-maker in Perth. 1552 Archbishop John Hamilton's agreement confirms the people of St Andrews can keep playing golf on their links. It's the earliest written record of golf in the town. 1744 The Gentlemen Golfers of Leith, near Edinburgh, write the first known rules of golf: 13 "Articles and Laws in Playing at Golf." 1754 Twenty-two golfers form the Society of St Andrews Golfers. In 1834 King William IV becomes its patron, and it takes the name Royal and Ancient Golf Club. 1764 The Old Course at St Andrews goes from 22 holes to 18, and 18 slowly becomes the standard round. Here's why golf has 18 holes. 1860 The first Open Championship is played at Prestwick, and Willie Park Sr. wins it. 1884-1894 Golf takes root in America: Oakhurst Links (1884), St. Andrew's Golf Club in Yonkers (1888), and the USGA (1894). 1903 Kobe Golf Club, Japan's first golf club, is founded on Mount Rokko. Its first four holes opened in 1901. 1921 Korea's first proper golf course opens at Hyochangwon, now Hyochang Park, in Seoul. The Oldest Golf Course in the World The Old Course at St Andrews is generally called the oldest golf course in the world, and it's why the town is known as the home of golf. Golf has been played on those links since at least 1552, and Guinness World Records lists the Old Course as the oldest. Musselburgh Old Links, just east of Edinburgh, has a strong claim of its own. An account book shows a lawyer named Sir John Foulis losing money at golf there on 2 March 1672, and Guinness once gave Musselburgh the title. Mary, Queen of Scots is said to have played there in 1567, though that's more legend than record. The oldest golf club in the world is usually said to be the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith, now the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, who organized themselves in 1744. Edinburgh's Royal Burgess Golfing Society dates its own start to 1735, so that title gets argued over too. The town even gave its name to St. Andrews golf apparel, a brand inspired by the home of golf. Beyond the famous names, there are plenty of underrated golf courses worth the trip. [collection:st-andrews] How Golf Came to America The oldest golf course in America is generally credited as Oakhurst Links in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, laid out in 1884, which is why it's often called the first golf course in America. The USGA backs the claim, though the course sat unused for decades before it was restored. Four years later, in 1888, Scottish-born John Reid and his friends founded St. Andrew's Golf Club in Yonkers, New York. It's the oldest golf club in the country that has existed without a break. In 1894 it was one of the five clubs that founded the United States Golf Association. Golf grew fast from there. The Masters, first played in 1934, became one of the game's great traditions. Americans added their own words, too. "Birdie" is credited to a round at Atlantic City Country Club, usually dated to 1903 (some accounts say 1899), and that's where golf's bird names come from. If you're still learning the lingo, here are the golf scoring terms worth knowing. The 1950s were the first real boom for recreational golf in the United States, and Munsingwear's 1955 penguin polo became part of the look. You can still find Munsingwear on the course today. How Golf Reached Japan and Korea Golf came to Japan with British expats. Arthur Hesketh Groom, a British merchant living in Kobe, built four holes on Mount Rokko in 1901, and Kobe Golf Club, Japan's first golf club, was founded there in 1903. The game grew into a big part of Japanese life, and Japanese golf wear later became known for precise fit and quiet detail. Korea's first proper course opened in Seoul in 1921 at Hyochangwon, now Hyochang Park. Some accounts point to a small six-hole course laid out by British customs officers at Wonsan around 1900, and one Korean encyclopedia dates Hyochangwon to 1919, so you'll see a few dates. Golf stayed small in Korea for decades, then took off in the late 20th century. Today you can play South Korea's best golf courses. Se Ri Pak's win at the 1998 U.S. Women's Open inspired a generation of South Korea's greatest golfers. That win is a big part of how Korea became a global power in golf. For how the game looks in each country now, read our piece on golf culture in Korea, the U.S. and Japan. From Tweed to Technical: How Golf's Look Changed Early golfers played in what they already wore: tweed jackets, waistcoats and sometimes ties. Then came plus-fours and flat caps. The soft knit shirt crossed over from tennis in the late 1920s, and you can still see its bones in a modern mesh knit polo. By the 1950s, pastel polos ruled American fairways. Today some of the most interesting golf design comes from Seoul and Tokyo, where Korean golf apparel brands and Japanese labels put real thought into what you wear for a round. Here's how golf clothing evolved decade by decade, or browse the Seoul • Tokyo Edit. [collection:seoul-tokyo-edit] Golf Today Golf hasn't stopped changing. Those 13 rules from Leith in 1744 have grown into one shared rule book run by the R&A and the USGA, and the 2019 overhaul made the game simpler and quicker. Here's how golf's rules changed in the last decade. Shorter courses, simulators and driving-range venues have turned golf into one of the fastest-growing sports again, and younger players are a big reason. Read why Gen Z is taking up golf. Not bad for a game that started on Scottish sheep pasture. When Was Golf Invented? FAQs When was golf invented? Golf was invented in Scotland in the 15th century. The oldest written record is a 1457 Act of the Scottish Parliament under King James II that banned the game because it distracted men from archery. Similar stick-and-ball games were played in the Netherlands and China, but the hole-based game we play today took shape in Scotland. Where was golf invented? Golf was invented in Scotland, on the east-coast links land around St Andrews, Edinburgh and Leith. Those sandy, grassy strips by the sea had short turf and natural hollows, so they were ideal for knocking a ball toward a hole. That's why St Andrews is still called the home of golf. What is the oldest golf course in the world? The Old Course at St Andrews is usually named the oldest golf course in the world, with golf on its links recorded since at least 1552. Musselburgh Old Links near Edinburgh has a strong claim too, with documented play from 1672, and Guinness World Records once gave it the title. What is the oldest golf course in America? Oakhurst Links in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, laid out in 1884, is generally credited as the oldest golf course in America. St. Andrew's Golf Club in Yonkers, New York, founded in 1888, is the oldest US golf club that has existed without a break, and it helped found the USGA in 1894. What does GOLF stand for? Nothing. "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden" is a modern myth, and the word is far older than that joke. As for why golf is called golf, the name most likely comes from the old Scots gouf or gowf, which may be related to the Dutch kolf, meaning club. Early Scottish records spell it many ways. How old is golf? By the written record, golf is about 570 years old, counting from the 1457 Scottish ban to today. It was probably played for a while before that, since Parliament wouldn't bother banning a game nobody played. Plenty of golf's habits are almost as old, and you can read up on golf's oldest traditions. When did golf come to Japan and Korea? Golf reached Japan first. British merchant Arthur Groom built four holes on Mount Rokko in 1901, and Kobe Golf Club, Japan's first, was founded in 1903. Korea's first proper course opened at Hyochangwon in Seoul in 1921, though some accounts point to a small course at Wonsan around 1900.