“贵族运动”高尔夫

When most people think of golf， they probably think of Tiger Woods jet-setting to golf courses around the world winning prestigious tournaments and making a lot of money. It seems hard to believe that what is now an international sport and multimillion-dollar industry evolved from origins as humble as hitting a pebble around sand dunes with a stick.

It is generally agreed that golf was first played in Scotland in the 15th century. Its popularity spread throughout the 16th century， and the first international golf match took place in 1682 between players from England and Scotland. Clubs began forming soon after， and concrete rules of the game were established.

一提到高尔夫球，大多数人想到的可能是泰格·伍兹乘喷气客机到世界各地的高尔夫球场赢得备受瞩目的锦标赛，并赚进大把的钞票。打高尔夫球现在是一项国际性运动，很难相信这个价值高达数百万美元的产业，是从随便拿根棍子，在沙丘上挥打鹅卵石这种不起眼的运动发展起来的。

普遍认为第一场高尔夫球比赛起源于15世纪的苏格兰。它从16世纪开始普及起来。首场国际性高尔夫球赛就是在1682年举行的，选手均来自英格兰及苏格兰。不久，高尔夫俱乐部开始成立，同时也制定了具体的比赛规则。

The Industrial Revolution brought a period of change for golf. Suddenly， with the mass production of golf clubs and balls， the average person could afford to play. New railway lines made it possible for people to go to the country for the day， and thus play on a different course every weekend.

Golf was made an Olympic sport in 1900， by which time there were already more than 1，000 golf courses in the United States. The famous PGA （Professional Golfer Association） was formed in 1916， and by 1944， the equally famous PGA tour consisted of 22 events and was held throughout the year.

Legendary golfers Jack Nicklaus， Arnold Palmer， and Gary Player dominated the game from the 60s into the 70s， wowing fans by winning almost all of the events they competed in. Nicklaus still holds an unbeaten record of five US PGA championships， six US Masters titles， and four US Opens.

Even if you are not a big fan， why not head off to the driving range and have a go？ More than 23 million players exist in the United States alone， and they are all likely to tell you the same thing about golf： Theres nothing like it！

工業革命为高尔夫运动带来了一段变革时期。突然间，随着高尔夫球杆及高尔夫球的大量生产，普通百姓也可以玩这项运动。新建的到郊区的火车线路使人们可以在比赛当天往返，因此每个周末可以在不同的球场打球。

1900年，打高尔夫被正式确定为奥林匹克运动项目，那时美国已有上千个高尔夫球场。著名的职业高尔夫球员协会于1916年成立；到1944年，同享盛名的职业高尔夫球员协会巡回比赛，在1年内举行了22场比赛。

高尔夫球界的传奇人物──杰克·尼克劳斯，阿诺德·帕尔默及加里·普莱耶一直称霸于20世纪60到70年代的高尔夫球坛。他们几乎囊括了所有的比赛奖项，使球迷们大为赞叹。尼克劳斯至今仍保持数项无人能破的辉煌纪录：5个美国职业高尔夫锦标赛冠军、6个美国高尔夫精英赛冠军及4个美国公开赛冠军头衔。

即使你不是头号球迷，也可以去高尔夫球练习场挥一挥杆，尝试一下。仅在美国就有超过2300万人从事高尔夫运动。关于高尔夫，他们会异口同声地说：“没有比它更好的运动了！”