Timeline of Golf

The first recorded reference to chole, the probable antecedent of golf. It is a derivative of hockey played in Flanders (Belgium).
(1353)

A Scottish regiment aiding the French against the English at the Siege of Bauge is introduced to the game of chole. Hugh Kennedy, Robert Stewart and John Smale, three of the identified players, are credited with introducing the game in Scotland.
(1421)

Golf, along with football, is banned by the Scots Parliament of James II because it has interfered with military training for the wars against the English.
(1457)

The ban on golf is reaffirmed by the Parliament of James III.
(1470)

The golf ban is affirmed again by Parliament, this time under King James IV.
(1491)

With the signing of the Treaty of Glasgow between England and Scotland, the ban on golf is lifted.
(1502)

Golf is banned in the Blackfriars Yard, Glasgow. This is the earliest reference to golf in the west of Scotland.
(1589)

The City of Edinburgh bans golfing at Leith on 1592 on Sunday "in tyme of sermonis."
(1592)

Invention of the feathery ball.
(1618)

King James VI and I confirms the right of the populace to play golf on Sundays.
(1618)

Golf is banned from the streets of Albany, New York-the first reference to golf in America.
(1659)

In the first recorded international golf match, the Duke of York and John Paterstone of Scotland defeat two English noblemen in a match played on the links of Leith.
(1682)

Andrew Dickson, carrying clubs for the Duke of York, is the first recorded caddy.
(1682)

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers is formed, playing at Leith links. It is the first golf club.
(1744)

The first four holes at St. Andrews are combined into two, reducing the round from twenty-two holes (11 out and in) to 18 (nine out and in). St. Andrews is the first 18-hole golf course, and sets the standard for future courses.
(1764)

The South Carolina Golf Club is formed in Charleston, the first golf club outside of the United Kingdom.
(1786)

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers requires members to wear club uniform when playing on the links.
(1788)

The Bangalore Club is formed, the first club outside of the British Isles.
(1820)

Hickory imported from America is used to make golf shafts.
(1826)

The North Berwick Club is founded, the first to include women in its activities, although they are not permitted to play in competitions.
(1832)

Invention of the "guttie," the gutta-percha ball. It flies farther than the feathery and is much less expensive. It contributes greatly to the expansion of the game.
(1848)

The Ladies' Golf Club at St. Andrews is founded, the first golf club for women.
(1867)

Young Tom Morris, age 17, wins the first of four successive British Open championships. His streak would include an 11-stroke victory in 1869 and a 12-stroke victory in 1870 (in a 36-hole format). His 149 in the 1870 British Open over 36 holes is a stroke average that would not be equalled until the invention of the rubber-cored ball.
(1869)

Young Tom Morris wins his third consecutive British Open Championship, thus winning permanent possession of the Belt.
(1870)

The Royal Adelaide Golf Club is founded, the first golf club in Australia.
(1870)

The British Open Championship is reinstituted when Prestwick, St. Andrews and the Honourable Company offer a new trophy, with the Open Championship to be hosted in rotation by the three clubs.
(1872)

Young Tom Morris wins his fourth consecutive British Open Championship.
(1872)

The Royal Montreal Golf Club is formed, the first club in Canada.
(1873)

The use of moulds is instituted to dimple the gutta-percha ball. Golfers had long noticed that the guttie worked in the air much better after it had been hit several times and scuffed up.
(1880)

The Royal Cape Golf Club is founded at Wynberg, South Africa, the first club in Africa.
(1885)

John Ball, an English amateur, becomes the first non-Scotsman and first amateur to win the British Open.
(1890)

Bogey is invented by Hugh Rotherham, as the score of the hypothetical golfer playing perfect golf at every hole. Rotherham calls this a "Ground Score," but Dr. Thomas Brown, honorary Secretary of the Great Yarmouth Club, christens this hypothetical man a "Bogey Man," after a popular song of the day, and christens his score a "Bogey." With the invention of the rubber-cored ball golfers are able to reach the greens in fewer strokes, and so bogey has come to represent one over the par score for the hole.
(1890)

The Amateur Golf Championship of India and the East is instituted, the first international championship event.
(1892)

The United States Golf Association is founded as the Amateur Golf Association of the United States. Charter members are the Chicago Golf Club, The Country Club, Newport Golf Club, St. Andrews Golf Club, and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
(1894)

Tacoma Golf Club is founded, the first golf club on the Pacific Coast.
(1894)

The United States Open is instituted. Willie Anderson is the first winner.
(1895)

Chicago Golf Club opens the United States' first 18-hole golf course.
(1895)

The pool cue is banned as a putter by the USGA.
(1895)

Golf, America's first golfing magazine, is published for the first time.
(1897)

The Haskell ball is designed and patented by Coburn Haskell. It is the first rubber-cored ball.
(1898)

The term "birdie" is coined at Atlantic C.C. from "a bird of a hole."
(1898)

Golf is placed on the Olympic calendar for the 2nd Games at Paris.
(1900)

The first grooved-faced irons are invented.
(1902)

The first dimple-pattern for golf balls is patented by William Taylor in England.
(1905)

Steel shafts are patented by Arthur F. Knight.
(1910)

Formation of The Tokyo Club at Komozawa kicks off the Japanese golf boom.
(1914)

The British Open is discontinued for the duration of the First World War.
(1915)

The PGA Championship and the U.S. Open are discontinued for the duration of the First World War.
(1917)

The British Open and Amateur are discontinued for the duration of the Second World War.
(1940)

The U.S. Open is discontinued for the duration of the war. A world-wide shortage of rubber, a vital military supply, creates a shortage and huge price increase in golf balls. Sam Snead manages to complete an entire four-day tournament playing one ball, but the professional circuit is severely curtailed.
(1942)

The U.S. government halts the manufacture of golf equipment for the duration of the war.
(1942)

The PGA Championship is cancelled for the year, and the Masters is discontinued for the duration of the war.
(1943)

The LPGA is founded, replacing the ailing Women's Professional Golf Association.
(1950)

This information came from: iGolf.