Strange Golf Facts

There are many interesting and strange golf facts to be found throughout the world. Since the early days of golf in the middle ages until the present day it is impossible to say how many games have been played, but they must count in the millions.

Here are a few golf facts that will interest, amaze, amuse and entertain you. At a par 3 hole most golfers try to get the ball to drop in at least three strokes, or less if possible. Maud McInnes is a woman who goes down in history as holding the record for the number of strokes to sink the ball at a par 3. She took 166 strokes in 1912 at a par 3 hole. At one point the ball landed in a river and actually floated away. She courageously boarded a boat at this point and followed the floating ball downstream, swiping at it whenever the opportunity arose. One and a half miles downstream she finally managed to get the ball on to dry land, and from there she eventually drove it back to the hole to complete the shot.

An intrepid Australian golfer by the name of Rufus Stewart became the first man to play a round of golf in total darkenss. Not only that, but he didn’t lose a single ball either. Not only that,but he went round the course in an impressive 77. This interesting, but difficult to watch, game took place in 1931.

Every golfer hopes for a hole in one at least once in his or her lifetime. How about three holes in one – all in the same weekend? It’s one of the strangest of golf facts, but it happened to Mrs Paddy Martin at Rickmansworth Golf Club over the Easter weekend of 1960. She first had a hole in one on Easter Friday. She then repeated the feat the following day on Saturday. She seems to have rested on Sunday, but came back in style on Easter Monday with another hole in one. Incredibly, all three holes in one happened at the third hole, a 125 yard shot that she took on all three occasions with the same club and the same ball.

Scotland is widely considered to be the home of golf. But between the years of 1457 and 1502 the game was banned by the authorities. Thiswas because they feared that the Scots would not be ready for an English invasion, should one come. They preferred the Scots to spend any leisure time they may have had preparing for a fight. Luckily, golf and weird golf facts returned to Scotland and quickly spread to the rest of the world as well. (source)