The success of this game depends on many factors. The same goes for its popularity in the world and in Poland. What is it about golf that, despite hundreds of years of history, continues to attract new people and thrive?

Royal game
There are many theories about the origin of golf. It is generally believed that the game originated in the town of St Andrews in Scotland, where it is said to have been popular as early as the 12th century. However, the first written mention of golf comes from a decree issued by the Scottish Parliament in 1457, in which James II forbade his subjects from playing the game. Paradoxically, the banned sport became Scotland’s national heritage in the future, which subsequent rulers also contributed to. Among others, Mary, Queen of Scots, and her son Charles I, King of Scotland (as James I) and England (as James VI), who also introduced the game to the latter of his two kingdoms, played golf. The first golf club was founded in 1744 in Leith, a district of Edinburgh. He developed 13 rules of the game, which also form the basis of the modern version of golf.

In Europe and the USA
Until the mid-19th century, golf was a sport only for the very wealthy, but this changed with the introduction of the gutta-percha ball. It was less expensive than the one used before, which was filled with duck or goose down. The game therefore became cheaper and more accessible, and the number of clubs and courses increased. In the UK, golf also gained popularity thanks to the development of the railway at the end of the 19th century, as travelling from cities to holiday resorts was no longer a problem. The game was then spread beyond the British Isles by colonists and emigrants. The first golf club was founded in India in 1829, in North America (Canada) in 1873, in South America (Argentina) in 1878, in Africa (South Africa) in 1885 and in Australia in 1891. However, the most significant factor for the development of this sport was its emergence in the USA at the end of the 19th century. Today, it is the region with the most golf courses and players. The most famous professional golfer in the world today is the American Tiger Woods.

What is it about?
In simple terms, the aim of golf is to complete the course and get the ball into each hole in as few strokes as possible. Its basic formats are stroke play and match play. The first player to cross the field with the fewest number of strokes wins. In the second, you compete against another player on the basis of the number of holes you win.

In Poland
The earliest mention of golf on what is now Polish soil comes from the “Deutscher Golf-Kalender” (German Golf Yearbook) from 1911. The list of courses included in the yearbook includes a private course near Głogówek Castle (German: Oberglogau) in Upper Silesia. In the interwar period, this sport also developed in Lower Silesia. A full 18-hole golf course was opened in Szczawno--Zdrój (German: Bad Salzbrunn), one of the most beautiful in Europe at the time. The Warsaw Golf Club was established almost at the same time. There were also courses in Wrocław (German: Breslau), Katowice and Łańcut. In 1935, Count Karol Radziwiłł and the future British King George VI competed on the latter. The development of golf in Poland was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. After 1945, the communist authorities were extremely unfavourable towards a game associated mainly with the bourgeoisie, and as a result, golf disappeared from our country for many years. The first golf course in Poland after the war was not opened until 1991 in Rajszew near Warsaw. The integration of a small group of Polish golfers led to the founding of the Polish Golf Association two years later.

Did you know that…
Even at the beginning of the 20th century, professional golfers were treated as second-class players. They weren’t even allowed to enter the clubhouse.

For the love of space
Many golfers say that what they like about the sport is the contact with nature. The game takes place on a golf course, a nine- or eight-hole course, measuring from several to several dozen hectares, overgrown with trimmed grass of various heights. The five areas of the standard course – semi-rough, fairway, fringe, green and tee – and the obstacles that diversify them are surrounded by rough, i.e. the so-called wild grass outside the playing field. The kilometres in search of the ball can be travelled on foot or with a low-speed vehicle. The Golf de Morfontaine, which is located in the heart of a forest near Paris, and the Legend Golf & Safari Resort in South Africa are considered to be among the most beautiful golf courses in the world due to their picturesque location.

Golf can be a woman
It is believed that Mary, Queen of Scots, was the first woman to play golf. She is even said to have appeared on the course a few hours after the death of her second husband. The first women’s golf club was also founded in Scotland in the mid-19th century, and a pioneering ladies’ tournament was organised there in 1894. Over time, golf gained an increasing number of female followers – in Europe and then in the USA. An American was the legend of women’s golf, Mildred Ella Didrikson Zaharias, known as Babe, who won 17 consecutive golf tournaments in the 1940s and won the three most important women’s competitions of the time
in the following decade: the US Open, Titleholders Championship and Western Open. Babe was also one of the founders of the Ladies Professional Golf Association, which brings together the best female professionals in the discipline. Another icon of women’s golf, the Swede Annika Sörenstam, achieved similar sporting success only 60 years later. The most successful professional golfer in Poland is Martyna Mierzwa-Szwonder, who is currently focusing on her career as a coach. Dorota Zalewska is breaking new ground in professional golf. Many women play golf as amateurs – Catherine Zeta-Jones and singer Céline Dion, among others, admit to this passion. The Polish actress Elżbieta Panas has been successfully participating in golf tournaments for years. The Dr Irena Eris brand plays an important role in the popularisation of women’s golf in our country.

Dr Irena Eris Ladies’ Golf Cup 2025 – this May!
Since 2007, Dr Irena Eris has been organising the largest and most prestigious international women’s golf tournament in this part of Europe, classified in the ranking category of the Polish Golf Association. The event is also a festival of women. Its participants take part in competitions and enjoy beauty treatments at the Dr Irena Eris Wzgórza Dylewskie Hotel & Spa and have a good time. Both members of the national team and women who play golf as a hobby take part in the tournament. This year’s edition will start on 19 May 2025 on the course of the Mazury Golf & Country Club.

​For details, go to www.drirenaerisgolf.com

Golf etiquette
Etiquette is also what makes this game stand out from the rest. Among other things, players must show respect and consideration for their opponents. They should remain silent during their opponents’ tee-off and arrive punctually for arranged golf rounds. Attempts at dishonesty are penalised. The player’s outfit is also important – it should be neat, comfortable and elegant.