The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in Scotland is called “the home of golf,” and Scotland is where the game started. The Club celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2004 when His Royal Highness The Duke of York was the sixth Royal Captain. The Club first became Royal in 1834, an honor granted by King William IV.

The earliest known mention of the game of golf is an act of parliament made by King James II of Scotland in 1457. The act said that football and golf should be banned to allow archery to be practiced on Sundays.

The Open Championship or the British Open is held every year in Britain. It is one of professional golf’s “major” championships. The first Open Championship was played in 1860. This year the Open was played in July at the Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent, England. The 2007 champion was Padraig Harrington of Ireland.

Another key competition in golf is the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup is played between male professional golfers of Europe and the USA every two years. The Ryder Cup matches are very popular and exciting with the European and American teams battling for the title. The European team won the 2002 competition at The Belfry in England by 15.5 points to 12.5 points. The next Ryder Cup will be at the Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky from September 16 - 21 2008 .