Golf: There's nothing like it! 高爾夫 —— 沒有比它更好的運動了！

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.

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 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 U.S. PGA championships, six U.S. Masters titles, and four U.S. Opens.

These days, it is up to current stars like Tiger Woods and David Duval to keep spectators glued to the TV set. 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: There's nothing like it!

大多數人一想到高爾夫球，可能就會想到泰格·伍茲乘噴氣客機到世界各地的高爾夫球場贏得備受注目的錦標賽，并賺進大把的鈔票。很難相信如今這個價值高達數百萬美元的國際性工業，是從隨便拿根棍子，在沙丘上揮打鵝卵石這種微不足道的運動發展起來的。

普遍認為高爾夫的第一場比賽是15世紀時在蘇格蘭舉行的。它從16世紀開始普及起來，首場國際性高爾夫球賽就是在1682年舉行的，選手均來自英格蘭及蘇格蘭。不久，高爾夫俱樂部開始成立，同時也確立了具體的比賽規則。

工業革命為高爾夫運動帶來了一段變革時期。突然間，隨著高爾夫球桿及高爾夫球的大量生產，普通百姓也可以玩這項運動。到郊區的新火車路線使人們可以在比賽當天往返，因此每個周末可以在不同的球場打球。

1900年，高爾夫球正式成為奧林匹克的運動項目，那時美國已有上千個高爾夫球場。著名的職業高爾夫球員聯盟于1916年成立；到1944年，同享盛名的職業高爾夫球員聯盟巡回比賽，在1年內會舉行22項比賽。

高爾夫球界的傳奇人物──杰克·尼克芬斯，阿諾德·帕爾默，及加里·普萊耶一直稱霸于60到70年代的高爾夫球壇。他們幾乎囊括了所有的比賽獎項，使球迷們大為贊嘆。尼克芬斯至今仍保持數項無人能破的輝煌記錄：5座美國職業高爾夫錦標賽冠軍、6次美國高爾夫精英賽冠軍，及4個美國公開賽冠軍頭銜。

現在，高爾夫則靠當紅球星泰格·伍茲和大衛·杜瓦的魅力吸引球迷通過電視觀看比賽。即使你不是頭號球迷，為什么不前往高爾夫球練習場揮一揮桿，嘗試一下？僅僅在美國就有兩千三百萬人從事高爾夫運動，對于高爾夫，他們可能會異口同聲說：“沒有比它更好的運動了！”