Ever wondered who invented golf? It was the Scots! Golf was first played on the coast of Scotland during the 15th century. The game was a little different back then, however. Golfers would actually hit a small rock or pebble in instead of a ball using a stick. Additionally, they would hit the rock around in the sand, rather than on grass like today. It wasn’t until 1750 that golf became what we know it as today. In 1774, golfers in Edinburgh first wrote the Standardized Rules for the game.

The first subject in who invented golf is golf balls. Golfers eventually tired of hitting rocks and tried other things. The first attempt was balls made of leather and feathers. In 1858, Adam Paterson invented the gutta-percha ball. This ball was made from Gutta Tree sap. Then, in 1898, Coburn Haskell invented the rubber cored ball. These balls could reach distances of 400 yards or more. Until 1905, however, golf balls were smooth. Golfers noticed that worn balls were much better and in 1905, William Taylor introduced the first dimpled golf ball.

The second subject in who invented golf is golf clubs. In the early days, golf clubs were carved by the golfers themselves. The earliest known set of specially made clubs was made by a bow-maker for King James IV of Scotland. The construction of golf clubs was time consuming and expensive and included using various types of wood and binding them with leather. In addition, they broke very easily. This, of course, made golf an expensive sport to play and how golf got the reputation of being a high class society sport.

The third subject in who invented golf is golf tees. The word golf tee originally only defined the area where the golfer played and is still used in that context today. The first portable golf tee was made of rubber and had three prongs. It did not, however, stick in the ground, but stand on top of it. It was parented by William Bloxsom and Arthur Douglas in 1889. The first golf tee that stuck in the ground was also made of rubber, but had a metal spike to make it able to penetrate the ground. This tee was patented by Percy Ellis. The tee we know today was patented by PM Mathews in 1897.

Our final subject in who invented golf is rules. The first rules for golf were written and used in the first golf championship in 1744. They included only 13 written rules. Although they were similar to the ones we know today, the number one rule was that you must tee your ball within one clubs length of the hole. Additionally, they included stipulations for your ball hitting a horse. Although the game of golf has certainly evolved, its rich traditions and history remain the same.

Golf swing drills are designed to imprint memory on your muscles on how the swing feels. At the same time, golf swing drills also let your muscles know how the wrong golf swing feels. This is all done by decelerating the golf swing to heighten your awareness of your body’s every movement from the backswing, to the downswing, impact, and follow-through.

What powers an excellent golf swing that produces both distance and accuracy? The graceful tightening coil of your body as you do the backswing, and the fast-snap and fluid uncoiling of your body as you do the down swing, hit the ball and continue to a full follow-through, all bring power to your golf swing.

Below are two of the most effective golf drills for developing a powerful body coil that will fire up your swing.

1. Golf Swing Drill for More Power-Producing Body Coil

The First drill is to know how it feels for your body to be coiled at the optimum level during a backswing. This simple golf drill will be one of the most useful drills you will learn for improving your swing.

So start by swinging your golf club until you are at the peak of your back swing. At this point, the golf club should be high in the air for a full stretch, your left shoulder dipped a little to accommodate this stretch, and your left knee also bent slightly. You should be able to feel the energy gathering in your body as it wounds into a tighter coil.

Next, perform the down swing. Pause the swing just before it hits the ball. Feel how your body uncoils naturally in the down swing, how your left leg straightens and your body weight shifts to the left foot (reverse if left-handed).

After repeating the backswing and downswing coil several times, now hit the ball and completely follow-through. Be mindful of how your body coils smoothly and increasingly to the right during the backswing, and how it uncoils at a faster speed to the left during the downswing. Also be mindful of how your golf club squarely hits the ball and flies all the way up to follow-through.

2. Golf Swing Drill for Better Arm Rotation

The more effective golf swings are done on a single plane. This next golf drill will help you accomplish this by improving your arm rotation.

So without any golf club, get into a golf stance at address. Your weight should be balanced equally on both feet. Next, let your arms fall down naturally and then bring your hands together palm-to-palm.

Then rotate your hip and arms to do a backswing while trying to keep your palms still in-contact with one another. To be able to retain this palm-to-palm contact, you need to hold your arms close together during the rotation, while continuing to keep your left arm straight. In this position you can only do a half-backswing.

This drill is important because it trains your arms to rotate into a backswing position properly, which is having your left arm in a straight position (for right-handed folks) and keeping both of your arms in close proximity to one another during the backswing.

So practice these golf drills to get your body in tune with the movements of a perfect golf swing. Make your mind focus on each move to build better motor memory. It won’t be long before you will see improvements in your golf score.