The origin of golf is unknown. A written history extends back over 500 years but there are indications of similar type games being played in ancient China and Egypt. This article will examine the symbolic nature of the game, it's parallels in philosophy and why it has spread worldwide.
Golf epitomizes a universal human yearning for a return to a homeland or paradise involving a journey with trials and lessons to be learned, a pilgrimage of sorts. It transcends boundaries by providing an outlet for social activities not normally addressed in modern cultures While modern man may consider himself superior to times past, it is noteworthy to see that basic human character has not changed for over 30,000 years. We still have the same basic needs. In fact we have lost many innate abilities due to the luxury of modern science. Once the basic requirements of cultural sustenance are met, a need for further development is created by necessity and thus civilization with the arts and sciences is born.
The course upon which the game is played is divided into 18 holes which comprise a round. This cycle is repeated and echoes the pattern of physical growth of the human body from infancy to adulthood. This pattern which every living human being partakes takes approximately 18 years. During this time, a pattern of growth and development is fulfilled which didn't require learning to achieve. It is a pattern of success that has taken nature millenia to accomplish. In the course of a normal human life this cycle will complete 4 times (72). The course represents mans point of integration with the natural earth cycles. It's a symbol of a human life on earth, the joys and sorrows, the up and the downs and the desire to stay on the straight and narrow. The inclusion of golf's mythical 19th hole generates even more coincidences.
Ancient Egyptian architecture and hieroglyphic writing was governed by a canon of measurement termed the canevas . It literally means 'putting into squares'. It's a way of organizing the written symbols in space and has the function of specifying functional relationships and conveying unspoken information. It was based upon the number 19. Anytime the Pharoah was represented pictorially, the symbol was 19 units tall with a juncture at the 18th level, where the diadem was situated. The Pharoah as earthly leader was 18 units tall, as a God (when crowned) was 19 units tall. This unit of measurement was then instrumentally applied to all forms of measurement in ancient Egypt. This form of cultural organization is termed Anthropocosmos where all measurements are derived from the proportions of the human body. This was done to retain the connections with the cosmic earthly cycles and maintain cultural harmony. Our own units, the inch, foot, yard all stem from this ancient origin The inch is derived from the measurement from the tip of the thumb to the first thumb knuckle. This is where we get the term "rule of thumb". There are 12 of those units in your foot and a pace (3 feet) is the yard, the basic unit in golf.
Geometrically the number 19 has a distinct relationship with phi which is termed the golden ratio. The golden ratio governs orderly expansion and growth. 19 expresses the relationship between a cube and sphere of equal diameter and also expresses the relationship of the height of the upper body to the total height of the body. 19 is also the number of years between alignments of the sun and moon. It is an apt symbol of a unifying number. It unites the earthly man with the heavenly man. In fact, in the rules, the golf ball shall weigh no more than 1.62 oz., the British Ball is 1.62 inches in diameter, both approximations of Phi at 1.618 (the US ball is slightly larger at 1.68 inches).
A newly conceived human fetus takes 9 months to prepare for emergence into the physical world. Golf is organized into nines. (9's) and captures the underlying spiritual message that humans have the potential of two births. In the Muslim religion there are 99 names that comprise Allah. Golf, as a tool of culture, levels all individuals, with a standard of excellence (par) being the opponent.
A work in progress. To be continued...