Golf, as a game in general, has gone through many different trends in its history as a sport. These changes range from the types of people who played golf, to the equipment upgrades, to the apparel, to different swing tips, and much more. There are always new ideas coming out on how to increase power and distance, how to get better accuracy, better putting skills, pitching, how to have a solid swing path, etc. While there certainly are many different people who know a lot about golf, nobody can absolutely stay ahead of the constant trends in golf.

When golf first started to be played, golf clubs and putters were made out of wood with wooden shafts. Today, there is everything from titanium to graphite, and everything in between. Even the golf clubs themselves are evolving all the time. Recently, golf drivers have become bigger and now come in many different shapes, which are supposed to help shape a person’s swing, helping them hit the ball in a straighter line.

These trends do not only involve the equipment in the game of golf, or just average golfers themselves, but these trends are also seen in the professional golf tour and the players who are pros. More players are turning to big, square headed drivers with all different types of graphite shafts. The vast majority of players have their very own personal golf teaching specialist who is constantly analyzing their swing to make it as solid as possible.

The problem is that no one knows what trend is coming out next. No one can say for sure what piece of equipment will flood the world of gold. We can only sit back and hope that the next trend will help improve golf just as much as the previous ones.

The origins of the term “golf” does not have a universally accepted theory. One theory that is agreed upon is that it is not an acronym for “Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden.” There is open discussion that it may have derived from Scottish, British, German, or Dutch terms, including “to strike” or “club.” However, it is widely accepted that the modern day golf originated in Scotland.

The first written rules of golf that standardized the game were in 1774, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Many of the thirteen original rules still stand today. Among them is the one stroke penalty for a water hazard, and the person with the ball farthest away from the hole plays first. The U.S. Golfing Association adopted the British golfing rules and published them in 1900 for American golf. Since 1952, the British and the U.S. have worked cooperatively for a universal set of rules.

The St. Andrews Golf Club of Edinburgh held the first tournament in 1774 on an eighteen-hole course. The course was set up so there were nine holes out from the clubhouse and nine holes back. It was not until the twentieth century that courses were two nine hole circles, and each circle began and ended near the clubhouse. Golf courses were springing up in the United Kingdom in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The first golf course outside the United Kingdom was established in Charleston, South Carolina in 1786.

Today, golf is a universally accepted and popular sport. However, the prelude to modern golf was banned by the King of Scotland in 1457 and again in 1471, because it was interfering with the practice of archery, which was necessary to combat rivalries in England. Obviously, the sport won over the people and continued to flourish.

Ryan Palmer was born on September 19,1976 in Amarillo, Texas. He is just under six feet tall and weighs in at one hundred and seventy-five pounds. Palmer resides in Hurst, Texas with his wife and son. Besides golf, Palmer’s other interests include cooking, racquetball, and football. Palmer attended college at the Texas A&M University at Bryan College Station Texas.

As an amateur Palmer played in the US Open in 1998 and did not make the cut. However, Palmer did turn professional in 2000 winning four events on the Light Lies Tour. Palmer then went on to finish sixth on the Nationwide Tour Money list. With his twenty-fourth start as a rookie in 2004 Ryan won the FUNAI Classic at the Walt Disney World Resort. Palmer, at the present, ranks seventy-three and has earned nearly one and a half million dollars in the last season.

Ryan Palmer has a reputation for having a big heart, especially for the youth in Amarillo and Texas panhandle where he started the Ryan Palmer Foundation for Children. The Foundation began in January 2004 as a non-profit organization, with its major goals listed as education, health, and the opportunity to succeed. The foundation activities are youth golf clinics, special golf projects for the community, scholarships programs, education programs and assistance to local youth and organization in need.

The Foundation’s Mission is “To promote community involvement with constant focus on the health and education of today’s young people and their opportunity to succeed.” Palmer is very active in the foundation. He has already secured playing status for the 2009 PGA tour.

Star power is not to be underrated. Tiger Woods is an excellent golfer. There is certainly no question about that. He generates excitement wherever he goes. When Tiger is on the ticket, attendance is up, ratings are up, and he makes it all worth watching, win or lose.

The other players are delighted that Tiger is out of the picture for a while, but being interim number one is like being Vice President. The phrase "always a bridesmaid, never a bride" comes to mind. When he comes back to play, Tiger will no doubt become number one again, the excitement will be back and the TV ratings will go up. The PGA reaction to Woods' absence was predictable. No one lasts forever. Tiger Woods is a world class athlete and is admired as such. One day his records will be broken and the number one status will belong to another. That is how it should be, and surely Tiger himself expects that, and, in fact, looks forward to it. Breaking the record of one that you admire and aspire to imitate is the greatest compliment.

Stardom can take you up and the publicity connected can make your stock more profitable. Bad publicity can destroy. Tiger has worked hard perfecting his game and has been an advocate for the sport in very good ways. He has worked to bring youngsters into the game. He is a kids' advocate.

The British Open Golf Classic or the Open Championship is the oldest golf tournament on record and it dates back to the 1860’s. It is one of four major tournaments on the PGA tour. Comparable golf tournaments are the Masters that started in 1934, the US Open which started in 1895, and the PGA Championship that started in 1916. The Claret Jug is the trophy presented to the winner of the British Open, commissioned in 1872 and first presented in 1873 to Tom Kidd.

The 2008 British Open golf tournament was an action packed event which was not decided until the final day. The opening of the final round of golf saw Greg Norman, the oldest man playing in the tournament, start the final day with a two stroke lead. Greg Norman was outplayed on the 17th hole by Padraig Harrington who sank a 3-foot eagle putt to take the lead. This was Harrington’s second consecutive win in an exciting match that was not decided until late in the third day of the tournament. This win moves Harrington up to the number three spot in golf world rankings. He only trails Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Harrington won his second British Open Championship with a 69 to win by four strokes over Ian Poulter and five stokes over Greg Norman.

The list of past winners is impressive. Tiger Woods and Nick Faldo are the only two players who have won the tournament three times since 1986. Padraig Harrington is the only man besides Tiger Woods who has won the championship back to back. There have been several men who have won the championship twice: Padraig Harrington, Tiger Woods, Greg Norman and Nick Faldo.