The first clause in the Rules of Golf as defined by the USGA states: “The Game of Golf consists of playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules”.

But what is golf really? Whacking a tiny ball with a rather slender tool and tracking it down for over five miles ensuring that the ball falls into 18 holes can be incredibly frustrating and also incredibly fulfilling. It brings such highs and lows, and can be very addicting – it is as if it were a drug! Over 60 million people worldwide play golf, fueling a multi billion-dollar industry. In trying to understand golf, I explored various artifacts and related facets of golf. Please note that this is only the beginning of an exploration, and as such is nowhere complete.

• Golf Origins
• Golf Balls
• Golf Courses
• Golf Standards
• Golf Competitions
• Golf Discrimination
• Golf Zen

So in the end, what is golf? Or as our professor is wont to say, “what work does the artifact do… what work would you have to do without the artifact”?

Without golf, here are just some of the things that would happen…

• One of the last areas of discrimination would cease to exist. As such, one would have to find some other way to create the exclusivity that has always been associated with this sport, and particularly with golf clubs.
• A businessman would need to find another way to impress and network with clients, especially foreign ones.
• A businessman would need something else in his arsenal to identify himself as a quintessential businessman.
• There would be no driving ranges. Businessmen would have to find some other fashion of killing time during the workday that was acceptable to the industry.
• There would be no golf resorts. One would have to find a different place to vacation, and conversely places relying on the revenue generated from such vacations would have to find other methods to do so.
• There would be no golf course architects or designers. Without golf course design as a livelihood, retired golfers would have to find other jobs, except that they wouldn’t exist anyways.
• There would be no golf championships, no college golf, and no great players. As such there would be no need for media coverage, and since nobody would be watching then there would no sponsorship by companies. Athletic companies (such as Nike) would have to find another sport to funnel their money into. Consulting and financial companies would have to find another way to reach their audience, and it is not certain whether this would even be another sport since no other sport has such close connections with business.
• There would be no recreational players learning how to play golf. Golf instructors would also have to find another livelihood since they would not be able to give lessons or write books.
• There would be no Stanford Golf Course. I would have to find some other way to leisurely spend time with my friends outside in the sun.

Golf Bibliography