Patrick Battiston came off the bench in the second half in the 1982 FIFA World Cup semi final in Seville on July 8, 1982. Battiston suffered from a collision with German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher when taking the shot. The goalkeeper leapt into the air, twisting his body, hitting Battiston’s face. Battiston fell to the ground unconscious. His four front teeth were knocked out and a vertebra was damaged.

Patrick Battiston then returned to work for his club Saint Etienne.

Alex Ferfuson, manager of Manchester United, said Alan Smith’s injury in Liverpool vs Manchester United was one of the worst injuries he had ever seen. Smith landed awkwardly while blocking a John Arne Riise free-kick. This awkward landing caused his left leg broken and dislocated his ankle. He was then taken to hospital. This injury made him out of action for seven months.

Alan Smith in Liverpool v Manchester United

Djibril Cissé, a striker for Panathinaikos, whose has eye-catching hairstyles and is noted particularly for his speed and acceleration, gained a big trademark for his horror injuries in Blackburn vs Liverpool in 2004. He caught his blade boots in the turf and suffered from an awkward fall. He managed to fracture his left leg’s tibia and fibula.

In 2006, he shattered his right leg during a pre-tournament warm-up collision against China.

Alf Inge Haaland is often remembered for his feud with Roy Keane who attempted to tackle Haaland in the game Manchester United vs Machester City in April 2001. Haaland was forced to retire in July 2003.

Alf Inge Haaland – Manchester United v Manchester City, April 21, 2001

Luc Nilis has played in the Premier League for Aston Villa for three times. In a collision with Ipswich keeper Richard Wright in Aston Villa vs Ipswich in 2000, he suffered from a double fracture of his right leg. This injury made him appear in the match in only four minutes as well as ended Villa fans’ hope for experienced Belgian striker.

Luc Nilis was forced to be out of action for four months.

Kieron Dyer, an attacking midfielder as well as injury-prone player, has had to lie on the treatment table for many times. His most serious injury was in August 2007. His right leg was broken in two places from his collision with Rovers left-back Joe Jacobson in the match Bristol Rovers vs West Ham in 2007.

In a career blighted by injuries, Kieron Dyer has also played for Newcastle United and Ipswich Town.

Chelsea goalkeeper Cech nearly lost his life when playing in Reading vs Chelsea on October 14, 2006. This outfield player was kneed in the head by the Irish midfielder. He was immediately under surgery for a depressed fracture of the skull at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Petr Cech was forced to quit the games for at least a year.

Related links:

Most Common Sports Injuries

Lowering The Risk Of High School Football Injuries

15 Strange Sports Injuries

Similar to other games, Basketball is a very interesting and has a specific history. It first came into creation in December 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, and the game was played for the first time on 20th January 1892. Team games such as hockey and baseball are not been invented particularly by someone, nor any date have been specified when the game was first played. In that matter the history of Basketball is very uplifting.

The start of the Basketball game was through the use of a peach basket, but it was a trying job to climb up and get back the ball after every score. The chief planner of the basket ball matches earlier was the YMCA, as the game became very popular it began to become a little violent and it was not similar to the principles of the YMCA and they decided to get disengaged with the Basketball game. The center of Basketball history was later enthused to new sports association. The foremost pro association the “National Basketball League” was produced in the year 1989, their main intention was to make the Basketball game, less violent and endorse sportsmanship between the players, although the league did not carry out for a longer period and wrecked after five years. The hard assurance of Dr. James Naismith towards the game sustained and he was completely concerned about the Basketball history so he started to carry out the Basketball game in colleges.

The first certified Basketball game between the colleges was played in the year 1895. The most important occasion in the Basketball history was the launch of a “National Championship Tournament” in the year 1937.

The Basketball game became more skilled and organized in the year 1946. The foremost professional Basketball session was started by the “Basketball Association of America” in the year 1946. The Basketball association of America planned to unite with the National Basketball association to turn into a National Basketball league. At the beginning there were around seventeen authorizers in the nation, but in the year 1950 the authorizers were merged into eleven this was a drastic change in the Basketball history. The National Basketball league was the smallest and had only eight authorizers in the year 1954 and it remains constant even today.

The National Basketball association has played with six team set-up until the year 1967 and it increased by the addition of two more teams. Two more teams were added in the year 1975 and in the year 1977. In the year 1976 National Basketball association had a settlement agreement with the American Basketball association which included four more ABA (American Basketball Association) authorizers to the NBA (National Basketball Association), lifting up the total of 22.

Presently the sixteen team match was not started until the year 1984. Today we have the best of seven in the Basketball history it was after the first round that became the best in the year 2003. There were additional changes taken place in the NBA from the year 2004 to 2005.

Whether you are new to fantasy football or seasoned veteran, this guidebook will help you take control of your leagues and mash your competition. The Expert Guide to Fantasy Football is the “best practice” manual, produced from several sources over the years, on precisely how to develop a powerful team that no one wants to confront. This fantasy football strategy guide is not just for the laid back player. Inside this book are comprehensively reviewed theories, grounded in dependable mathematics and statistical analysis, designed especially for people looking to mash the competition.

Let’s be honest, even if you are only in a fantasy football league to have fun, it’s more exciting to WIN! This guide will begin with the basics, for the first year player, and will progress all the way through highly developed team building strategy implementing statistical analysis. We demonstrate the very best strategies to assemble a team that maximizes consistency and captures explosive burst potential at each and every position.

Fantasy Football Beginnings

Fantasy Football’s roots are traced back to the Oakland Raiders in the 1962 season when part-owner, Wilfred Winkenbach combined with two columnists for a local newspaper commissioned the very first 8-team league. Due to the degree of work required to determine the information every week, the game never truly caught on until the internet boom in the mid-90′s. Since then, fantasy football has been improving by leaps and bounds every single year.

The level of popularity is easy to understand. Most people will never have an opportunity to play general manager/coach for their favorite NFL team. You get that opportunity, though, with fantasy football! You are in charge of making all the player personnel judgements and uncovering that next “breakout” star. The intention is to assemble a team that dominates all of your buddies in the league in route to taking home the championship. We will go over how scoring works in the following sections, but you basically receive points for the real things your players do throughout an actual NFL game such as touchdowns, yards gained, and field goals. It sounds simple but there are a enormous number of league modifications, rules, and techniques used to maximize success in this game. We will present all the talents needed to reign over your league and have a blast doing it!

Regardless of whether you are a laid-back or diehard football enthusiast, fantasy football is a fantastic supplement to simply just paying attention to the games and following your team. With a fantasy team, you now have a vested interest in more or less every NFL game played, whether you have a player on your team or a player you’re up against. This specific rooting interest will help to make the games CONSIDERABLY more interesting as virtually every fantasy matchup comes down to the Sunday and Monday night games to figure out the ultimate winner. Many instances it will come down to a running back on your team seeking 80 yards and a touchdown for your team to win, or a receiver on the other team needing to have less than 90 yards and it will keep you glued to the contest, even if the game is between two teams with lousy records and a blowout score. In addition, it is a very good way to keep in touch with distant friends or even make new ones. A number of leagues are comprised of old friends that now live hundreds of miles apart, but via the internet they are all able to stay connected and have fun. Once you play once, you will be addicted for life!

You might be surprised to know it began as long ago as the late 1960′s. Its inspirations are not hard to find – surfing, skateboarding and skiing. Early snowboards were pretty basic by today’s standards, though the basic shape is still very similar. These early models had no boot or binding, just a small slot or groove to place your feet for stability. When snowboarding began to take off, the earliest and best snowboards were made by companies that are still making the best snowboards on the market – companies like Burton, Barefoot, Sims, and Gnu. Early on, many called the budding sport “snurfing,” as you can guess, a combination of snow and surfing. Early designers of snowboards tended to be surfers and skateboarders, and the early models reflect these influences. Riders stand sideways on the board, unlike a forward position when skiing or water skiing.

In the late 1970′s and early 80′s snowboarding competitions began to crop up around the country in places like Michigan and Utah, then spreading to all the top winter sports areas. With time, rules became codified and the snowboards used had to meet certain design criteria for competition, since there were still a wide variety of types being experimented with. Initially, traditional skiers did not like the presence of snowboards on the slopes. Riders were often ill-versed in the etiquette of skiing, and accidents were not uncommon. Eventually, to solve the problem, innovative ski facilities began designating hills especially for snowboards. These hills contain moguls and rails that snowboards are designed to handle, and today more than half the ski facilities in the U.S. have half-pipes, a figure slightly ahead of Europe and Canada.

Modern snowboards are advanced pieces of equipment featuring specialized boots and bindings designed for the utmost control, stability and safety. Order a demonstration video along with your snowboards so you can get a jump on the basic techniques before you hit the half-pipe.

The common golf ball has undergone many upgrades and enhancements throughout its long life. With the first recognizable form of the game of golf being played in Scotland in the early 1400′s, the golf ball has had nearly 600 years to evolve.

The evolution of the golf ball highlights the major changes in the game of golf and depicts important golf landmarks during the long evolution of the game. The development of the golf club, the golf course, and the rules of the game were affected by the evolution of the golf ball itself. The balance (and debate) between technology and tradition is as old as the game of golf itself. One can even argue that when it comes to golf, yesterday’s technologies are today’s traditions.

Today, 50 million golfers worldwide play 900 million rounds on some 25,000 golf courses each and every year. Clearly, the game of golf has become incredibly popular, and the resulting industry is big business.

Four Stages in the Evolution of the Golf Ball

Although it is likely that the very first golf balls were nothing more than round rocks or pebbles, there are four distinctly recognizable stages in the evolution of the golf ball:
 
 
Wooden Golf Balls

There is no question that the first games of golf, as we know it today, were played using wooden golf balls. Wooden golf balls were the first man made golf balls, and although information is scant, it would be a pretty safe bet to assume that a wooden golf ball had some rather interesting playing characteristics.
 
 
Harboring their roots in the early 1400′s on the Eastern Coast of Scotland, these original wooden golf balls were inefficient at best and likely made of hardwoods such as Beech or Boxroot. Wooden clubs were the golf club of choice, which in conjunction with the wood balls would have made your friendly game of golf a rather jarring experience.

Wooden golf balls were used up until the seventeenth century, when the feathery ball was invented.
 
 
Feathery Golf Balls (Feather Stuffed Leather Covered Golf Balls)

The first “real” golf ball was known as a “feathery”golf ball. Basically, the feathery was a leather sack filled with boiled goose feathers, then stitched up and painted. Feathery golf balls were expensive to make easily damaged and only the privileged few could afford to use them.
 
 
Although the era of the feathery golf ball may have started in the early 1400′s and run until the late 1840′s, it is believed that it was in 1618 that a new type of golf ball was created by handcrafting a cowhide sphere stuffed with goose feathers. The feathery golf balls were manufactured while the leather and feathers were still wet, and as the leather shrunk while drying, the feathers expanded to create a hardened, compact ball. The Feathery was then painted and sold, often for more than the price of a golf club.

The time-consuming processes involved in creating a Feathery golf ball ensured that the price was out of reach of the masses. Though expensive, this type of ball had great flight characteristics and made the wooden ball virtually obsolete. For some three centuries the Feathery was the standard, only to be replaced with the advent of the Gutta Percha ball.

Amazing longevity when you consider that:

It took a bucket of boiled goose feathers to make a single Feathery golf ball.
A skilled Feathery golf ball maker could only produce about four of them in a day.
It was virtually impossible to make a truly round Feathery golf ball.
A player may have gotten as few as 2 rounds out of a Feathery golf ball.
If gotten wet, the Feathery golf ball would come apart.
It’s hard to imagine being able to keep any type of golf ball dry during a round of golf on the Scottish links.
 
 
Gutty Golf Balls

It wasn’t until 1848 that Rev. Dr. Robert Adams began creating golf balls out of Gutta Percha “Gutty”. The Gutty golf ball was created from the dried sap of the Sapodilla tree. It had a rubber-like feel and was formed into ball shapes by heating it up and shaping it while hot.
 
 
The arrival of the gutta percha ball or “gutty”, as it was called, revolutionized the game of golf and allowed its spread to the masses. The gutty period lasted from 1848 until the late 1890′s. A mere blink of an eye when compared to the feathery, but the Gutty had a much greater impact on the game of golf, due to its affordability, playability and durability.

The first Gutty golf balls were hand made, formed smooth and wore three coats of paint. But then it was discovered that brand new guttys had more of a tendency to duck than those gutties scuffed up from play. Hence the practice of nicking the balls with a hammer. That’s right, almost by accident, it was discovered that golf balls with improperly smoothed surfaces often flew straighter and further than their smooth counterpart.

Thus the “Hand Hammered Gutta Ball” was formed. These golf balls were hammered with a consistent pattern throughout with a sharp edged hammer. Dimples were incorporated into the iron molds that followed. Less paint was also discovered to be beneficial, and paint application was reduced from three to two coats.

Learn more about Golf Ball Dimple Shape, Alignment and the Dimple Effect.

Handmade Gutty Balls soon gave way to metal presses which in turn made golf affordable for the lower income golfer. Golf truly became the sport for the masses. “The Bramble” design, with its minute bulges resembling a Brambleberry, became the most popular design of the Gutta Percha era golf ball. The Brambleberry pattern was even carried over into a few brands of the more recent rubber core golf balls.
 
 Rubber Core Golf Balls

The advent of the rubber core golf ball changed the face of the game of golf as we knew it. This new design was invented in 1898 by Coburn Haskell in association with the BF Goodrich Company. This new and unique golf ball construction and design featured a solid rubber core, high tension rubber thread wrapped around the core, and a Gutta Percha cover.
 
 
The more modern rubber core golf ball replaced the gutty in 1899. However, the rubber core golf ball of the day did not meet with immediate success. Golfers complained that while the rubber cored golf balls were longer off of the tee they were far too lively on and around the greens. Once Walter Travis won the U.S. amateur golf championship while playing with one, the gutty ball soon became obsolete.

This new breed of golf ball also featured a much larger variety of outer designs for improved airflow. The mesh, reverse mesh and Bramble designs gave way to the dimple pattern first used in 1908.

Exhaustive golf ball design testing has been done with a multitude of different cores. At one point, a small sac of water was substituted for the rubber core. Steal, lead and glycerin were tried to no avail. Eventually, most golf ball manufacturers settled on one form of rubber or another. The composition of the rubber used is a closely guarded trade secret. Rubber thread was wound around the rubber core, as tightly as possible and a cover of Balata was applied.

Continued Evolution of Golf Ball Design

Today, two piece solid Syrlin covered balls are more popular with amateur golfers, as they tend to be more durable than Balata. Syrilin golf balls are longer and straighter as well. Many pros however, are still devoted to the soft and lively Balata balls, since they can get the distance needed and prefer the added spin for control.

Currently golf ball technology has reached new levels of design. Still closely guarded, top golf ball manufacturers such as Callaway, Titleist, Pinnacle, Nike and others compete within a multi million dollar year industry for their due market share.

There is no question that the application of hi-tech science and technology has lead to the high-performance golf ball and the game of golf we play today.

Golf Ball Design and the USGA
The business of golf balls is not open ended, the characteristics of golf balls are strictly governed by rules. These rules determine such things as:

Golf ball weight
Golf ball size
Maximum initial velocity
Spherical integrity and symmetry
Combined carry and roll of the ball

These and other characteristics make up the framework that today’s golf ball manufacturer’s work within as they vie technologically with each other. The expression “a golf ball is a golf ball is a golf ball”, simply does not apply. What appears to be just a small round object is in fact the product of many current leading-edge technologies.
 

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The history of golf shows that golf also rapidly acquired such a popularity, that it eclipsed the sport of archery. Archery was so vital to Scotland’s national defence, that the playing of golf in Scotland was made a criminal offence punishable by hanging. The modern game of golf we understand today is generally considered to be a Scottish Invention, as the game was mentioned in two 15th-century Acts of the Scottish Parliament, prohibiting the playing of the game of gowf because it was taking time from archery practice, which was necessary for national defense.

The modern game of golf originated and developed in Scotland: the first permanent golf course originated in Scotland, as well as membership in the first golf clubs. The very first written rules originated there, as did the establishment of the 18-hole course. The first formalized tournament structures developed and competitions were held between various Scottish cities. Before long, the modern game of golf had spread from Scotland to England and from there to the rest of the world. The oldest playing golf course in the world is The Old Links at Musselburgh Links. Evidence has shown that golf was played on Musselburgh Links in 1672, although Mary, Queen of Scots reputedly played there in 1567.

In 1603 James VI of Scotland suceeded to the throne of England. He and his courtiers played golf at Blackheath, London, from which the Royal Blackheath Golf Club traces its origins. There is evidence that Scottish soldiers, expatriates and emigrants took the game to British colonies and elsewhere during the 18th and early 19th centuries.

The Royal Calcutta Golf Club and the club at Pau in south western France are notable reminders of these excursions and are the oldest golf clubs ouside the British Isles and the oldest in continental Europe respectively. However, it was not until the late 19th century that Golf became more widely popular outside of its Scottish home.

By the 1860s there were regular services from London to Edinburgh. The royal enthusiam for Scotland, the much improved transport links and the writings of Sir Walter Scott caused a boom for tourism in Scotland and a wider interest in Scottish history and culture outside of the country. This period also co-incided with the development of the Gutty; a golf ball made of Gutta Percha which was cheaper to mass produce, more durable and more consistent in quality and performance than the feather filled leather balls used previously. Golf began to spread across the rest of the British Isles. In 1864 the golf course at the resort of Westward Ho! became the first new course in England since Blackheath. In 1880 England had 12 courses, rising to 50 in 1887 and over 1000 by 1914. The game in England had progressed sufficiently by 1890 to produce its first Open Championship, John Ball. The game also started to spread further across the British Commonwealth and at British Tourist destinations.

By the 1880s golf clubs had been established in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa. Singapore followed in 1891. Courses were also established in several continental european resorts for the benefit of British visitors.

The word golf was first mentioned in writing in 1457 on a Scottish Parliamentary Statute on forbidden games as gouf, possibly derived from the Scots word goulf (variously spelled) meaning “to strike or cuff”. This word may, in turn, be derived the Dutch word Kolf, meaning “bat,” or “club,” and the Dutch sport of the same name.

Timeline on the history of golf from 150 AD to 1900 AD:

150 AD ball and club sport called ‘Paganica’ was first played in Londinium ( London, England ) by the Romans.

1354 – The first recorded reference to “chole”, the probable antecedent of golf. It is a derivative of hockey played in Flanders.

1421 – A Scottish regiment aiding the French against the English at the Siege of Bauge is introduced to the game of chole. Hugh Kennedy, Robert Stewart and John Smale, three of the identified players, are credited with introducing the game in Scotland.

1457 – Golf, along with football, is banned by the Scots Parliament of James II to preserve the skills of Archery by prohibiting gowf on Sundays because it has interfered with military training for the wars against the English.

1470 – The ban on golf is reaffirmed by the Parliament of James III.

1491 – The golf ban is affirmed again by Parliament, this time under James IV.

1502 – With the signing of the Treaty of Glasgow between England and Scotland, the ban on golf is lifted.

James IV makes the first recorded purchase of golf equipment, a set of golf clubs from a bow-maker in Perth.

1513 – Queen Catherine, queen consort of England, in a letter to Cardinal Wolsey, refers to the growing popularity of golf in England.

1527 – The first commoner recorded as a golfer is Sir Robert Maule, described as playing on Barry Links, Angus (near the modern-day town of Carnoustie).

1552 – The first recorded evidence of golf at St. Andrews, Fife.

1553 – The Archbishop of St Andrews issues a decree giving the local populace the right to play golf on the links at St. Andrews.

1567 – Mary, Queen of Scots, seen playing golf shortly after the death of her husband Lord Darnley, is the first known female golfer.

1589 – Golf is banned in the Blackfriars Yard, Glasgow. This is the earliest reference to golf in the west of Scotland.

1592 – The Royal Burgh of Edinburgh bans golfing at Leith on Sunday “in tyme of sermonis.” (Eng: sermons)

1618 – Invention of the featherie ball.

King James VI of Scotland and I of England confirms the right of the populace to play golf on Sundays.

1621 – First recorded reference to golf on the links of Dornoch (later Royal Dornoch), in the far north of Scotland.

1641 – Charles I is playing golf at Leith when he learns of the Irish rebellion, marking the beginning of the English Civil War. He finishes his round.

1642 – John Dickson receives a licence as ball-maker for Aberdeen.

1659 – Golf is banned from the streets of Albany, New York-the first reference to golf in America.

1682 – In the first recorded international golf match, the Duke of York and John Paterstone of Scotland defeat two English noblemen in a match played on the links of Leith.

Andrew Dickson, carrying clubs for the Duke of York, is the first recorded caddy.

1687 – A book by Thomas Kincaid, Thoughts on Golve, contains the first references on how golf clubs are made.

1721 – Earliest reference to golf at Glasgow Green, the first course played in the west of Scotland.

1724 – “A solemn match of golf” between Alexander Elphinstone and Captain John Porteous becomes the first match reported in a newspaper. Elphinstone fights and wins a duel on the same ground in 1729.

1735 – The Royal Burgess Golfing Society of Edinburgh is formed.[1]

1743 – Thomas Mathison’s epic The Goff is the first literary effort devoted to golf.

1744 – The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers is formed, playing at Leith links. It is the first golf club.

The Royal Burgh of Edinburgh pays for a Silver Cup to be awarded to the annual champion in an open competition played at Leith. John Rattray is the first champion.

1754 – Golfers at St. Andrews purchase a Silver Cup for an open championship played on the Old Course. Bailie William Landale is the first champion.

The first codified Rules of Golf published by the St. Andrews Golfers (later the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews).

1759 – Earliest reference to stroke play, at St. Andrews. Previously, all play was match.

1761 – The Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society of Edinburgh is formed.[2]

1764 – The competition for the Silver Club at Leith is restricted to members of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers.

The first four holes at St. Andrews are combined into two, reducing the round from twenty-two holes (11 out and in) to 18 (nine out and in). St. Andrews is the first 18-hole golf course, and sets the standard for future courses.

1766 – The Blackheath Club in London becomes the first golf club formed outside of Scotland.

1767 – The score of 94 returned by James Durham at St. Andrews in the Silver Cup competition sets a record unbroken for 86 years.

1768 – The Golf House at Leith is erected. It is the first golf clubhouse.

1773 – Competition at St. Andrews is restricted to members of the Leith and St. Andrews societies.

1774 – Thomas McMillan offers a Silver Cup for competition at Musselburgh, East Lothian. He wins the first championship.

The first part-time golf course professional (at the time also the greenkeeper) is hired, by the Edinburgh Burgess Society.

1780 – The Society of Golfers at Aberdeen (later the Royal Aberdeen Golf Club) is formed.

1783 – A Silver Club is offered for competition at Glasgow.

1786 – The South Carolina Golf Club is formed in Charleston, the first golf club outside of the United Kingdom.

The Crail Golfing Society is formed.

1788 – The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers requires members to wear club uniform when playing on the links.

1797 – The Burntisland Golf Club is formed.

The town of St. Andrews sells the land containing the Old Course (known then as Pilmor Links), to Thomas Erskine for 805 pounds. Erskine was required to preserve the course for golf.

1806 – The St. Andrews Club chooses to elect its captains rather than award captaincy to the winner of the Silver Cup. Thus begins the tradition of the Captain “playing himself into office,” by hitting a single shot before the start of the annual competition.

1810 – Earliest recorded reference to a women’s competition at Musselburgh.

1820 – The Bangalore Club is formed.

1824 – The Perth Golfing Society is formed, later Royal Perth (the first club so honored).

1826 – Hickory imported from America is used to make golf shafts.

1829 – The Dum Dum Golfing Club, later Calcutta Golf Club (and later still Royal Calcutta) is formed.

1832 – The North Berwick Club is founded, the first to include women in its activities, although they are not permitted to play in competitions.

1833 – King William IV confers the distinction of “Royal” on the Perth Golfing Society; as Royal Perth it is the first Club to hold the distinction.

The St. Andrews Golfers ban the stymie, but rescind the ban one year later.

1834 – William IV confers the title “Royal and Ancient” on the Golf Club at St. Andrews.

1836 – The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers abandons the deteriorating Leith Links, moving to Musselburgh.

The longest drive ever recorded with a feathery ball, 361 yards, is achieved by Samuel Messieux at Elysian Fields.

1842 – The Bombay Golfing Society (later Royal Bombay) is founded.

1844 – Blackheath follows Leith in expanding its course from five to seven holes. North Berwick also had seven holes at the time, although the trend toward a standard eighteen had begun.

1848 – Invention of the “guttie,” the gutta-percha ball. It flies farther than the feathery and is much less expensive. It contributes greatly to the expansion of the game.

The Bangalore golf club was formed in 1868 and not 1820 as stated in timeline.[

1851–1860

1851

The Prestwick Golf Club is founded.

1856

The Royal Curragh Golf Club is founded at Kildare, the first golf club in Ireland. Pau Golf Club is founded, the first on the Continent.

A rule change is enacted that, in match play, the ball must be played as it lies or the hole be conceded. It is the last recorded toughening of the rules structure.

1857

"The Golfer's Manual", by "A Keen Hand" (H. B. Farnie), is published. It is the first book on golf instruction.

The Prestwick Club institutes the first Championship Meeting, a foursomes competition at St. Andrews attended by eleven golf clubs. George Glennie and J.C. Stewart win for Blackheath.

1858

The format of the Championship Meeting is changed to individual match play and is won by Robert Chambers of Bruntsfield.

Allan Robertson becomes the first golfer to break 80 at the Old Course, recording a 79.

The King James VI Golf Club is founded in Perth, Scotland.

1859

The first Amateur Championship is won by George Condie of Perth.

Death of Allan Robertson, the first great professional golfer.

[edit] 1860–1870

1860

The Prestwick Club institutes a Professional Championship played at Prestwick; the first Championship Belt is won by Willie Park, Snr.

1861

The Professionals Championship is opened to amateurs, and the The Open Championship is born. The first competition is won by Old Tom Morris.

1864

The North Devon Golf Club is founded at Westward Ho!

1867

The Ladies’ Golf Club at St. Andrews is founded, the first golf club for women.

1869

The Liverpool Golf Club is founded at Hoylake, later Royal Liverpool.

Young Tom Morris, age 17, wins the first of four successive Open Championships. His streak would include an 11-stroke victory in 1869 and a 12-stroke victory in 1870 (in a 36-hole format). His 149 in the 1870 Open over 36 holes is a stroke average that would not be equalled until the invention of the rubber-cored ball.

[edit] 1870–1880

1870

Young Tom Morris wins his third consecutive Open Championship, thus winning permanent possession of the Belt.

The Royal Adelaide Golf Club is founded, the first golf club in Australia.

1871

The Otago Golf Club is formed, the first club in New Zealand.

1872

The Open Championship is reinstituted when Prestwick, St. Andrews and the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers offer a new trophy, with the Open Championship to be hosted in rotation by the three clubs.

Young Tom Morris wins his fourth consecutive Open Championship.

1873

The Christchurch Golf Club is formed, the second club in New Zealand.

The Royal Montreal Golf Club is formed, the first club in Canada.

The Open Championship is held for the first time at the Old Course.

1875

The Oxford and Cambridge University Golf Clubs are founded.

Young Tom Morris dies at age 24. He did not emotionally recover from the death of both his wife and their daughter in childbirth earlier that year.

Vesper Country Club is formed in Tyngsboro, MA.

1878

The first University Match is played at Wimbledon, won by Oxford.

[edit] 1880–1890

1881

Royal Belfast is founded.

The use of moulds is instituted to dimple the gutta-percha ball. Golfers had long noticed that the guttie worked in the air much better after it had been hit several times and scuffed up.

1883

Bob Ferguson of Musselburgh, losing The Open in extra holes, comes one victory shy of equalling Young Tom Morris’ record of four consecutive titles. Ferguson ends up later in life penniless, working out of the Musselburgh caddy-shack.

1884

The Oakhurst Golf Club is founded at White Sulphur Springs. The first hole at The Homestead survives from this course and is the oldest surviving golf hole in America.

1885

The Amateur Championship is first played at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake.

The Royal Cape Golf Club is founded at Wynberg, South Africa, the first club in Africa.

1886

A.J. Balfour is appointed Chief Secretary (Cabinet Minister) for Ireland; his rise to political and social prominence has an incalculable effect on the popularity of golf, as he is an indefatigable player and catalyzes great interest in the game through his writing and public speaking.

1887

“The Art of Golf” by Sir Walter Simpson is published.

1887

The Foxburg Country Club is founded in Foxburg, Pennsylvania, the oldest golf course in the United States in continuous use in one place.

1888 Kebo Valley Golf Club is the 8th oldest Golf course in the US.

1888

The St. Andrew’s Golf Club is founded in Yonkers, New York, the oldest surviving golf club in America.

[edit] 1890–1900

1890

John Ball, an English amateur, becomes the first non-Scotsman and first amateur to win The Open Championship.

Bogey is invented by Hugh Rotherham, as the score of the hypothetical golfer playing perfect golf at every hole. Rotherham calls this a “Ground Score,” but Dr. Thomas Brown, honorary Secretary of the Great Yarmouth Club, christens this hypothetical man a “Bogey Man,” after a popular song of the day, and christens his score a “Bogey.” With the invention of the rubber-cored ball golfers are able to reach the greens in fewer strokes, and so bogey has come to represent one over the par score for the hole.

1891

The Golfing Union of Ireland is founded on 12 October 1891 and is the oldest Golfing Union in the world.

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is founded on Long Island.

Warkworth Golf Club is founded in Northumberland, designed by Old Tom Morris

1892

Palmetto Golf Club established in Aiken, South Carolina.

Glen Arven Country Club golf course established in Thomasville, Georgia USA; the oldest course still in use in Georgia.

Gate money is charged for the first time, at a match between Douglas Rollard and Jack White at Cambridge. The practice of paying for matches through private betting, rather than gate receipts and sponsorships, survives well into the 20th Century as a “Calcutta,” but increasingly gate receipts are the source of legitimate prize purses.

The Amateur Golf Championship of India and the East is instituted, the first international championship event.

1893

The Ladies’ Golf Union of Great Britain and Ireland is founded and the first British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship won by Lady Margaret Scott at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club.

The Irish Ladies’ Golf Union is founded and is the oldest Ladies Golf Union in the world.

The Chicago Golf Club opens the United States’ first 18-hole golf course on the site of the present-day Downers Grove Golf Course. The Chicago Golf Club moved to its current location in 1895.

Victoria Golf Club is formed and remains the oldest course west of the Mississippi on its original site.

The Segregansett Country Club opens in Taunton, Massachusetts. This course is still in operation.

1894

The Open is played on an English course for the first time and is won for the first time by an Englishman, J.H. Taylor. Taylor, along with Harry Vardon and James Braid (together known as the Great Triumvirate) would dominate the Open Championship for the next two decades.

The United States Golf Association is founded as the Amateur Golf Association of the United States. Charter members are the Chicago Golf Club, The Country Club, Newport Country Club, St. Andrew’s Golf Club, and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.

Tacoma Golf Club is founded, the first golf club on the US Pacific Coast.

1895

The U.S. Amateur Championship is instituted, with Charles B. Macdonald winning the inaugural event. The first United States Open is held the following day, with Horace Rawlins winning.

July 6, 1895 – Van Cortlandt Park Golf Course opens – the first public golf course in America.

The pool cue is banned as a putter by the USGA.

The U.S. Women’s Amateur is instituted. Mrs. Charles S. Brown (née Lucy N. Barnes)[1] is the first winner.

1896

Harry Vardon wins his first British Open.

1897

The first NCAA Championship is held. Louis Bayard, Jr. is the winner.

“Golf”, America’s first golfing magazine, is published for the first time.

1898

The term “birdie” is coined at Atlantic C.C. from “a bird of a hole.”

Freddie Tait, betting he could reach the Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club clubhouse from the clubhouse at Royal St George’s Golf Club – a three mile distance – in forty shots or less, puts his 32nd stroke through a window at the Cinque Ports club.

The Haskell ball is designed and patented by Coburn Haskell. It is the first rubber-cored ball.

Church Stretton Golf Club is founded, the oldest 18-hole course in Shropshire and one of the highest courses in England and the United Kingdom.

1899

The Western Open is first played at Glenview G.C., the first tournament in what would evolve into the PGA Tour.

1900

Walter Travis wins the first of his three U.S. Amateur Championships. Harry Vardon wins the U.S. Open, the first golfer to win both the British and U.S. Opens.

Golf is placed on the Olympic calendar for the 2nd Games at Paris.

Please visit my Funny Animal Art Prints Collection @ http://www.fabprints.com

My other website is called Directory of British Icons: http://fabprints.webs.com

The Chinese call Britain ‘The Island of Hero’s’ which I think sums up what we British are all about. We British are inquisitive and competitive and are always looking over the horizon to the next adventure and discovery.

Copyright © 2010 Paul Hussey. All Rights Reserved.

The first world cup for snowboarding was held in Austria in 1985 and in 1994 the International Snowboard Association was founded. However, ski resorts were less than happy to adopt snowboarding and allow snowboarders on the slopes. There was a misguided idea that snowboarders would wipe the snow off the runs. In 1985 only 7% of American ski resorts allowed snowboarding and the situation was similar in Europe. As equipment and skills improved snowboarding gradually became more accepted and by 1990 most ski resorts has separate slopes for snowboarders. Now around 97% of ski resorts allow snowboarding and there is no or little division between slopes for skiers or boarders.

For snowboarding holidays in Courchevel please visit TheSkiBug

A word sounding similar to ‘ski’ was used in Finland as far back as 6000 BC and cave drawings dating back 4000 years have been found in Norway showing skiers. Many old skis have been found in Norway dating back to around 3340 BC to 2940 BC.The ‘Salla’ ski was found in Finland and was 180 centimetres long and 15 centimetres wide and was thought to date from 3300 BC. Bog finds in Russia and rock paintings in Scandinavia show that skiing was definite a part of life in and around 3000 BC. The first ski with a curved edge was found in Finland and dates from 770 BC while the Liperi ski, found in eastern Finland, has a flat sole with a rounded boot space and dates from 450 BC.

Around 1500 years ago people started using skis lined with badger skin with bindings to attach the skis to their boots and in the Battle of Oslo (1200 AD), the Norwegians used skiing as a way of spying on their Swedish enemies. In 1747 Norway formed its first army Ski Company.

It was the Norwegian Sondre Norheim who developed the basis of skiing that we use today. In the 1850′s he experimented with creating stiff bindings using wet birch roots to tie his boots to his skis, thus allowing him far more control and then in 1870 he invented shorter, curved skis with more flexibility to allow turning. Mathuas Zdarskey then used this idea to develop even stiff bindings and allow the technique of pushing one ski at an angle to turn into the fall line and control speed on a descent. Hannes Schneider then went on to develop different stopping techniques, many of which we still use today.

Free skiing developed in the 1800′s but it did not become a recreational activity until 1868 when the mountains became more accessible to skiers by train and electric funiculars were invented around 10 years later to take skiers up the mountain.  It was not until the early 1900′s that skiing became popular and the first ski lift was invented in 1908. The development of the Telemark ski in the 19th century revolutionised skiing as it enabled much easier turning and the first ski package holidays were offered in 1903 to Switzerland. The first slalom race was held in Switzerland in 1921 and the first winter olympics in Chamonix, France not long after. In 1930 New York hosted the first big air competition and in World War II, Finland troops used ski patrols to resist the Russian invaders and in 1945 the Americans fought the Germans in the Italian mountains on skis.

The first aluminium skis were invented in France in 1934 and in 1935 the first bindings to also grip the heel were used. By 1960 fibreglass skis were being successfully marketed and in 1964 all plastic boots were being used. Through out the 1950′s and 1960′s skiing was a sport enjoyed by the affluent classes but as ski resorts grew and more package holidays were offered it became a sport available to more.

Uniforms is also worn to remind the spectators that they are there to watch and enjoy the game while the players will bravely fight in the field as it stands for the symbol emblem to their baseball uniform

Baseball players do acknowledge that they are please and proud to see that other fans wear their jerseys. Accordingly, this is one effective way to which fans expresses their support.

Actually, seeing your favorite player wearing their uniforms is a great feeling already. And for fans who wore a baseball jersey, the feeling of being united with other fans will bring more excitement as each share the pride with the whole team and other supporters.

But amidst for the identity and excitement of baseball game, have you wondered how baseball uniforms started?

Let’s travel down the lane to know the history of uniforms.

Knickerbockers Baseball Club used the first recorded baseball uniform in 1849. The

Knickerbockers Baseball Club was characterized with white flannel shirt, wool pants and straw hat. It is common knowledge that this type of baseball uniform is very outdated and outmoded in comparison to today’s uniforms.

Baseball uniforms are now made with synthetic materials and these materials are really produced with good quality.

Meanwhile, in 1868, another baseball team, this time the Cincinnati Red Stockings had introduced another uniform. This type of baseball uniform is more promising as it had given players the enough movement.

In 1880 up to 1890, colors and designs of uniforms were change and altered and replaced a lot.

In 1882, player’s uniform became multi colored depending on the player’s position. The use of stockings was the only one used to identify a teammate.

It was in 1888 – 1889, that the three major teams, Detroit and Washington from National League and Brooklyn, member team of American Association had decided to launch stripes on their uniforms.

The stripes design during this time became a short lived but since then, the team Brooklyn became known for being trendsetter in uniforms.

Brooklyn had brought back the striped uniform in 1907, 1916 and 1917, respectively. They are not also afraid in trying other materials for the uniform; they tried a satin material for their uniform.

They were also the first team in baseball history to put numbers on front panels of baseball jersey in 1952.

The evolution of baseball uniform did not stop there; a long process was involved before each team had developed the best baseball uniform for their players today.

So before you sell uniforms that you think you don’t need, you have to remember that baseball uniform may have endure careful planning and long process before how it became the baseball uniform you see it today.

1. Primary stage: Hickory Overall Type
Hickory as the main processing of materials, with a hickory handle as a whole to the head and processed, the basic shapes to circular 1 / 2 or 2 / 3 cutting, forming semi-circular, or 2 / 3 circle head shape. With the development of iron and steel industry, its head or face inlaid into the bottom of the copper, beryllium copper or iron or steel surfaces at the end in order to increase its wear resistance and Drivable. During this period, the service life of wood and the use efficiency is a prominent problem.

2. Stages of development: Wooden drop-type
With the development of the industrial revolution in Europe, the application of iron and steel developments in the field, the field of golf with increasing applications in the development stage, the steel bar to promote the development of the body of the club head shape its development, however, the production of materials continue to be walnut and walnut inlay Iron Mask mainly volume is also fixed at between 240 ~ 260CC.

3. Mature stage: steel drop-type
Mature stage is made of copper or stainless steel woods, marked by the emergence of the first; this is due to melt film technology, the application of precision stainless steel products caused by changes in structure and morphology

4. High-speed development period: Callaway 300CC chicken heart-shaped design
After over 20 years waiting silently, Callaway company changed that.
Both physical and functional materials on or have huge development, 300CC Titanium and Gold Golf Driver uses a heart-shaped-shaped design, change and change of an era

5. Technical refinement development period
In the early 90s，new technology was considered to be used to meet the demand of Low center of Low center of gravity and high-trajectory, also the volume increased from 360CC to 460CC. In this case, Taylor madeR7 makes the increase of four screws in the bottom of the lower center of gravity high to adjust the trajectory, which adapt to the individual requirements of each fan. Until now Taylor madeR7 series are still salable around the world, creating a brand myth.

Nowadays, the designs can be freer and fashionable because of quite a few technologies have been overcame.
a. Square head type : Nike, Callaway
b. Triangle: Titelist
c. Drop point: Taylor made
d. Polygonal: Mizuno

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