When and where was golf first played in Australia?
Evidence suggests that golf may have first been played in Australia on a farm in Sydney in 1839.
Golf history buffs should check out Michael Sheret’s article over at Australian Senior Golfer where he outlines the evidence for golf’s origins in Australia.
Reports indicate that golf was almost certainly played at Ratho Farm in Bothwell in the mid-180s but there are some other sources indicating a few golf balls may have been struck in what is now considered to be Sydney’s inner west.
Grazing livestock was kept on Grose Farm making it suitable ground for a rudimentary golf course. The land is now part of urban Sydney occupied by the University of Sydney, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Victoria Park.
The key figure in that short-lived phase of golf was Captain James Ferrier, master of the Lady Fitzherbert. The golf coincided with his enforced stay in Sydney waiting for a crew to take his ship back to London.
Check out the full piece at Australian Senior Golfer: When was golf first played in Australia?
