St. Andrews, Scotland

Golf. Invented in St. Andrews.

Golf appeared in 1350 in St Andrews, Fife. It was forbidden by the king thrice during the 1400's, as it was considered to distract young men from their archery and Church, but was re-legalised in 1502. It is a common misperception that it began in the 1600s; as early as 1567, Mary Queen of Scots played golf on the St. Andrews Links. The oldest remaining club here is the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, dating back to 1834, which still accepts only male members, with the exception of once in the year for the Women's Open. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/When_and_where_did_golf_originate

Arrival in Edinburgh, Scotland, however, was far from optimal. My luggage was lost for 28 hours and our journey to the hotel took hours longer than anticipated. T in the Park attracted more than forty thousand music-loving fans to Kinross-shire, which just happened to be along our path to the hotel. As a result, we became ensnared in the traffic pouring out and negotiating a detour cost us more than an hour.

We stayed at the Fairmont in St. Andrews, where, despite our 1:30am arrival, we were greeted very energetically. Fairmont St Andrews is delighted to announce the completion of its major refurbishment programme. Voted in the Condé Nast Traveler readers' poll as 18th in the World's Top 100 Golf Resorts, this £10m renovation further enhances Fairmont St Andrews five star global reputation for leisure, golf, spa and conference facilities.
Set on a 520 acre estate with a unique coastal setting, our 209 bedroom hotel is the perfect location to turn your stay into a treasured memory.

The view in the morning of the North Sea across the green links of one of the Fairmont's two home links courses.

Of eight courses in St. Andrews, I was pleased to learn from my biased group, including the caddies, that the Kingsbarns course is often rated the best course in St. Andrews. The Kingsbarns clubhouse, below.

Players at Kingsbarns can see the water from 16 of the course's 18 holes. See here for a photo perfect view of each hole: http://www.kingsbarns.com/photo-gallery.php

Proof that I was in fact there.

The photo below was taken of the club house on "the old course" in St. Andrews.

Where golf began.