The motive for issuing stamps printed for the International Day for Sport for Development and Peace is golf, one of the oldest sports in the world. The homeland of golf is Scotland where it developed in the 14th century. Along with football and basketball, it is the most popular sport in the world and in 2016, it became an Olympic sport.
The first written mention of golf dates back to 1457 where King James II forbids playing golf because it distracts from archery exercises. The first Rules of Golf, which are still valid today, were written in The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the oldest active golf club in the world founded in 1854.
A standard golf course has 18 grass fields, 100 to 500 m long and 20 to 60 m wide, ending in a 10.8 cm diameter hole in the middle of a low mowed grass field. Each field has a starting area "Tee" and a final area “Hole” - a hole with a flag or “Pin”. The principle of the game is that the golfer has a set of sticks and an inelastic hard rubber ball with a diameter of 4.1 to 4.5 cm, which he hits with a stick in the starting area in order to insert it into the holes of all fields with as few strokes as possible. The game requires patience, calmness, strategic thinking and precision. The winner is the player who reaches the end with as few strokes as possible, passing various obstacles.
(Željka Šaravanja)
