Changes

In the 19th century, new developments in golf led to the ball becoming more modern in appearance. Feathers used to stuff early golf balls were now replaced with latex derived from a Gutta-percha tree. This had a major effect because the balls became cheap to make, helping the game to spread in popularity. Golf clubs were now also made from hickory, a wood that was seen as more sturdy and gave golf clubs more strength (Figure 2). These two developments made golf an easier game to play and increased the possibility to make it more widespread. Soon, however, irons began to appear as a form of club to hit balls with. The development of golf balls, with their surface also loosing a smooth texture to one with patterns, led to further developments with clubs that gave shape to how balls look today and the variety of golf clubs one finds, from woods to irons.<ref>For more on the development of golf equipment, see: Arscott, David, and David Salariya. 2011. Golf: A Very Peculiar History : With No Added Bogeys. Brighton: Salariya Book Co.</ref>

A key change came with the beginning of the British Open, first called the Open Championship. It was first a 36-hole tournament that later extended to 72 holes, which is what it is today. In 1864, the first prize money for the tournament was awarded, which led to the development of professional golf players. The tournament began to rotate between St. Andrews and Musselburgh, two of the old golf clubs and grounds that were already popular in the 18th century.<ref>For more on the early tournaments, see: Fay, Michael J. 2004. Golf, As It Was In The Beginning: The Legendary British Open Courses. Rizzoli Intl Pubns.</ref>