The Scottish are certain that they invented the game of golf over 500 years ago but the Chinese, the French and even the Dutch have also made such claims in the past.

We may never know who first played the game but does this ancient sport really have a place in the modern world?

When the US golf team stepped off the plane in Ireland recently at the beginning of the Ryder Cup competition they were dressed head to toe in matching tweed suits and Fair Isle knitwear. It seemed they wanted to invoke golf's history, roots and traditions but in fact, most commentators and spectators thought they just looked plain daft.

At the Royal and Ancient golf club of St Andrews in Scotland the traditions, rules and regulations of golf are still alive and well. Some say the numbers of dos and don'ts can seem pretty overwhelming while others say the golfing code of conduct allows golf to maintain its sporting values in spite of becoming a multi-million pound international industry.

At the heart of golf's rules are two principles - respect for the course and respect for fellow golfers. Examples include not talking during a player's swing, not disturbing a player who's putting on the green and replacing divots.

Tiger Woods, the Thai-American player, is currently the world's number one golf professional. He is also the face of one of the world's biggest management consulting companies – Accenture. In today's global marketplace everyone is looking for a way to get ahead and having the trusted Tiger Woods as a spokesperson might just give this company the edge it's looking for.

In China golf lessons are going to be compulsory for some students at Xiamen University where its president Zhu Chongshi, recently said "It will teach students communication skills and benefit their future careers."

So it seems the ancient art of golf and the modern world of commerce have found a happy balance together all around the globe.



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GLOSSARY 词汇表

invented

发明

head to toe

从头到脚

Fair Isle knitwear

（有费尔岛特色的）杂色图案毛线针织品

commentators and spectators

解说和观众

rules and regulations

规章

dos and don'ts

（打球）须知

respect for the course

– 尊重场地（规则）

putting on the green

果岭推杆

the face of

头面人物

the edge

棱角

claims

声称

matching tweed suits

上下一致的粗花呢套装

roots

起源

plain daft

难看；傻乎乎

alive_and_well

有效力的

at the heart of

核心

a player's swing

球员击球

divots

–(高尔夫击球过低时)削起的一块草皮

global marketplace

全球市场地位

compulsory

必修