When most people think of golf, they probably think of Tiger Woods jet-setting to golf courses around the world winning prestigious¹ tournaments and making a lot of money.

一提到高尔夫球，大多数人可能就会想到泰格·伍兹乘喷气客机到世界各地的高尔夫球场赢得备受瞩目的锦标赛，并大把大把地赚钱。

It seems hard to believe that what is now an international sport and multimillion-dollar industry evolved from origins as humble² as hitting a pebble³ around sand dunes⁴ with a stick.

很难相信如今这个价值高达数百万美元的国际性工业，是从随便拿根棍子，在沙丘上挥打鹅卵石这种不起眼的运动发展起来的。

It is generally agreed that golf was first played in Scotland in the 15th century.

众所周知，高尔夫起源于15世纪的苏格兰，普及于16世纪。

Its popularity⁵ spread throughout the 16th century, and the first international golf match took place in 1682 between players from England and Scotland.

首场国际高尔夫球赛就是在1682年举行的，选手均来自英格兰及苏格兰。

Clubs began forming soon after, and concrete rules of the game were established. The Industrial Revolution brought a period of change for golf.

不久，高尔夫俱乐部开始成立，同时也制定了具体的比赛规则。工业革命为高尔夫运动带来了一系列的变革。

Suddenly, with the mass production of golf clubs and balls, the average person could afford to play.

突然间，随着高尔夫球杆及高尔夫球的大量生产，普通百姓也接触到了这项运动。

New railway lines made it possible for people to go to the country for the day, and thus play on a different course every weekend.

新建的到郊区的火车线路使人们可以在比赛当天往返，因此每个周末可以在不同的球场打球。

Golf was made an Olympic sport in 1900, by which time there were already more than 1,000 golf courses in the United States.

1900年，高尔夫被正式确定为奥林匹克运动项目，那时美国已有上千个高尔夫球场。

The famous PGA was formed in 1916, and by 1944, the equally famous PGA tour consisted of 22 events and was held throughout the year.Legendary⁶ golfers Jack⁷ Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player dominated⁸ the game from the 60s’ into the 70s’, wowing fans by winning almost all of the events they competed in.

著名的职业高尔夫球员联盟于1916年成立；到1944年，同享盛名的职业高尔夫球员联盟巡回比赛，在1年内举行了22场比赛。高尔夫球界的传奇人物──杰克·尼克要劳斯，阿诺德·帕尔默及加里·普莱耶一直称霸于60到70年代的高尔夫球坛。他们几乎囊括了所有的比赛奖项，使球迷们大为赞叹。

Nicklaus still holds an unbeaten record of five U.S.PGA championships, six U.S.Masters titles, and four U.S.Opens.These days, it is up to current stars like Tiger Woods and David Duval to keep spectators⁹ glued to the TV set.

尼克劳斯至今仍保持数项无人能破的辉煌记录：5个美国职业高尔夫锦标赛冠军、6个美国高尔夫精英赛冠军，及4个美国公开赛冠军头衔。现在，高尔夫则靠当红球星泰格·伍兹和大卫·杜瓦的魅力吸引球迷通过电视观看比赛。

Even if you are not a big fan, why not head off to the driving range and have a go? More than 23 million players exist in the United States alone, and they are all likely to tell you the same thing about golf: There’s nothing like it!

即使你不是头号球迷，也可以去高尔夫球场挥一挥杆，尝试一下。仅在美国就有23，000，000人从事高尔夫运动。关于高尔夫，他们会异口同声地说，“没有比它更好的运动了！”