Leisure in diverse culture
Golf
The leisure pursuit that I participated in and had never participated before was watching golf. I spent two hours watching players playing golf and in the following day, I joined them in playing a game of golf for four hours.
The history of golf
The person who invented the game is unknown. However, etymology can show from which country it originated from. The word golf evolved from the Dutch word “kolf” and subsequently the Scottish dialect “goff” between late 14th to 15th century. The “koff” was played by the Dutch in the winter using a primitive stick and a ball on frozen paths. The Dutch sailors introduced the game in Scotland. The then Scottish players influenced golf. It’s Scottish players who invented the hole. The standardized golf rules were made by the Edinburg golfers in 1774.
There are different reason why people play golf. I interviewed two people; one said that he plays golf as a way of spending his free time, “as a hobby” as he put it; the second interviewee and who was accompanied by his younger brothers, said that they play golf as a way of keeping in touch with one another notwithstanding busy schedules. Other people play golf because of the freedom it brings as there are no boundaries (Walter, 2008). Compared to other games with “defined rigid lines” such as baseball and football, golf players play the way they want, “just meet us on the next tee afterward” (Bill, 2010). Any person can play golf regardless of physical features. Others play it because they get to mix with wildlife such as rabbits, moose and chipmunks. It’s unparalleled and amazing courses and views also compels other people to play since some courses jut into oceans, mountains, valleys and forests.
When I played the game, I noticed that the players were people of all ages and backgrounds. The players played joyfully and just like a blind date, players who came single found companions. I really enjoyed the game and I plan to play it often in the future. One incident that stick out in my mind is when the ball got lost in the woods and when searching it, we saw lost items of various kinds a hat, sunglasses and a mobile phone.

References
Pennington, B. (2010). Twelve Reasons Golf is the Greatest. Retrieved April 16, 2012 from onpar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/twelve-reasons-golf-is-the-greatest/
Simpson, W. (2008). Art of Golf. Cambridge: The Oleander Press.