A Hobbit Invents the Game of Golf

The Shire with its wide rolling green fields, hills, streams, woodlands and roads is on reflection like a large golf course but with hobbit houses instead of sand bunkers burrowed into the hills.

The story of how a hobbit invented the game of golf starts with a reference in "The Hobbit" book in chapter one "An Unexpected Party" relating to an ancestor of Bilbo Baggin's by the name of Bullroarer.

Bullroarer finds himself in the "Battle of the Green Fields" against the goblins of Mount Gram. Armed with a wooden club he charges against the goblin king Golfimbul. The blow from Bullroarer's wooden club knocks Golfimbul's head through the air for a hundred yards until it falls down into a rabbit hole.

The tale certainly explains some good origins on the beginnings of golf. Named after the goblin king "Golf"imbul, played with a wooden club, and the object of game to get a hole in one!

As mentioned later in the book, games seem to be quite a favourite pass time with hobbits as referenced to Bilbo`s case about playing a wide variety of aiming and throwing type of games. Skills developed from the games come in handy when he battles the spiders of Mirkwood with throwing deadly stones while hidden when wearing the one ring.

Little references to the invention of games like golf certainly makes Tolkien's stories interesting.