earticle

영어

Recently as local golf players have advanced into the American LPGA or PGA with the golf player, Seri Pak, as a start, it has been adding magnificent stories to Korean golf history and making tremendous issues in American golf as well. Although overseas sport history and sociology sectors are paying higher attention to the reason for the successful sport of Korean female golfers and its ripple effect, domestic academic sectors have hardly conducted researches to analyze the socio-cultural functions of golf. Thereupon, this article attempts to understand the socio-cultural functions and effects of golf by examining golf’s British origin hypothesis, its introduction to America, and the developmental process of female golf which are considered to influence the sociocultural evolution of golf significantly in the sociological context. The followings summarize the results of this research. First, in terms of its origin, the Scottish origin hypothesis seems influential. Based on this study, golf was enjoyed as play by common people at first, and then it became positioned as a game for royal families and upper class people around the 16th century. After that, it was more organized and internationalized along with the wave of the industrialization in the 18th century. Second, it is presumed that golf was introduced to American society around the end of 19th century. Clubs were formed centering around New York. It was even transmitted to women, too. From its initial induction, golf seems to have been characterized by professionalism based on capital. Third, golf which had been exclusively enjoyed by men became popularized within women as well in American society from the latter half of the 20th century. These sorts of transitional aspects in golf can be found from the records of female golfers and the golf wear. Accordingly, the development of American female golf reflects the social participation of women and its continuity, and this kind of climate is thought to influence world’s golf culture as well as Korea’s considerably.