Golf traces back to 15th-century Scotland, where it caught on so widely that King James II banned it in 1457 for distracting men from archery practice – a ban that didn't stick. The Gentlemen Golfers of Leith wrote the game's first formal rules in 1744, and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, founded a decade later, became the sport's enduring home. Golf crossed the Atlantic in the late 1800s, and the United States Golf Association was formed in 1894 to standardize the American game. Today it's played on more than 16,000 courses across the country, from small-town municipal courses to major championship venues – a sport built as much on history and etiquette as on equipment. Golf partner brands are coming soon to this category – check back as it grows.