However, the record was recently moved to St. Andrews. There is documented evidence that golf was played at Musselburgh Links in 1672. It is also claimed that near these golf courses, at Seton, Mary I Stuart played golf in 1567.
Originally Musselburgh Links consisted of seven holes, with an eighth added in 1838 and a ninth in 1870. The course has left a lasting legacy in the rules of the game. A golf hole diameter of four and a quarter inches (108 mm) is the width of the tool used to cut holes at Musselburgh.
In 1893, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (one of the oldest golf clubs in the world) adopted the measurement as a mandatory requirement on all courses.
