When it appeared in 1955, this book was one of the first histories of golf to relate golfing developments to their historical context. Browning was aided in his research by his position as editor of "Golfing" magazine from 1910 to 1955. Drawing on original sources, the book contains information about the evolution of golf courses, equipment, terms and rules; participants in the game, including caddies, amateur players, professionals and course architects; the history of women's golf; and the growth of the sport around the world. Spanning 600 years, the chronological table which concludes the book provides a summary of the history.