Twenty years ago, golf had a very different image from the one it enjoys today. Who'd have thought that the sport would be as popular as it is now? Golf has been truly transformed from what was long considered a hobby for retired men to a global phenomenon. Everywhere you turn now, you can't fail to notice the amount of specialist golfing shops there are or the amount of time golf takes up in the sports news on television.

It seems that golf has indeed been able to gain widespread acceptance and successfully become a mainstream sport. This is of course due to stars such as Tiger Woods, a young American of 29, who is only the second man to have won each of golf's four big prizes twice. He transformed the game and the public's perception of the game, giving golf that "wow" factor. For many people, a game steeped in an elitist country club tradition became exciting for the first time.

There are numerous signs, just in everyday life, telling us how popular golf has become. Some mobile phone companies, such as Nokia, have put a software application in some of their models which allows you to keep track of your golf scores. If you want, you don't even have to pick up a single golf club. You can be a virtual golfer by playing on a Playstation 2 or X-Box. Along with the fact that there have been 3 or 4 Hollywood films made about golf, we can safely assume that golf is here to stay.

Young people's fascination with the game does not stop there. Now golfing holidays are becoming increasingly popular. Whatever your age or level of talent a golf holiday is a great way to see a country, relax and spend time improving your swing. You can pretty much go anywhere in the world and play golf, even in as far flung a place as Kazakhstan.