When England and Scotland made friends again, golf was back in favour.

In 1502, King James IV signed the Treaty of Glasgow which ended the war with England.

Pretty soon the Scots were swapping their bows and arrows for golf clubs.

In fact, the King even took up the game himself and actually paid a bow-maker in Perth to make him a set of clubs.

It was this royal influence that helped the spread of the game throughout the country and, ultimately, overseas.

The earliest centres of golf had associations with royalty or, in the case of St Andrews, the two other influential pillars of Scots society - education and the Church.

St Andrews University is Scotland's oldest seat of learning and it was also a powerful Church stronghold.

Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, was the headquarters of the court and golf blossomed around the city aided by royal patronage.

Dunfermline and Perth also had royal palaces and they, too, developed strong golf connections as the popularity of the game continued to grow.