Australian Golf Museum

　　The Australian Golf Museum is situated in a small village named Bothwell in Tasmania, Australia. It is said that the golf course in this area is the oldest in the Southern Hemisphere, established in 1996 by Peter Toogood, a champion of the Australian Golf Championship. The museum is housed within an old local sandstone historic building — a modest house that was previously used as a classroom for the local primary school.

　　Stepping into the Australian Golf Museum, visitors can learn about the evolution of golf — how this once rough game originating from the southeastern coastal villages of England transformed into an elegant international sport and became one of the most popular pastimes in Australia. The exhibits demonstrate why the historic Bothwell region became one of Australia’s earliest golfing areas, with the nearby Ratho Golf Course recognized as the country’s oldest golf course, and the town of Bothwell being home to five different golf courses.

　　The museum also showcases the development of golf through the evolution of the golf ball — from the feathered golf balls of the 15th to 19th centuries, to the gutta-percha balls of the 1850s to the 20th century, then to the Haskell ball used from the 20th century until World War II, and finally to the modern golf ball.

　　Australasian Golf Museum Must-visit reason: The oldest golf museum in the Southern Hemisphere Continent where the attraction is located: Oceania Country/Region where the attraction is located: Australia Province/State where the attraction is located: Tasmania