The variety of other golfing challenges is amazing. You might choose to pit your wits on rugged, windblown seaside links courses offering stunning scenery of the British coastline. Many of these courses haven't barely changed for 100 years or more and are still as challenging as ever. If that doesn't take your fancy there are lush, parkland courses such as Wentworth in Surrey or Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire, heathland links such as Walton Heath in Berkshire and up-to-date American layouts such as St Mellion in Cornwall, designed by Jack Nicklaus. The majority of courses are cheap to play and easy to book. Many businesses run complete golf holiday packages to cater for all your playing needs.
Lawn tennis evolved in the country houses of England in the middle of the 19th century. The invention of the rubber ball made it possible to play «real» or «royal» tennis – a complicated game played in a courtyard – outside on grass.
Although also popular in the United States, it was in England, specifically at the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, South London, that the game became established. Things are the same today, with Wimbledon the premier tennis tournament in the world and the International Tennis Federation, the sport's ruling body, based just two miles up the road in Roehampton.
The first-ever organized tennis tournament in the world took place at Wimbledon in 1877 and was held to raise money to repair the roller for the lawns.
Since then all of the great players have had their greatest triumphs in England. Pre-war, Fred Perry and France's Suzanne Lenglen enjoyed major success. In modern times Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe have all become legends and even more recently Pete Sampras and the Williams sisters have become champions.
In recent years Tim Henman and Greg Rudseski have provided the home interest and there's nothing quite like the atmosphere on Wimbledon's Centre Court when one of them is closing in on victory. Their success has led to a number of other international tournaments being held around the country, from sunny seaside Brighton to the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London.
Horseracing in Britain can be traced back to the 12th century when English knights returned from the Crusades with Arab horses. This new blood was mixed with English horse stock to eventually produce the thoroughbreds that race today. Their families are recorded in The Stud Book so that the origins of every horse which is racing in Britain can be traced back generations.
Known as the «Sport of Kings», racing has enjoyed centuries of British Royal patronage. Henry VIII imported horses from Spain and Italy and established studs, while Charles I also had a stud.
However, it was with the reign of Charles II (1660–85) that the sport began to take the shape of today. The «father of English racing» established the King’s Plates – races for which prizes were awarded to the winners. Charles II’s patronage also established Newmarket as the headquarters for English Flat racing, the venue for the first race meetings in Britain. It is now one of the best places in the world to visit to learn about the sport.
By the mid‑18th century, the demand for more public racing produced larger, more widespread, events. The Derby was up and running by 1780 and is now the most famous of all flat-racing events; it’s held on Epsom Downs to the south-west of London and is an annual must on the calendar for race-fans and socialites alike. The jewel in the crown of the winter steeplechasing season, the Grand National, was first staged in 1839. Held at Aintree outside Liverpool it holds the nation’s attention every spring and tempts even the most uninterested into the betting shops.
Today, Flat and National Hunt racing takes place at 59 courses throughout the country, and, weather permitting, all through the year, from the well-known jumps courses of the West Country (like Exeter and Wincanton) to the centre of the Scottish circuit – the Western Meeting at Ayr. From the Derby course at Epsom and Ascot, in the south, via Cheltenham’s festival course to northern tracks like York – the Ascot of the north – there are race meetings to attend at weekends, and in the middle of the week, all year round.
British motorsport and the birth of track racing are as much about British law as the desire to race off-road. At the turn of the 20th century, road racing was popular all over the world, but in Britain racing on public roads was illegal so British drivers had to travel abroad to race competitively. Enthusiasts, led by Hugh F Locke-King, were so worried that the British motoring might fall behind the rest of the world, that they started work on their own private track. By 1907, Brooklands – an oval circuit with steep banked corners – was completed on Locke-King’s estate in Surrey. Handicap races started immediately and were organized more like horse races than modern motor races with drivers sporting colours as opposed to numbers. Large-scale betting took place and the events became a popular part of the social calendar.
The idea of using color to differentiate drivers was adopted for more formal racing with the French in blue, the Germans in white, the Italians in red and the British in green. The F1 world championship that we know today started in 1950. It was decided by seven races, one of which was held in Britain. The 50s also saw the start of British ‘Racing Green’ dominance with the 1957 Grand Prix featuring no less than eight cars sporting the colour and a British winner in Stirling Moss – one of many stars of the past, who you are still likely to find competing in the UK at major historic events at circuits like Silverstone and Goodwood.
Since then Britain has consistently produced grand prix winners and world champions including Graham Hill, James Hunt, Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill. F1 currently sees stars such as David Coulthard and Eddie Irvine flying the British flag, while the long-term future lies with Jenson Button. Hailed as the greatest talent since the emergence of Michael Schumacher, Button is hotly tipped as a champion in the making and you can catch him on-track in July at Silverstone’s Grand Prix.
Britain is also the home to many of the world’s top racing teams, with McLaren, Williams, Jaguar and Jordan among the big F1 names.
As far as circuits go, there are high quality courses all over Britain. Silverstone is home to the British Grand Prix and every year over 100, 000 dedicated enthusiasts converge on the Northamptonshire track and generate a real carnival atmosphere. Elsewhere, Donington Park in Derbyshire and Brands Hatch in Kent head the tracks hosting the top domestic racing series including the spectacular British Touring Car Championship. Underneath their normal road car appearance, touring cars are track racers boasting staggering performance. The series makes for explosive viewing with spins and crashes commonplace. Race meetings take place at some of Britain’s leading venues including Oulton Park in Cheshire, which is renowned for its beautiful setting, and Snetterton in Norfolk.
Rallying became popular in the 1960s when the iconic Mini was introduced to the sport and through the 60s the Mini Cooper came to be a dominant force in the sport. Modern rallying in the UK is very competitive and Britain’s leg of the World Rally Championship is one of the toughest in the world thanks to the testing Welsh forest tracks it largely uses and the changeable November weather. However the extensive spectator viewing spots in the heart of the countryside make it one of the most exciting and enjoyable sports to watch. As in F1, Britain has produced top rally drivers, with the 1995 World Champion Colin McRae and Richard Burns among the world’s best.
Elsewhere, the British Formula 3 championship is regarded as the top junior championship in the world. World Champions Ayrton Senna, and Mika Hakkinen cut their teeth in the hothouse atmosphere of the British F3 Championship. Senna moved into F1 straight from F3 and so did the sport’s latest sensation Jenson Button, who could be seen learning his trade at tracks all round the UK as recently as 2004. You really can spot the stars of the future on a visit to Oulton Park or Snetterton.
2006 saw for the first time in over 20 years a British round of the US CART (Championship Automobile Racing Teams) series at the newly built Rockingham venue in Northamptonshire. This rival to F1 hadn’t been seen in the UK since the 1970s and its dramatic blend of ultra high (200mph-plus) average speeds and frequent overtaking on a banked oval track adds even more variety to a packed calendar.
Motorcycle racing is also a big draw in Britain with interest growing due to the success of the four-times World Superbike Champion Carl Fogarty. You can see the hard men of the WSB at both Brands Hatch and Donington Park, while Donington also hosts the British Grand Prix – the UK round of the 500cc, 250cc and 125cc World Championships.
In the city that produced Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean – British Olympic ice dance champions – is the National Ice Centre in Nottingham.
This multipurpose venue situated in the heart of Nottingham's bustling city centre is the coolest place to watch sports and concerts in the East Midlands.
With two Olympic size ice pads, the NIC is home to the fearless Nottingham Panthers ice hockey team, the training ground of the Great Britain speed skating squad and the national centre of excellence for skating.
Public skating sessions run daily, making the NIC's facilities accessible for all ages and abilities.
There is a wide variety of sports in Britain today, and more people take part in sports today than earlier, both because there are more sporting facilities and leisure centers and because people are more aware of the importance of exercise for their health.
The most popular sport for people to take part in is walking. Billiards, snooker and darts are the next most popular for men, followed by swimming and football. Swimming comes second among women, followed by keep-fit classes. In the country fishing is the most popular sport. Billards snooker and darts are also much played at the spare time at the pub. A real pub must have a billiard table and a dart plate is an old saying for the British.
These and the many other sports reflect the diversity of interests in British life: Rugby, cricket, golf, tennis, greyhound and horse racing, polo, hunting, riding, shooting, hockey, bowls, athletics, sailing, mountaineering, ice sports, car and motorcycle racing and rally driving. Some are spectator sports, in others people participate.
Other reasons that English people are so interested in sport not just watching but also chairing for their favorite team in various sporting events. Sitting at the pub drinking a pint with your friends while your team is winning at a TV screen is one of many reasons that sport is so spread outthought the country.
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