Full coverage: 2016 Rio Olympics

Golf and rugby sevens have been added to this year's Olympic programmes. The last time golf made an appearance at the Olympics was in 1904 in St. Louis, US. After over a century of omission from the games, this year's Olympics in Rio de Janerio will see its return.

The history of golf is unclear and highly debated. It is said that their origins can be traced back to the Roman game of "paganica", in which participants used a bent stick to hit leather balls.

But the world's first written record of golf is the banning of the game itself. Scottish King James the Second outlawed the game in the 1450s, as it was a distraction to archery. However, in only 50 years, his grandson James the Fourth lifted the ban as he, ironically, was an avid golfer.

The sport saw a boom in the 19th century. And today in modern times, the rules of golf have gotten a lot more complicated.

A regular golf course consists of 18 holes. Each course has with a teeing ground that is set off by two markers showing the legal tee area, fairway, rough and other hazards, as well as the putting green that surrounds the hole.

Every hole is classified by its par -- which is the number of strokes a skilled golfer is required to complete the play. The minimum par is three, as each hole always requires one stroke each for the tee shot and two putts. Pars of four and five strokes are ubiquitous.

Players need to finish all 18 holes to complete one round of game. The competitor with the lowest number of strokes to complete the course wins.

In the Rio games, 60 men and 60 women will compete for two individual gold medals on the new Olympic golf course over a series of 72 holes.