The Origin of Golf Explained and How the Game Truly Began

The origin of golf is most definitively traced back to 15th-century Scotland, where the modern version of the game was first documented. While historians often debate its ancient precursors, it was on the windswept Scottish links that the sport was refined into the 18-hole format we recognize today. From its earliest written record in a 1457 royal ban by King James II to the establishment of the first official rules at Leith in 1744, the history of golf is a fascinating journey of royal patronage and coastal evolution.

In this article, we explore how golf began, where its earliest influences originated, and why Scotland became the birthplace of modern golf.

While the modern game of golf is most closely associated with Scotland, various stick-and-ball games have been recorded throughout history across different cultures. As early as the 13th century, the Dutch played a related pastime game called colf (sometimes referred to as kolf), recorded in Dutch sources dating back to the late 1200s. In this game, players used a club to hit a ball toward a distant target such as a post, hole, or stake.

Though distinct from the Scottish game, colf/kolf shared the core idea of striking a ball with the fewest strokes toward a distant target, reflecting a broader European tradition of stick-and-ball games during the medieval period. However, these early games differed from modern golf in several important ways:

• The objective was usually a post, stake, or fixed marker rather than a hole in the ground

• Course layouts were informal and not standardized

• Formal, written rules did not exist

It was in Scotland that this concept evolved further, with the introduction of the hole as the central objective and the game being played across natural linksland terrain. What sets the Scottish version, known as golf, apart from other historical games is precisely this defining feature: the hole. The history of the contemporary 18-hole match dates back to 15th-century Scotland.

While the Scots established the formal rules of the game, historians suggest that similar games resembling golf existed in different cultures at various points in time, including:

• China (Song Dynasty, 960–1279): Chuiwan, where players struck a ball with a stick while aiming for a hole

• Ancient Rome: Paganica, played using bent sticks to strike a leather ball

Although these games are not direct predecessors of golf, they highlight humanity's enduring interest in striking a ball toward a target.

Scotland is considered the birthplace of golf because the sport was first clearly recorded, developed, and standardized there before spreading worldwide. The earliest widely recognized written record of golf appears in a Scottish parliamentary act dated March 6, 1457, which ordered that football and "golf" (gowf) be stopped so men would focus on archery practice for national defense.

In addition, Scotland's natural landscape shaped the foundations of modern golf, influencing how the game is played to this day. St Andrews, known as the spiritual home of golf, played a crucial role in formalizing the sport, including the establishment of the 18-hole course format in 1764, which later became the global standard. At the heart of this legacy is the St Andrews Old Course, widely regarded as the oldest continuously played golf course in the world and a living symbol of golf’s historical development in Scotland.

Scotland also led golf's organization and competition. Beyond St Andrews, Scotland is home to some of the most historically significant and challenging links courses in the world, including:

• Royal Dornoch

• Muirfield

• Carnoustie Golf Links

Each of which helped shape championship golf through their demanding layouts, coastal conditions, and long-standing tournament traditions. Additionally, the founding of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 1754 helped guide the rules of the game, while The Open Championship, first held in Prestwick in 1860, confirmed Scotland's lasting influence on golf history and tradition.

The word “golf” has sparked curiosity and myths for centuries, especially the idea that it is an acronym. One of the most widespread but completely false claims is that GOLF stands for “Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden.”

This explanation is incorrect for several reasons:

• There is no historical or linguistic evidence supporting the claim

• Acronyms as we know them did not exist until the 20th century

• The word “golf” was already in use centuries earlier

In reality, the name golf traces back to Medieval European languages, not initials. Most linguists agree that the term likely comes from the Middle Scots word "gouf" or "gowf," meaning "to strike", or from the Middle Dutch word kolf or kolve, meaning "club." These terms were used to describe early stick-and-ball games in which a club was used to hit a ball — a direct reflection of the sport's core action. Over time, as the game evolved and became formalized in Scotland, the spelling stabilized into the modern golf we use today.

These handmade clubs were often crafted by players themselves or by skilled local craftsmen, long before industrial-era manufacturing began. Because each club was individually made, weights and performance varied greatly, and there was no standardization in design. These early clubs were essential for navigating natural, uneven linksland terrain, and included longer "longnoses" for driving and shorter clubs for closer shots.

Over time, as golf courses became more established and standardized, these natural sandy areas were retained and gradually shaped into what we now recognize as bunkers. Today, bunkers are formally defined hazards under the Rules of Golf, but they remain closely connected to the natural landscapes that influenced the earliest golf courses in Scotland.

The first golf balls likely started, possibly as hard wooden balls made from dense timber, but the most iconic early golf ball was the featherie.

Golf reached North America in the late 18th and 19th centuries, primarily through Scottish immigrants and travelers. Important developments include:

• St. Andrew’s Golf Club in Yonkers, New York (1888)

• The founding of the United States Golf Association (USGA) in 1894

• The introduction of national championships such as the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur

By the early 20th century, golf had become a major competitive sport in the United States, helping transform golf into a global game.