The History of Golf

Golf as we know it was invented in Scotland, butleast amount of strokes won.
its roots stretches back into Flanders. The firstThe word gold is derived from the Old Scots
record of "Chole" is from 1353 and portrays awords "goff" or "glove", and these words in turn
something that could be described as a mixderive from "kolf" or "kolve", medieval Dutch
between hockey and golf played in Flanderswords that simply meant club. When the words
(Belgium). The game was preferably played on icekolf and kolve were imported to Scottland, the
and the players used sticks curved at the bottomold Scottish dialect transformed the letter K into
to move balls from starting point to finish point.G, and the game was called Goff, Glove, Golve
Since Scottish and Dutch merchants traveled a lotand Gowl. During the 16th century, the word Golf
between the two regions and traded with eachbecame established.
other, the game played in Flanders soon spreadThe ban on golf had been issued in a time when
to Scotland where it developed on the grassyScotland was preparing to defend itself from the
Scottish fields and soon ceased to be a winterEnglish. In 1502, the Treaty of Glasgow made it
game. It was the Scots that started to dig holespossible for James I of England (King James IV)
in the ground instead of simply selecting a finishingto lift the ban. He even began to play himself and
point. Digging a hole in the Dutch ice had naturallyturned into a keen golf enthusiast. The game
not been a good idea.became highly fashionable and its popularity
Even though the game changed a great deal afterspread over the British Isles during the 16th
being introduced in Scotland, the balls where stillcentury, partly thanks to King Charles I who loved
often imported from Flanders. The more patrioticto play golf. Mary Queen of Scots had French
Scots claim that golf instead evolved fromroots and she introduced the game to the French
different stick-and-ball games that we know werewhile she attended school in France. The word
played all over the British Isles as early as the"caddie" actually steams from a French word -
Middle Ages. These games were inspired by acadet. The cadets of the French Military helped
stick-and-ball game introduced to the British IslesMary Queen of Scots when she played golf.
by the Romans.Two of the oldest golf courses in the world are
The first record of the term golf is from 1457Leith and the Old Links. Leith is located close to
when King James II of Scotland outlawed golf asEdinburgh and the Old Links is found at
well as soccer, since the games were so popularMusselburgh. When King Charles I received the
that they made the king's archers skip theirnews about the Irish rebellion in 1641 he was
practice and play golf and soccer instead. Jamesactually standing at Leith. The Old Links was
III re-issued this law in 1471, and James IVfounded in 1672. The first international golf match
followed in his footsteps with a new ban in 1491.took place at Leith in 1682. The Duke of York
Golf did however continue its development inand George Patterson (playing for Scotland)
Scotland despite the ban. Even during these earlymanaged to beat two English players. Strangely
days, all the essential parts of golf had alreadyenough, it wasn't until 1744 that the first known
been invented. The players used a club to swing agolf rules were written down and published in
ball into a hole in the ground. The player thatEdinburgh.
managed to get the ball into the hole using the