Who Invented Golf? The Real Story Behind the Game We Love
Golf is one of the world’s oldest and most beloved sports — but ask who invented it, and you’ll get more debate than a rules committee at Augusta.
Scots will swear they created it. The Dutch claim a version existed long before. And historians… well, they like to keep things interesting.
So, who actually invented golf?
Let’s break it down.
Early Stick-and-Ball Games (Before “Golf” Was Golf)
Long before drivers, fairways, handicaps and “I’ll just take one more mulligan,” humans were hitting balls with sticks.
Games with similarities to golf appeared in several cultures:
China (Song Dynasty, 10th–13th century): A game called chuiwan involved hitting a ball into holes with clubs.
The Netherlands (13th–15th century): A sport called kolf or colf was played on fields, in streets and on ice — using a stick and ball and aiming for a target.
France: A game called paille-maille (later “pall-mall”) also used a mallet and ball.
These early stick-and-ball sports influenced golf, but none are the true birth of the modern game.
Why Scotland Gets the Credit
While earlier games existed, modern golf — the 18-hole, club-and-ball game we know today — was born in Scotland.
Here’s why:
1. The first written record of golf: 1457
King James II of Scotland banned golf (and football) because soldiers were skipping archery practice to play.
A sport only gets banned if everyone’s obsessed with it.
2. The first recognised golf course: St Andrews
St Andrews began as a 22-hole layout in the 1400s, later standardised to 18 holes in 1764 — setting the global format we still use.
3. The first official rules: 1744
The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers drafted the earliest known written rules for a tournament at Leith Links.
Many of today’s rules trace back to these originals.
4. Equipment evolved in Scotland
Featherie balls, wooden clubs, iron clubs — and eventually the gutta-percha ball — were all refined by Scottish craftsmen.
Because Scotland formalised the rules, the course layout, and the culture of the game, historians agree:
Scotland is the home — and the inventor — of modern golf.
So… Who Actually Invented Golf?
The honest answer:
Golf has ancient influences, but the modern game was invented and shaped in Scotland during the 15th–18th centuries.
No single person can take credit — it evolved over time.
But the Scots turned it into the sport we recognise today.
Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About the Origins of Golf
Golf was once banned three times in Scotland… because players were too obsessed.
The word “golf” likely comes from the Scots word goulf, meaning “to strike.”
Early golf balls were stuffed with goose feathers and cost a fortune — the “Pro V1” of the 1600s.
The first female golfers belonged to the Ladies Golf Club of St Andrews, founded in 1867.
The Dutch game kolf is still played today, mostly indoors.
Why We Love the History of Golf
Golf isn’t just a game — it’s a timeline of tradition, craftsmanship, and stories shared across centuries.
And for golfers today, collecting ball markers, courses played, and memories made is a modern twist on the same history:
Honouring the game — and where it all began.