Who invented golf, and how did it become so popular?
John and Elizabeth Reed are credited with popularizing golf in the United States. John Reed founded the St. Andrew’s Club (one of the founding clubs in the USGA) in Yonkers, New York in 1888. Elizabeth Reed founded Saegkill G.C. for women nearby.
What country did golf originate from?
The origins of golf are unclear and much debated. However, it is generally accepted that modern golf developed in Scotland from the Middle Ages onwards. The game did not find international popularity until the late 19th century, when it spread into the rest of the United Kingdom and then to the British Empire and the United States.
What is the early history of golf?
The earliest form of golf can be traced to ancient Rome where people played a game called paganica around 100 BCE. Players hit a stuffed leather ball with a bent stick. During the Song Dynasty (960 CE to 1279 CE) in China, participants played chuiw an, which was played with several clubs and a ball.
What is the origin of the name golf?
History
- Origins. The origin of golf has long been debated. ...
- Scots as inventors: a popular fallacy. For many years it was believed that golf originated in Scotland. ...
- Golf in Scotland. ...
- Development of golfers’ associations. ...
- Development of equipment. ...
- Players and tournaments. ...
Where did golf originally come from?
Golf originated from a game played on the eastern coast of Scotland, in an area close to the royal capital of Edinburgh. In those early days players would attempt to hit a pebble over sand dunes and around tracks using a bent stick or club.
Does golf mean gentlemen only?
A common misconception is that the word GOLF is an acronym for Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden. This is a 20th century joke and definitely not true. It is now generally accepted that the 'golf' is derived from an old word meaning 'club', though this in turn may have older cognate roots dating back to ancient times.
Is golf a Scottish word?
The word “golf” derives linguistically from the Dutch word “kolf” or “kolve” which simply means “club”. But it can also be traced to the Scottish word “goulf” meaning “to strike” or “cuff”.
Why golf is called golf?
The word 'golf' is not an acronym for anything. Rather, it derives linguistically from the Dutch word 'kolf' or 'kolve,' meaning quite simply 'club. ' In the Scottish dialect of the late 14th or early 15th century, the Dutch term became 'goff' or 'gouff,' and only later in the 16th century 'golf. '
Why does golf have 18 holes?
Andrews formalized the rules and stated, “One round of the Links, or 18 holes is reckoned a match, unless otherwise stipulated.” Legend has it that the reason for 18 holes is that a bottle of whiskey contained the same number of shots as holes on a course, thus providing just enough drink for a shot on each hole.
Who invented golf?
Charles Blair MacDonald, who attended St. Andrews University and learned the game at the St. Andrews Golf Links, is considered the father of American golf course architects. In 1893, MacDonald built the Chicago Golf Club, which was the country's first 18-hole course.
Did the Dutch invent golf?
Some scholars suggest that Dutch sailors brought the Dutch game to the east coast of Scotland where it eventually became the game we know today. The Dutch are also credited with bringing the game to America.
Why is it called an albatross in golf?
The excellent Scottish Golf History website posits that the Americans simply inserted their national bird here. Albatross: This term means three under par, but the "double eagle" synonym is simply a continuation of the aviary theme of good scores. The albatross is rare, as is a three under par.
Where did the word "golf" come from?
It is now generally accepted that the 'golf' is derived from an old word meaning 'club', though this in turn may have older cognate roots dating back to ancient times. The first documented mention of the word 'golf' is in Edinburgh on 6th March 1457, when King James II banned 'ye golf', in an attempt to encourage archery practice, ...
When was golf invented?
On balance, however, it more likely that the 'golf' examples date to 1460 and the full details are discussed here.
What words were used before dictionaries?
Before the creation of dictionaries, there was no standardised spelling of any word. People wrote phonetically. Goff, gowf, golf, goif, goiff, gof, gowfe, gouff and golve have all been found in Scottish documents. The first documented reference is spelt 'golf', but most people believe the old word 'gowfe' was the most common term, pronounced 'gouf'.
What is the golf course called in Scotland?
The Loudoun Gowf Club maintains the tradition of this terminology. In Gaelic the word is 'goilf' and a golf course is 'raon goilf' or 'cùrsa goilf'. Some claim 'golf' is a purely Scottish term, derived from Scots words 'golf', 'golfand' and 'golfing', which mean 'to strike' as in 'to cuff' or 'to drive forward with violence'.
What does "colf" mean in golf?
Golf, colf, kolf and chole are all presumed to have originally meant 'club' and are associated with the Middle High German word for club, 'kolbe', (Der Kolben), and the Dutch word 'kolven' for the game of modern kolf. The history in the Rules of Thistle Golf Club documented this origin as far back as 1824. It is important to note that the word ...
What is the most common word for golf?
The first documented reference is spelt 'golf', but most people believe the old word 'gowfe' was the most common term, pronounced 'gouf'. Certainly, the word 'gouf' is found extensively in written texts, long after 'golf' was the acknowledged game.
Where was the first golf hole in Scotland?
Aberdeen Queens Links - site of first golf hole in Scotland- with Broad Hill on left. Most golf clubs in 16th and 17th century were made by bowers (bow-makers) whose skills made them ideally suited to the job. The names of very few of them have down to us. Recently two more 17th century club makers were found.
Where did golf originate?
The modern game of golf is generally considered to be a Scottish invention. A spokesman for The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, one of the oldest Scottish golf organisations, said "Stick and ball games have been around for many centuries, but golf as we know it today, played over 18 holes, clearly originated in Scotland." The word golf, or in Scots gowf [gʌuf], is usually thought to be a Scots alteration of Dutch " colf " or " colve " meaning " stick, " club ", " bat ", itself related to the Proto-Germanic language *kulth- as found in Old Norse kolfr meaning " bell clapper", and the German Kolben meaning " mace or club". The Dutch term Kolven refers to a related sport where the lowest number of strokes needed to hit a ball with a mallet into a hole determines the winner; according to the "Le grand dictionnaire françois-flamen" printed 1643 is stated the Dutch term to Flemish: "Kolf, zest Kolve; Kolfdrager, Sergeant; Kolf, Kolp, Goulfe."
When was golf invented?
A golf-like game is, apocryphally, recorded as taking place on February 26, 1297, in Loenen aan de Vecht, where the Dutch played a game with a stick and leather ball. The winner was whoever hit the ball with the fewest strokes into a target several hundred yards away. Some scholars argue that this game of putting a small ball in a hole in ...
How fast can a golf ball go?
These standards were later followed by a USGA regulation stating that the initial velocity of any golf ball cannot exceed 250 feet per second.
How did golf evolve?
The evolution of golf can be explained by the development of the equipment used to play the game. Some of the most notable advancements in the game of golf have come from the development of the golf ball. The golf ball took on many different forms before the 1930s when the United States Golf Association (USGA) set standards for weight and size. These standards were later followed by a USGA regulation stating that the initial velocity of any golf ball cannot exceed 250 feet per second. Since this time, the golf ball has continued to develop and impact the way the game is played.
When was the first round of kolf played?
In December 1650, the settlers of Fort Orange (near present-day Albany, New York) played the first recorded round of kolf (golf) in America. The Dutch settlers played kolf year round. During the spring, summer and fall it was played in fields. In the winter it was played on ice with the same rules.
What are the factors that contributed to the evolution of golf?
Another notable factor in the evolution of golf has been the development of golf clubs. The earliest golf clubs were made of wood that was readily available in the area.
What is the oldest golf course in Europe?
The Royal Calcutta Golf Club (1829), the Mauritius Gymkhana Club (1844) and the club at Pau (1856) in south western France are notable reminders of these excursions and are the oldest golf clubs outside of the British Isles. The Pau Golf Club is the oldest in continental Europe.
What does "golf" mean?
golf (n.) mid-15c., Scottish gouf, usually taken as an alteration of Middle Dutch colf, colve "stick, club, bat," from Proto-Germanic *kulth- (source also of Old Norse kolfr "clapper of a bell," German Kolben "mace, club, butt-end of a gun").
When was the golf widow?
Golf widow is from 1890. Oh! who a golfer's bride would be, Fast mated with a laddie. Who every day goes out to tee. And with him takes the caddie. ["The Golf Widow's Lament," in Golf magazine, Oct. 31, 1890] golf (v.) c. 1800, from golf (n.). Related: Golfed; golfing.
Where did the word "golf" come from?
Etymologically speaking, “golf” was derived from either the Dutch work kolf or kolve, which simply translates to “club.”. But then, as Lagle notes, in the Scottish dialect of the late-14th and early-15th century, the Dutch term became goff or gouff. It was only later in the 16th century when the word “golf,” spelled the way we all know it now, ...
When did golf become a word?
It was only later in the 16th century when the word “golf,” spelled the way we all know it now, appeared. “The connections between the Dutch and Scottish terms are evidence of the active trade industry between Dutch ports and the ports on the east coast of Scotland, from the 14th-17th centuries,” Lagle said.
What was golf played in Scotland?
Golf during this period was mostly played in informal and very friendly games at match play in Scotland, and the links were public land. These courses were often where livestock such as sheep and goats were kept as well, as these animals served as that generation’s agronomists and lawn mowers.
Why was the Scottish game of golf banned?
According to Lagle, the Scottish king felt the game distracted Scotland’s citizens from military practices and archery practices — as soldiers would routinely skip their training to get in a round on the links.
When did golf originate?
“Early ball and stick games can be traced back to the 13th century ,” Lagle told me.
When did golf start?
Historians believe that early versions of golf — such as the aforementioned ball and stick games and early Dutch precursors to golf— arose in America between 1650 and 1660 in upstate New York.
Where did ball and stick games originate?
There were even ball and stick games that can be traced back to China in the 11th century, which is pretty incredible.”. But Scotland kept the precursor to the modern game alive, and they were really the ones that ushered it into this present form, which emerged in the 15th century.”.
Answer
It's generally accepted that the word golf comes from the Dutch word for club, ‘kolf’.
More about why golf is called golf
Trading was common between the Dutch and Scots through the 14 th – 17 th centuries and it’s thought that Dutch sailors may have brought ‘kolf’ clubs with them.
Overview
Etymology
Origins
Spread
Golf course evolution
The word golf was first mentioned in writing in 1457 on a Scottish statute on forbidden games as gouf, possibly derived from the Scots word goulf (variously spelled) meaning "to strike or cuff". This word may, in turn, be derived from the Dutch word kolf, meaning "bat" or "club", and the Dutch sport of the same name.
The Dutch term Kolf and the Flemish term Kolven refers to a related sport where the lowest num…
Equipment development
A golf-like game is, apocryphally, recorded as taking place on February 26, 1297, in Loenen aan de Vecht, where the Dutch played a game with a stick and leather ball. The winner was whoever hit the ball with the fewest strokes into a target several hundred yards away. Some scholars argue that this game of putting a small ball in a hole in the ground using golf clubs was also played in 17th-cent…
Museums
In 1603 James VI of Scotland succeeded to the throne of England. His son, the Prince of Wales and his courtiers played golf at Blackheath, London, from which the Royal Blackheath Golf Club traces its origins. There is evidence that Scottish soldiers, expatriates and immigrants took the game to British colonies and elsewhere during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In the early 1770s, the firs…
See also
Golf courses have not always had eighteen holes. The St Andrews Links occupy a narrow strip of land along the sea. As early as the 15th century, golfers at St Andrews established a trench through the undulating terrain, playing to holes whose locations were dictated by topography. The course that emerged featured eleven holes, laid out end to end from the clubhouse to the far end of the property. One played the holes out, turned around, and played the holes in, for a total of 22 holes…