Introduction
Golf is surrounded by countless myths. One of the biggest is the belief that it is a modern game invented for bored businessmen sitting behind office desks. The truth is quite different. Golf is one of the oldest and most natural sports in human history. Long before professional players appeared on perfectly manicured fairways wearing tailored polo shirts, the game had to survive medieval bans, wars and even... an official prohibition imposed by the King of Scotland himself. Discover the history of golf around the world, explained without the dry, encyclopaedic tone.
Who Was the First to Hit a Ball?
If you ask historians about the origins of club-and-ball games, you will quickly discover that almost every ancient civilisation had its own version. Historical records suggest that a game resembling golf was played in China more than 2,000 years ago. However, Scotland remains the undisputed birthplace of modern golf. It was there, on the windswept coastal landscapes known as links, that Scottish shepherds began knocking stones into rabbit holes using curved wooden sticks. The game was already being played in the 14th century, although some historians believe its origins may date back as far as 1297.
Golf's Medieval Cousins
In those days, Europe was obsessed with ball-and-club games. Long before golf developed its modern rules, people across the continent played several closely related games:
Chole (Belgium and France): Players tried to hit a wooden ball into a distant target, such as a church door, using as few strokes as possible. Interestingly, opponents were allowed to deliberately knock your ball into hazards such as hedges, tall grass, streams or possibly even over walls.
Colf (The Netherlands): An extremely popular game played on city streets and even on frozen canals. The modern word golf most likely originates from the Dutch word colf, meaning a club or stick. Some people jokingly claim that GOLF stands for Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden, but that is simply a myth. Women have played golf for centuries, including one of the sport's earliest famous enthusiasts, Mary, Queen of Scots.
Pallemaille (England and France): A game in which players struck a wooden ball over distances of up to half a mile. It became so popular in London that a dedicated playing ground was built for it. The famous street known today as Pall Mall still marks the location of that original venue.
A Game So Good...
...that a king had to ban it. In the 15th century, the Scots became obsessed with golf. The game grew so popular that it started to threaten national security. In 1457, King James II of Scotland issued an official decree banning both golf and football. The reason was simple: instead of practising archery and preparing to defend the country against English invasions, men were spending entire days on the links swinging clubs. This decree is widely regarded as the first written reference to golf in Scotland. The ban, however, achieved very little. Scots continued to play in secret, and later kings, including James IV, eventually fell in love with the game themselves and became enthusiastic golfers.
St Andrews – Bringing Order to Chaos
For centuries, golf was a rather chaotic game. Every region played by its own rules, and golf courses could have almost any number of holes, including 22. The turning point came in Scotland during the mid-18th century. In 1754, the legendary Society of St Andrews Golfers was founded. In 1834, it received the royal title of Royal & Ancient (R&A). To this day, St Andrews remains one of the most influential institutions in world golf and a guardian of the game's official rules. In 1764, a historic change was made on the Old Course when the number of holes was reduced from 22 to 18. From that moment on, 18 holes became the worldwide standard.
Technology was evolving as well. In 1847, gutta-percha balls made from hardened tree sap replaced expensive feather-stuffed leather balls. Towards the end of the 19th century, the rubber-core golf ball was patented, making the game cheaper, more consistent and accessible to a wider audience. Golf soon spread across the world, reaching North America, Africa and Asia. A few decades later, it also arrived in what is now Poland and Lower Silesia. Discover the history of golf in Poland.
The Pioneers Who Changed Everything
Modern golf looks highly professional today because, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a number of remarkable individuals transformed a simple pastime into both a profession and a science.
Old Tom Morris: Often called the father of modern golf and greenkeeping. He pioneered techniques such as top dressing greens with sand, designed dozens of golf courses and introduced the simple yet brilliant idea that the ninth hole should return close to the clubhouse, allowing players to rest before beginning the back nine.
Harry Vardon: One of the greatest players in golf history and winner of 62 tournaments. He revolutionised the way golfers hold the club by popularising the overlapping grip, now known as the Vardon Grip. More than a century later, it remains the grip most commonly taught by PGA professionals around the world and the one I teach during golf lessons in Wroclaw.
Walter Hagen: The first true American golf superstar. He became the first athlete in history to earn more than one million dollars through professional sport. Hagen transformed the image of professional golfers, helping them gain the same respect and status as the wealthy club members they once served.
Ben Hogan: A swing machine and one of the toughest competitors the game has ever seen. If you think modern athletes are dedicated, Ben Hogan set the standard decades ago. The nine-time major champion was obsessed with perfection, often practising for up to twelve hours a day in search of the perfect, repeatable swing. In 1949, at the height of his career, Hogan survived a devastating head-on collision with a bus while shielding his wife with his own body. Doctors doubted he would ever walk properly again, let alone compete in golf. Hogan had other ideas. Just sixteen months later, despite severe circulation problems and heavily bandaged legs, he returned to compete in the brutal U.S. Open at Merion and won. To this day, his ideas on swing mechanics remain required study for PGA professionals around the world.
History of Golf – Questions and Answers
Where was golf invented?
Golf originated in Scotland, where club-and-ball games were already being played during the Middle Ages.
Why was golf once banned?
In the 15th century, King James II of Scotland banned golf because men were spending their time playing instead of practising archery and preparing for military service.
Did women play golf from the beginning?
Yes. Women have been playing golf for centuries, and one of the most famous early golfers was Mary, Queen of Scots.
Was golf once a sport only for the elite?
Not entirely. Although golf was often associated with aristocracy and wealthy business circles, there were also more accessible clubs. In some regions, miners, factory workers and local residents played the game as well.
Did Hitler play golf?
Adolf Hitler did not play golf. In Nazi Germany, the sport was often viewed as too
closely associated with British culture and social elites.
Interestingly, an international tournament known as the Golf Prize of Nations was
held in Baden-Baden in 1936. The event was also referred to as the Hitler Trophy
and was intended to extend the publicity surrounding the Berlin Olympic Games.
According to many historians, Hitler planned to present the trophy personally.
However, after the success of American athlete Jesse Owens and England's victory
in the tournament, the event received far less attention from German propaganda
than originally expected.
The trophy donated by Hitler still exists today and is displayed at Hesketh Golf
Club in the United Kingdom.
What's Next?
Would you like to become part of this story? Golf has come a long way – from the windswept pastures of Scotland to modern golf courses all around the world. Today, golf is not only about history and legends but also about major championships watched by millions of fans. Discover the most important golf tournaments in the world.
Today, you don't have to break royal bans or belong to an exclusive club to start playing. If you'd like to experience modern golf without the stress or stereotypes, take a look at the 📗 Green Card golf course or visit Golf Wroclaw and discover how to get started with golf and beginner-friendly golf training.
Feel free to call or message me from Monday to Sunday, at any time — even late at night. I mute my phone overnight, but I’ll reply or call back as soon as possible.