Golf
History
courtesy of the USGA Museum
What is the origin of the word ’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.’
The linguistic connections between the Dutch and Scottish terms are but one reflection of what was a very active trade industry between the Dutch ports and the ports on the east coast of Scotland from the 14th through 17th centuries.
Some scholars suggest that the Dutch game of ’kolf,’ played with a stick and ball on frozen canals in the wintertime, was brought by the Dutch sailors to the east coast of Scotland, where it was transferred on to the public linkslands and eventually became the game we know today.
learn more about Golf's history at the USGA Museum