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History
of Golf (part 1: The Beginnings)
By
George White - June 26, 2002
The
origin of the name ‘golf’ is believed to be the Dutch word
of 'colf,' which means 'club.' In the medieval ages, golf was
also known as “spel metten colve,’ which literally meant
'game with clubs.'
Van Hengel traced ‘colf’ back to Dec. 26, 1297, in the
town of Loenen aan de Vecht in northern Holland. On that day,
the local townsfolk played four ‘holes’ of the game to
commemorate the relieving of the Kronenburg Castle exactly one
year before. The fact that ‘colf’ was chosen to mark the
occasion is proof that the game was already popular by that
time, says Van Hengel, although he couldn’t say for how
long. ‘Colfer,’ or golfers, were a common sight in
contemporary Dutch artworks, suggesting their popularity then.
'Colf' continued until the early 18th century when it suddenly
fell out of fashion, to be replaced in Holland by ‘kolf,’
a considerably shorter game played on a course only 25 yards
in length. The ball was large, about the size of a baseball,
and struck to a post set at either end of the field. The
object was to knock the ball from one end to the other, hit
the post, and leave the ball as near to the surrounding wall
as possible.
Van Hengel’s theory of ‘colf’ eventually giving way to
golf is supported by the frequent trading links between
Holland and Scotland from medieval time. The game of
‘colf’ is believed to have traveled from east to west,
across the North Sea.
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The first recorded reference to ‘chole,’ another
derivative of hockey, was made in 1353. And from this same
period of time, around 1350, the stick-and-ball game of
‘kofspel’ was played in Holland. The Dutch called a
similar game ‘kolven.’ From this came ‘kolf,’ or in
England, ‘gowf.’
‘Het kolven’ was played
in the Holland and the Low Countries. It was played in
open spaces and the player had to drive a ball a good
distance, aiming at goal – a door or a tree, perhaps.
Het kolven was played in the American colonies as early
as 1657.
The earliest traces of golf being played are said to
date back to 1340, where in a sketch from a stained
glass window – the Great East Window – in the east
wing of the Gloucester Cathedral, England, scenes of the
Battle of Crecy in France showed a man apparently
preparing to strike a ball in a golf-like manner. It was
probably not actually golf, but the old English game of
cambuca or the Flemish game of chole. This was more than
100 years earlier than the first written Scottish golf
record.
The French staked their claim with a game called ‘jeu
de mail.' Jeu de mail was played since the 16th century;
also a game called ‘mail a la chicane,’ another
forerunner.
In 15th century London, ‘pall mall’ was a game that
derived its name from an early playing place of another
game. This contest consisted of knocking a ball from one
pre-determined place to another, sometimes as far as
neighboring villages. Many believe that golf emerged
when pall mall was completely ousted from the towns onto
the nearest common land, or land that was not owned by
any individual.
Certainly, ‘kolf,’ as it was known in the
Netherlands, or ‘goff,’ as it was referred to in
England, was a pastime enjoyed by 15th century kings and
commoners. All early fore-runners, though, resembled
croquet or billiards or cricket more than golf.
Unfortunately for those countries who lay claim to
originating the sport, they all lacked just one thing.
And it was left to the Scots to make the final
refinement.
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