Golf Origins: Where the Game Really Began and How It Evolved

When we talk about golf origins, the ancient roots of a sport played with clubs and small balls on open land. Also known as the game of golf, it’s not just a pastime for the wealthy—it’s a centuries-old tradition shaped by weather, land, and simple human competition. Contrary to popular belief, golf didn’t start in Scotland because someone thought it’d be fun to hit a stone with a stick. It evolved from older games played across Europe and Asia, where players used curved sticks to drive balls toward targets. The Scots didn’t invent golf, but they were the first to codify it, turn it into a structured game, and build the first 18-hole course at St Andrews.

One of the most surprising things about modern golf? The size of the hole. At 4.25 inches wide, it’s not arbitrary—it’s based on a 19th-century hole-cutter tool used at Royal Musselburgh. That tool became the standard, and by 1891, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club made it official. The hole’s size hasn’t changed since, even as clubs, balls, and greens have evolved. golf course design, how land, wind, and hazards are arranged to challenge players also traces back to those early Scottish links. Natural dunes, pot bunkers, and rough grass weren’t added for drama—they were the landscape itself. Today’s fancy courses with water hazards and manicured fairways still follow the same principle: make the ball work for every shot.

golf hole size, the tiny target that frustrates and delights players worldwide isn’t just a rule—it’s a psychological challenge. It forces precision, rewards patience, and punishes arrogance. That same focus on small details shows up in the rules. No casual mulligans, no touching the line of your putt, no moving the ball to make it easier. These aren’t just traditions—they’re the bones of the game. Even the word "golf" likely comes from the Dutch "kolf" or "kolven," meaning club, not from some Scottish dialect. The Scots adopted it, refined it, and exported it.

What you’ll find in the posts below isn’t just history—it’s the why behind what you see on the course. Why do some courses cost thousands to play? Why do pros use the same ball size as amateurs? Why does the game feel so old-school even with carbon-fiber clubs? The answers are in the origins. From the first putts on Scottish heathland to today’s global tournaments, the game stayed true to its core: simplicity, precision, and respect for the land. These posts don’t just explain rules—they show you how they came to be, and why they still matter.