The First Known Reference To GolfThe First Known Reference To GolfThroughout the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, the Scots found themselves at war with the English. The battles of Stirling in 1297 (perhaps you saw the movie "Braveheart?") and Bannockburn in 1314 merely provided temporary peace. It was against this backdrop that the game of golf began, probably as an evolution from the continental games of Chole, Het Kolven or Jeu-de-Mall.
The men (and, perhaps, women) of that time wanted to play golf on a warm sunny day just as much as we do, but the King of Scotland was dependent upon their skills to push back the English invaders, if and when it was necessary. The most advanced weapon of the time was the bow and arrow, and the government required the militia to maintain their skills. On March 6, 1457, King James II and his parliament sitting in Edinburgh outlawed the games of Football (soccer in the United States) and Golf, and mandated that the men would practice their archery each Sunday. This was the first known reference to the game.
Interestingly, a similar proclamation in 1424 banned football but made no mention of golf. Yet the followup decrees in 1471 and 1491 continued to frown upon golf. Does this mean that the game was invented in the first half of the 15th century? And exactly where was it first played? For some possible answers to these questions, see 'The Origins of Golf'.
