Despite the popular myth, golf is not an acronym for anything with its name deriving from the Dutch word ‘kolf’, which translates literally to club.
The game of golf has a history of being male-dominated, to the point that – up until fairly recently – female players were barred from joining clubs. That is perhaps the reason why many falsely believe that golf is an acronym for ‘Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden’.
It is a popular myth, but it is just that – a myth. Never has golf been an acronym for anything, despite what you might have heard.
Origin of ‘Golf’
The true origin of the word ‘golf’ comes linguistically from the Dutch and the Scottish, dating back to the late 14th century. ‘Kolf’ is Dutch for club and, through active trade between the Netherlands and Scotland, Scottish dialect slowly transformed the word to become ‘goff’ or ‘gouff’.
By the time the 16th century came around, ‘golf’ was commonly used for the game that we know today, though that wasn’t always the case. The original game of ‘kolf’ that was brought to the British Isles by Dutch sailors involved hitting a ball with a stick across frozen canals during the winter months.
King James II Ban
Though the beginnings of golf cannot be pinpointed to an exact date, what we do know is that in the mid-15th century the game was booming in Scotland. So much so that there was royal intervention in the guise of a ban imposed by King James II’s Scottish Parliament in 1457 as many had been neglecting their military duties to partake in a round of golf.
Many continued to play the game through defiance until 1502, when King James IV gave golf the royal seal of approval nearly 50 years after the ban was imposed.
When Did the Myth Begin?
It is unclear precisely when the myth of the supposed acronym came about, but it is likely to be sometime within the 20th century. While urban legend carried the erroneous claim for many years, the introduction of the internet in the 1990s helped it to increase in popularity.
As is always the case, the more that something is repeated the more it is accepted as a truth. It is categorically untrue that golf stands for ‘Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden’.
Women Playing Golf
A delve through the history books is enough to bust the infamous myth, with references of women playing golf-like games from as early as the 15th century. The earliest confirmed mention of female participation in golf, as we know it today, comes in 1738 at Bruntsfield Links in Edinburgh where the first-known women’s golf match was won by ‘Charming Sally’.
Bruntsfield Links is an important place in the history of women’s golf, as it is also where the first woman’s golf club maker, Isobel Denholm, is recorded. In 1821, Mrs Denholm took on the business following the death of her husband, David Denholm.
Despite many clubs having had bans in place against female players, women have long had a place in the sport, putting pay to the supposed meaning. In the modern-day, women and girls now have the same opportunity as their male counterparts to participate and win golf trophies and medals.
