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2 October 2026 · 9 min read

When was golf invented? History, 18 holes and the Olympics in dates

Scotland 1457, 18 holes since 1764, the Olympics in 1900 and 1904 and then again in 2016: the history of golf in dates, with the rules and numbers from Switzerland.

When was golf invented? History, 18 holes and the Olympics in dates — post image

Golf in its present form comes from Scotland. The first written trace is a ban by King James II in 1457 (Wikipedia). That a course has 18 holes goes back to 1764, when the Old Course at St Andrews was cut from 22 to 18 holes. Golf was an Olympic sport in Paris in 1900 and in St. Louis in 1904, then only again in Rio in 2016, after a break of 112 years (NBC Olympics). The oldest known rules date from 1744 and comprise 13 articles, today there are 25 Rules.

Where and when was golf invented?

The modern game comes from Scotland in the 15th century. James II banned it in 1457 because it distracted from archery. James IV lifted the ban in 1502, when he had become a golfer himself. The older roots are unclear and disputed (Wikipedia). Named are chuiwan, a Chinese game played between the eighth and the fourteenth century, and kolven, which was played every year in Loenen in the Netherlands from 1297. These sources do not allow a decision on whether one of them is the forerunner.

As a place with a date, Musselburgh Links is documented: golf is recorded there as early as 2 March 1672, and Guinness World Records certifies the course as the oldest golf course in the world. The first Open Championship followed on 17 October 1860 at Prestwick, also in Scotland.

How did the rules come about?

The oldest known written rules date from 1744. They were 13 articles, written by the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith, later called the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, for a single day of competition (R&A, history of the rules). In the following hundred years more than 30 clubs gave themselves their own rules. In 1754 22 noblemen, professors and landowners founded the Society of St Andrews Golfers (Wikipedia), the later Royal and Ancient Golf Club. Today the rule book of the R&A has 25 Rules, and Rule 25 covers adjustments for players with disabilities. What changes in 2026 is in Golf rules 2026.

YearWhat happenedSource
1457James II bans golf in Scotland, the first written traceWikipedia
1672golf documented on Musselburgh LinksWikipedia
174413 articles of Leith, the oldest known rulesR&A
1754Society of St Andrews Golfers foundedWikipedia
1764Old Course cut from 22 to 18 holesWikipedia
1842St Andrews records that a match consists of 18 holesR&A
1860first Open Championship at PrestwickWikipedia
1893Engadine Golf Club in Samedan opens, the first course in Switzerland still played todaySwiss Golf
1899first consolidated code of rules of the R&AR&A
1900golf at the Olympic Games in ParisNBC Olympics
1952first unified rule book of the R&A and the USGAR&A
2016golf returns at the Games in RioNBC Olympics

Which of today's rules are already old?

The overview of the R&A lists basic ideas that already stand in rule books since 1759 and that you still play today. They include the unplayable ball, stroke play next to match play, the rule that the ball is played as it lies, and the limited time to search for a lost ball. How these rules read today is explained in Unplayable ball, Ball out of bounds and Provisional ball.

Rule or termState of the rulesSource
unplayable ball, stroke play next to match play1759, St AndrewsR&A
outside agencies and embedded balls1773, Edinburgh BurgessR&A
ground under repair and the ball is played as it lies1775, Gentlemen GolfersR&A
limited search time for a lost ball, definition of a stroke1783, AberdeenR&A
the terms putting green and bunker1812, St AndrewsR&A
first definition of out of bounds1899, code of the R&AR&A

The code of 1899 defined out of bounds for the first time, and the first rule on the provisional ball followed three years later. So the rules have grown over centuries. The last fundamental revision was in 1984, followed by the modernisation of 2019.

Why does a golf course have 18 holes?

The number is a result, not a law of nature. In 1764 the Old Course had 22 holes, and the members played the same holes out and back, except the 11th and the 22nd. On 4 October 1764 William St Clair of Roslin had it changed: the first four and the last four holes were too short and were combined into four holes, two out and two in. After that St Andrews had 18 holes, and that is how the standard came about (Wikipedia). In 1842 St Andrews recorded that a match consists of 18 holes (R&A). Around 1863 Old Tom Morris separated the first green from the 17th, and since then the course has 7 double greens and 4 single greens.

A worked example: the 18-hole standard is 262 years old, 2026 minus 1764. When you play 18 holes in the bay, you play the number of holes a club in Scotland set back then. Which courses, among them St Andrews, you can play in a simulator is described in Courses in the golf simulator.

How many holes are there in golf, and in Switzerland?

Courses usually have 9 or 18 holes (Wikipedia). Swiss Golf admits a club only when it has at least 9 holes to play. In Switzerland 1,530 golf holes are rated under the USGA guidelines (Swiss Golf, Facts & Figures). In theory that equals 85 courses of 18 holes, though there are also 9-hole courses. How many people play those holes is shown in Golf in Switzerland in numbers.

NumberWhat it meansSource
98clubs at Swiss GolfSwiss Golf
9holes to play, the minimum for a clubSwiss Golf
1,530rated golf holes in SwitzerlandSwiss Golf
85courses of 18 holes if you divide 1,530 by 18 (calculation)own calculation
45golf holes in the biggest Swiss club, St. Apollinaire near BaselSwiss Golf
666metres is the length of number 11 at Golf Limpachtal, the longest hole in the countrySwiss Golf

You do not have to play 18 holes. Whether a 9-hole round counts for the handicap is answered in Does a 9-hole round count for the handicap?.

Since when is golf Olympic?

Golf joined at the second edition of the modern Games, Paris 1900. In 1904 in St. Louis it was there again, then followed a break of 112 years until Rio 2016 (NBC Olympics). The IOC had decided in October 2009 at its session in Copenhagen to bring the sport back for 2016 (Wikipedia). A tournament was also planned in 1908 in London, which was cancelled less than two days before the start, and two in 1920 in Antwerp, which fell through for lack of entries. Since the return the competitions are played over 72 holes of stroke play, individually for men and women.

YearPlaceEventsGold menGold women
1900Parisindividual for men and womenCharles Sands (USA)Margaret Abbott (USA)
1904St. Louisindividual and team, men onlyGeorge Lyon (CAN)no event
2016Rio de Janeiroindividual for men and womenJustin Rose (GBR)Inbee Park (KOR)
2020Tokyo, held in 2021individual for men and womenXander Schauffele (USA)Nelly Korda (USA)

Two details from NBC Olympics: in 1904 the individual event ended in match play, according to NBC the first and only time at the Games, and George Lyon had been playing golf for only eight years when he won. Margaret Abbott died in 1955 without knowing that her event had been Olympic. Why indoor golf is no longer just a winter substitute is in TGL and the indoor golf boom.

More on this: Hole in one.

Play golf: venues in the directory

Anyone who wants to replay the history does not need a flight to Scotland. The directory lists 126 venues, 110 indoor venues and 16 ranges with ball-flight tracking, in 21 cantons (as of 2 October 2026). The map shows them by canton, and anyone new to the game starts with golf simulator for beginners. The terms that appear in the history, from par to match, are explained in Golf terms explained.

Frequently asked questions

When and where was golf invented?

Modern golf comes from Scotland in the 15th century. The first written trace is the ban by King James II in 1457. The older origins are unclear and disputed, among others the Chinese chuiwan and the Dutch kolven are named (Wikipedia).

Why does a golf course have 18 holes?

In 1764 the Old Course at St Andrews still had 22 holes. The first four and the last four were too short and were combined into four holes, after that the course had 18. The standard came from this. In 1842 St Andrews recorded that a match consists of 18 holes.

Since when is golf Olympic?

Since Paris 1900, the second edition of the modern Games. In 1904 in St. Louis golf was on the programme again, then followed a break of 112 years. It came back with Rio 2016: the IOC had reinstated it in October 2009 for 2016.

How many rules are there in golf?

The rule book of the R&A has 25 Rules, and Rule 25 covers adjustments for players with disabilities. The oldest known written rules from 1744 had 13 articles and applied to a single day of competition at Leith.

How many holes does a golf course have?

Usually 9 or 18. Swiss Golf admits a club only when it has at least 9 holes to play. In Switzerland 1,530 golf holes are rated, which in theory equals 85 courses of 18 holes. The biggest club, St. Apollinaire near Basel, has 45 holes.

Sources