The origin of the game is uncertain and a cause for controversy. Some researchers believe it began as a game called "paganica" during the Roman Empire. Others consider it to be an evolved version of the French "jeu de mail" or of the Dutch game "kolven" (the Dutch word "kolf" means "club"). Research has revolved around establishing the similarity of golf with other games throughout history, which are considered to be its forebearers. There have been so many different sorts of "ball games" over time, though, that finding a predecessor is a matter of mere speculation.

1. "Cambuca" or "Cambuta"
This game was played during the reign of Edward III in England. A curved stick was used along with a ball made of feathers, which researchers believe was thrown towards a marked spot on the ground. In 1363, a decree prohibited the playing of any type of game on holidays. A list of such games was drawn up, and it included "cambuca." There is a stained-glass window in the Eastern façade of the Cathedral of Gloucester that shows a human figure holding a curved stick as if he were throwing something. In the background, a yellow ball can be seen. The figure is known as "the golf player," but he was probably actually playing "cambuca," given that the Cathedral was built around the time of the decree prohibiting the game.

2. "Jeu de Mail"
This game was played in the South of France and also seems to have originated from "Paganica." The game was played with a "mail," a wooden mace, and a ball made out of the same material. The mace was quite flexible and made it possible to throw the ball quite a long distance. The ball had to be taken all along the playing field, which was generally one and a half kilometers long, until reaching a pre-established point. The game was played individually and each player had to follow the path of his own ball. The winner was the one who needed the fewest strokes to get the ball to the pre-set point. Obviously this game had a lot in common with the current game of golf.

3. "Chole and Crosse"
"Chole" is a game of Belgian and French origin that was played at a later date than the "jeu de mail," in the mid-14^th century. Sticks with long wooden handles were used with beechwood or leather balls filled with a variety of different materials, including animal hair or vegetable fiber. It was played on open fields, and the object was to reach a specific location a substantial distance away by hitting the ball a limited number of times. The ball was placed on a tee or support when hit for the first time. But in this game, unlike golf, the ball was shared by all of the players, and the game was played by teams of three players. These team members would take turns hitting the balls towards the target location, and the members of the other team would hit the ball away from the target location to get the ball as far away as possible. The hit made by this team was called the "decholade," after which the other team had three turns to hit the ball again. "Crosse" is a variant of "Chole." Its name comes from the French word for the stick used to play the game, which was in the shape of a hook. It is known that the heads of the sticks were made of iron, as are golf clubs nowadays, but the rules of the game, as with "Chole," were more similar to hockey than to golf.

4. The Dutch Game of "Kolven"
Those who defend the idea that golf originated in Holland base their theories on this game, which is also known as "kolf." But the only similarity lies in the name: this game was basically an indoor game, although it was sometimes played outdoors or on ice. The balls used for playing were similar to those used in cricket. The sticks were 1 to 2 meters long and had stiff handles, metallic heads and a flat face for hitting the ball with. The object of the game was to hit the ball between two posts. This game probably had a much greater influence on hockey (especially ice hockey).

The history of golf is closely related to the history of Scotland. The oldest document in which golf is mentioned is dated 1457, when James II of Scotland issued a decree prohibiting the game of golf to promote greater interest in archery and other military activities. We are unaware of how much people complied with the decree, but the fact that the king passed it is a clear indication of the importance of the sport at that time. The origins of golf are somewhat obscure in Scotland as well, but it is commonly accepted that it was played at least one century earlier. Legend has it that the game was invented by the fishermen from Eastern Scotland in order to entertain themselves when they returned to land by hitting a stone through the links (open fields covered with thick grass) using a stick, with the aim of getting the ball into a hole. The connection between golf and fishermen can be seen in the hole markers still used in Scotland today: a fish trap attached to a bamboo pole.
Throughout the 16^th century, golf became established along the Eastern coast of Scotland and spread to other regions, because it was very popular among the upper social classes of the era. James IV of Scotland often practised the sport before ascending to the throne of England, and his mother, Queen Mary, was a great lover of the game. The capital of Scotland, Edinburgh, was the seat of the court, and golf established itself there with help of royal patronage, as happened in other cities where there were royal palaces.
The greatest advance made by golf in England took place in the Victorian era, because the prosperity of the middle classes led them to follow the royal custom of spending their vacation in Scotland, where they took a liking to the game. Notable contributions to the spread of golf included the great improvement in transport brought about by the invention of the railroad (which reached St. Andrews in 1850) and the use of the guttie ball (made out of gutta-percha, a type of resin), which cost one-fourth the price it used to cost to fill them with feathers, so enough of the balls could be made to satisfy the growing demand.
The oldest link in England is Westward Ho!, located north of Devon. While in Scotland, members of every social class played golf, in England, the game was limited to the upper and middle classes, so golf clubs took on a tradition of exclusivity, and when golf arrived in the United States, it brought with it the image of a "gentlemen's game".

The rules of golf were not set down in writing until 1744, when they were finally drawn up by the Golfing Knights of Leith, because the authorities in Edinburgh were going to award a silver club as a trophy, and this meant it was necessary to reach an agreement on exactly how the game was to be played. From that moment on, golf clubs all decided to use the rules set down at Leith as a reference. In 1897, the Royal & Ancient Club of St. Andrews drafted a set of rules to be used by all of the clubs.

Golf became very widespread in the late 19^th century, with the invention of the rubber-filled ball and the big boom in the building of golf courses. The new courses gave rise to the figure of the golf pro, who taught new players and thereby helped golf become the popular sport it is today. The great demand that now exists is making golf thrive once again. The sport is promoted through international championships, and the best players are now considered sports stars.