What's in a Name?
The origins of the word "golf"
If you’re a golfer, you’ve probably heard the tale while on the green, waiting for your turn to swing. Your caddy or friend tells you that on a recent trip to Scotland, an old Scotsman told him that the word “golf” actually stands for “gentlemen only, ladies forbidden.” This popular urban legend has gained steam since the rise of the Internet and the popularity of golf in the 1990s, but does the myth hold any water? Was golf really meant to be played by gentlemen? Like most urban legends, this one seems to be in the rough.
First, let’s take a look at the word golf. It’s an old word, one that appeared in written language as early as 1425. Words with acronymic meanings are as rare as a hole-in-one, and any that do exist are a result of the 20th century or later, so a word as old as golf wouldn’t have begun life as an acronym.
So what does the word “golf” mean? One theory is that it’s derived from the Danish word “kolf” – a generic term for stick, club or mallet – used in a number of games similar to tennis, croquet and hockey. However, this theory seems to be stuck in a sand trap, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, which says there aren’t any Dutch games that can be convincingly identified with golf and that “kolf” was used to describe an implement used in the sport, not the sport itself. It also says the Scottish game of golf is mentioned much earlier in history than any similar Dutch sport.
Another theory is that the term “golf” is actually derived from the Scottish “goulf,” a verb meaning 
“to strike or cuff.” This theory seems to hold the most
credence, as striking or cuffing the ball is an integral part of the sport and matches the geographic origin of modern day golf.
So where did the wholly unfounded “gentlemen only, ladies forbidden” word origin come from? It could easily be attributed to the societal shift in who plays the game. Today, you see just as many women out on the links as men, but who benefits from this myth?
The answer is simple; both do. Men use the myth as confirmation that golf is a sport solely intended for them while women take pleasure in seeing it as an obstacle they’ve overcome in the face of adversity. Either way you swing it, golf is a sport meant for everyone. So the next time a friend starts in with this golf myth, you can justify giving them a good “goulfing.”