The history of golf is not entirely clear and it is certainly often debated. The most commonly held view is that the game of golf as we know it today began in Scotland in around the 12th century AD when shepherds developed a game involving knocking rocks into rabbit holes. This game was played on the site of the modern Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in Scotland.
It is true that there are many references to other similar games in different parts of the world. Egyptian scholars claim there is a mention of a form of golf in hieroglyphic records from the time of the Pharoahs. A game using sticks to knock a ball into holes was mentioned in an 11th century Chinese book and there are claims that this game was brought to Europe by the Mongols in the 12th or 13th century. At the end of the 13th century there is a note of this type of game being played in Holland.
However, when we think about what a great game this is, we can see it would not be surprising if people in different parts of the globe thought up some variation of it independently of each other. While Chinese, Egyptian and Dutch scholars may stir up contoversy and try to argue their own cases, there is no doubt that the game played by the shepherds of St. Andrews is the variant that developed into the Scottish game of golf or goulf as it was sometimes written.
St. Andrews saw the establishment of the first permanent golf course along with the first set of written rules. It was also the first golf club to offer membership. Tournaments began at St. Andrews, as did the tradition of challenge matches between different cities in Scotland.
However, the St. Andrews course or links, which ran along a narrow strip of land beside the sea, was not always 18 holes. The land sloped up and down and included topographical features which had to be worked around. The players gradually established a customary path which in the beginning was 11 holes long.
This 11 hole course stretched from the clubhouse to the end of the strip of land. Players would play out from the clubhouse and then back, so playing a total of 22 holes. It was not until 1764 that the club decided that some of the holes were too short. They were combined to make a total of 9 holes, resulting in an 18 hole game.
Other courses were soon established in other parts of Scotland, later spreading to England and the rest of the world. The status of the St. Andrews club established the 18 hole course as the normal length and so it has remained throughout the history of golf until modern times.