The true origin of golf is uncertain, still a subject of heated discussion between historians and golf enthusiasts. There are many stories from different cultures about how people in the past have taken pleasure in hitting a little ball with a stick towards a target. This pleasure has then been developed into a number of different sports such as golf, hockey, bandy, croquet, polo etc. The first evidence of a sport that we can recognize as a clear predecessor of golf appeared in the late Middle Ages in Holland and Scotland. The evidence often takes the form of outright bans on this pastime. People and property risked being harmed by this game with club and ball. The men's diminishing enthusiasm for martial sports was another threat that worried rulers.

There is a natural explanation for the fact that it is Scotland and Holland that are mentioned together in the discussion of the history of golf. In the Middle Ages the easiest way to travel was by sea, and trade between these two countries was lively. Businessmen and fishermen brought new habits from one country to the other. When golf later came to Sweden it happened in a similar way. English and Scottish businessmen living in Gothenburg brought their native pleasures with them and got their western Swedish colleagues interested.