Golf, as the modern game, is believed to have been invented in Scotland during the late 15th century. The exact individual who invented golf is not known, as it evolved over time from earlier stick-and-ball games. The earliest documented reference to golf in Scotland dates back to 1457 when King James II banned the game because it was distracting young men from military training. The game gained royal approval in 1502 under King James IV, who was himself a golfer. The oldest golf course is the Old Course at St Andrews, dating back to before 1574, and the first standardized rules were established in 1744.
Thus, golf was not invented by a single person but developed over time in Scotland from similar ball-and-stick games played for centuries, with Scottish players formalizing the modern version of the game in the 15th century and beyond.
