Which country is considered the birthplace of modern golf?

Scotland is considered the birthplace of modern golf.

The sport’s distant origins are debated because several older stick-and-ball games resemble golf, including the Dutch game kolven and China’s chuiwan. However, the organized game recognizable today developed in Scotland during the late Middle Ages, especially on coastal links such as those around St Andrews and Leith.

The Scottish Parliament’s 1457 ban on golf is the earliest known written reference to the game. Later, Scottish golfers formalized rules, club organization and tournament play. The oldest surviving rules date from 1744 and were written for the Company of Gentlemen Golfers at Leith.

Scotland also helped establish the familiar 18-hole format. In 1764, the Old Course at St Andrews was reduced from 22 holes to 18, helping set the standard used worldwide. Golf later spread through England, the British Empire and the United States, but its modern framework remains strongly associated with Scotland.