Which king of Scotland issued the 1457 act often cited as the first written record of golf? The answer is James II. On 6 March 1457, during James II’s reign, the Scottish Parliament passed an act that named golf alongside football and ordered both activities to be stopped.
The measure was not intended to promote golf; it condemned the game because officials believed it distracted men and boys from archery practice. Scotland faced continuing military threats, and archery was considered essential preparation. The act called for regular archery displays and threatened punishment for people who ignored the prohibition.
This statute is often called the first written record of golf, though it is more precisely the earliest known surviving written mention. It does not describe modern golf’s rules, clubs, or courses. Later acts under James III and James IV repeated the ban, while James IV is associated with the first recorded royal purchase of golf equipment in 1502. That contrast illustrates how quickly golf moved from official nuisance to accepted pastime.