GOLF THE ALL AMERICAN GAME

Golf originated in America by Arnold Palmer, right?
NO!
Golf as we know it emerged in Scotland. The earliest known reference to golf comes from King James II of Scotland, in 1457, he issued a ban on golf. The game of golf continued to develop in Scotland over the decades and centuries, until 1744 when the first-known rules of golf were put down in writing in Edinburgh. So the Scots "invented" golf? Kinda sorta, historicl evidence shows that the Scots had other influence. The USGA Museum states games played in the British Isles during the Middle Ages, had derived from games that were played in France, Germany and the Low Countries.
The etymology of the word "golf" itself. "Golf" derives from the Scots terms "golve" or "goff," which themselves evolved from the medieval Dutch term "kolf."
The Dutch term "kolf" meant "club". The Dutch in the 14th Century played a game in which balls were struck by sticks that were curved at the bottom, moving from Point A to Point B. Sounds a lot like hockey, sounds like golf, too! The Dutch and Scots were trading partners, the word "golf" evolved after being transported by the Dutch to the Scots. This adds creditability to the idea that the game itself may have been adapted by the Scots from the earlier Dutch game.
The Scots made a singular improvement to the game. They dug a hole in the ground, and made getting the ball into that hole the object of the game.