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Colf

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description Colf Overview

Colf was a medieval stick-and-ball game played in the Low Countries and is commonly discussed in histories of golf. A Dutch text from 1261 refers to the game and to the use of a club called a colf. The surviving evidence places colf among earlier European games in which players struck a ball with a stick toward a target, although it was not the same game as modern golf.

help Colf FAQ

Is colf the same game as modern golf?

Colf was a medieval Low Countries stick-and-ball game that is commonly discussed as one of golf's predecessors. It used a club and ball, but it was not the standardized Scottish golf game known today.

What does the 1261 reference to colf say?

A Middle Dutch manuscript of Jacob van Maerlant's Boeck Merlijn from 1261 mentions a ball game played with a colf, meaning a club. This is one of the earliest written Dutch references connecting the word with a club-and-ball game.[History of golf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_golf)

Where was colf played?

Colf was associated with the medieval Low Countries, especially areas corresponding to the Netherlands and Belgium. A Brussels council even banned colf in 1360, showing that the game was established enough to concern local authorities.

What equipment did players use in colf?

The central equipment was a wooden club called a colf and a ball. Historical versions varied in how and where players struck the ball, so colf should not be treated as having one fixed rulebook like modern golf.

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