a game in which clubs with wooden or metal heads are used to hit a small, white ball into a number of holes, usually 9 or 18, in succession, situated at various distances over a course having natural or artificial obstacles, the object being to get the ball into each hole in as few strokes as possible.
a word used in communications to represent the letter G.
1425–75; late Middle English; of uncertain origin
Golf is a game that involves using a club to hit a small ball into a series of cups laid out on a course. If golf seems too difficult, you might try taking up miniature golf — with a short course and whimsical obstacles — instead. Scotland is famous for its golf courses, and in fact the game was invented there during the 15th century. Golf comes from the Scottish gouf, an alteration of the Middle Dutch colf, "bat or club." The first known printed use of the word golf was in a statute banning the game — King James II believed that archery was more important and that golf was a distraction. Later monarchs enjoyed the game and lifted the ban.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Les Mielles Golf & Country Club was put on the market last month with a guide price of £9.95m.
From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026
The president for months has considered redeveloping East Potomac Golf Links, a historic public course managed by a nonprofit.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 28, 2026
The president went on to say he planned to renovate a "dilapidated, worn out, and very dangerous" golf course in Washington called East Potomac Golf Links, located on an island in the Potomac River.
From Barron's • Jun. 28, 2026
The field is more crowded now, with Bowlero, Top Golf, and other eat-and-play concepts springing up in many of the same areas.
From Slate • Jun. 25, 2026
A notice in the lift announced that there were sixty Escalator-Squash Racket Courts in the hotel, and that Obstacle and Electro-magnetic Golf could both be played in the park.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
