Where did golf originate?

The first written record of golf in Scotland is a 1457 act of the Scottish Parliament under King James II, which banned the game because it distracted men from archery practice. Stick-and-ball games existed elsewhere, including the Dutch game kolf, but the idea of hitting a ball into a hole took shape in Scotland. St Andrews, on the east coast, is known as the 'home of golf', and its Old Course has been played for about 600 years. In 1764 St Andrews set the standard of 18 holes per round. The Open Championship, first played in 1860 at Prestwick, is the oldest of golf's major tournaments.