When golf was banned in Scotland

This one tops the banning of the Swedish flag in Sweden.

There was a time when golf was banned in Scotland.

The word golf was first mentioned in writing in 1457 on a Scottish statute on forbidden games as gouf, possibly derived from the Scots word goulf (variously spelled) meaning "to strike or cuff". But there is an even earlier reference to the game of golf and it is believed to have happened in 1452 when King James II banned the game because it kept his subjects from their archery practice.

Here's some additional information.

In 1457 golf was banned in Scotland because it interfered with the practice of archery, which was vital to the defense effort. The ban on golf had been issued in a time when Scotland was preparing to defend itself from the English.

Just think, if that ban had remained in place, we never would have had Dorf on Golf. By Dorf Senior. Not to be confused with Dorf Junior. (Actually, Tim Conway Jr. did appear in one of the Dorf films.)

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