Golf

Golf is not an acronym as bogus etymology on the internet would have us believe. The game was invented in Scotland and the word entered the English language in 1457 in Scottish Acts James II, when King James II of Scotland actually passed an Act of Parliament banning football and golf. Golf, therefore, must have been played in Scotland before the first citation of the word in 1457. Obviously, the Scots took no notice of the ban. The word is thought to derive from the Scottish gouf, which in turn is thought to derive from the Middle Dutch colf, meaning 'stick', 'club' or 'bat'. We say 'is thought to derive from', because the OED still insists the etymology of the word 'golf' is unknown.