golf

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A ball game played by individuals competing against one another in which the object is to hit a ball into each of a series of (usually 18 or nine) holes in the minimum number of strokes.

   In January, China’s state planner said it had ordered the closure of more than 100 golf courses in a multi-year campaign launched in 2011 to tackle illegal development in the sector. Golf has also been added to a list of Communist Party disciplinary violations, and is often cited in cases of graft.

2. 2
   verb

   To play the game of golf.

   Last mystery of all, he learned to golf.

3. 3
   noun

   a game played on a large open course with 9 or 18 holes

4. 4
   verb

   play golf

5. 5
   noun

   Alternative letter-case form of Golf from the NATO/ICAO Phonetic Alphabet.

6. 6
   verb

   To write something in as few characters as possible (e.g. in code golf, regex golf)

Etymology

The word is first known in English from the 17th century as a borrowing from Middle Scots golf, gouff. Although the etymology is uncertain, the most likely origin is that it comes from the Middle Dutch colve, colf (“club”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *kulbaz (“club”), related to German Kolben (“piston, rod”), Swedish kolv (“piston, rod”), Old English clopp (“rock; cliff”), English kelp.