Golf Meaning
/ɡɒlf/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA 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.
nounAlternative letter-case form of Golf from the NATO/ICAO Phonetic Alphabet.
Sentence Examples
We played golf in spite of the rain.
Father was in a bad mood since he couldn't play golf because of bad weather.
CEFR Practice Quiz
He used a club to play ____ on the course.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He spent the entire Saturday morning playing ____ with his friends at the local country club near his home.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 2017 October 16, Adam Jourdan, Matt Miller, “In the rough - China closes Wanda golf courses in chilly northeast”, in Himani Sarkar, editor, Reuters, archived from the original on 18 Mar 2023, Business News:
"Last mystery of all, he learned to golf."
— 1894, Rudyard Kipling, The Day's Work/An Error in the Fourth Dimension:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
He used a club to play ____ on the course.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He spent the entire Saturday morning playing ____ with his friends at the local country club near his home.