That is 0 articles you have read today.
The Aporia is free and carries no advertising, so readers are the only
thing paying for it. If you are getting this much out of it, a small
donation is what keeps it independent.
Daily limit reached
You have read 0 articles today.
That is more than the 15 a day The Aporia gives away,
and well past what it can carry on nothing. Your allowance resets at
midnight.
There is no advertising here and nothing about you is sold, so readers
are the only thing paying for it. If the site is worth this much of
your day, it is worth a few dollars.
Everything else stays open: the
maps, the
directory and
search do
not count against this, and neither does re-opening something you have
already read today.
Hendrick Avercamp’s 17th century painting "Colf Players on Ice," recently acquired by Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum for £9.7 million, has sparked debate over golf's origins. Pieter Roelofs of the museum claims that early Dutch prints showing a game called colf suggest it could predate Scotland as the birthplace of golf. However, Scottish historians maintain that golf originated in their country with historical mentions dating back to 1502 and rules established in Edinburgh in the 18th century.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam recently purchased a 17th-century painting titled "Colf Players on Ice" for £9.7 million, which has reignited debates about golf's origins. The artwork by Hendrick Avercamp depicts people playing colf, an early form of golf, on frozen lakes, suggesting that the sport may have originated in the Netherlands rather than Scotland. Pieter Roelofs, head of fine arts at the museum, argues that while there is no definitive proof, Dutch and Flemish prints from the early 16th century show people playing colf year-round, with a special focus on winter activities on ice. He believes that the sport could have been introduced to Britain by Dutch or Flemish immigrants. This acquisition has sparked discussions about whether golf truly originated in Scotland as traditionally claimed.
Written for “Golf Origins” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
- Click here to visit the Scotland home page for the latest news and sport
- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source
When Hendrick Avercamp’s ‘Colf Players on Ice’ was acquired by Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum last week for £9.7million, it was celebrated as one of the most prominent examples of Dutch winter landscape painting.
asserted
it → click → painting
Yet the 17th century work, which portrays a gentleman teeing up on a frozen lake, has reignited an age-old debate about golf’s origins.
asserted
which → portray → origins
Pieter Roelofs, head of fine arts at the museum, was keen to stake the claim to the game coming from his country’s shores.
uncertain
Roelofs → stake → shores
He said: ‘There’s always this question: was golf invented in England or in Scotland, or did it happen somewhere else?
asserted
it → say → Scotland
‘What we found is that there are a few early 16th century Dutch and Flemish prints already presenting this colf with a c, which was an activity that happened all over the year, and in wintertime, became a special activity on the ice.
asserted
that → find → ice
He said that while there is no written proof that the Dutch were the first to play golf, he believes the sport was brought to the UK by Dutch or Flemish immigrants.
asserted
sport → say → immigrants
Scotland certainly has its own claim to the game as it is home to the first golf courses in the world and produced the first set of rules, which were written in Edinburgh in the 18th century.
Colf Players on Ice by Dutch artist Hendrick Avercamp, who painted it in 1625
Scotland is long believed to have invented the game of golf
The first mention of golf is thought to be from when James IV bought a set of clubs in 1502.
This preceded Mr Avercamp’s painting, which is believed to have been completed in 1625, by more than a century.
uncertain
which → have → century
Mary, Queen of Scots played at Musselburgh, East Lothian, in the 1560s, while 16th century records show people being told not to play golf on the Sabbath.
asserted
people → play → Sabbath
Keen golf historian Neil Millar, a professor at University College London, told The Times that while there are similarities between golf and colf, several of the arguments that place the Dutch sport as the origin of the modern game are untrue or lack reliable evidence.
asserted
that → tell → evidence
He explained: ‘These continental European games lost popularity and died out.
asserted
games → explain → popularity
‘The game of golf took root in Scotland, where it subsequently flourished, turning into the modern-day game of golf, a sport that is now truly global.’
The painting, which will first be displayed from October 3 at the Stedelijk Museum in the artist’s home town of Kampen, is viewed as important because it was the first to feature colf as a central theme.
Mr Avercamp is viewed as the father of Dutch ice scenes, having been the first to specialise almost entirely in winter landscapes, according to the Rijksmuseum.
uncertain
Avercamp → take → Rijksmuseum
The Aporia
