Traditional golf has always been considered to be a game that has its origins in pre-fifteenth century Scotland and around this date there is certainly written evidence to support the existence of a game that involves the use of sticks and balls, although this evidence could equally be a version of shinty. Scotland though has found a rival country when it comes to the originator of golf, with the Netherlands being put forward as the first country to play the sport. Some evidence points to a thirteen century Dutch game involving hitting a ball at a target, with another seventeenth century variation also predating the Scottish game of golf as it is known today.