How Did Volkswagen Decide on the Name Golf?

Volkswagen's fortunes turned around in the 1970s with the introduction of four completely new models. The most successful of them all, the Golf, was the third to be released. The first two had been named after winds. Passat is the German word for trade wind and Sirocco is an extremely fast wind that whips across the Sahara. It was assumed that "Golf" was a continuation of this trend, and was based on the German word for Gulf Stream.

The controversy started when the Polo was introduced next. Volkswagen had suddenly stopped naming their cars after winds, and started naming them after sports. Now "Golf" was seen as the first of the sports inspired names. Adding weight to this argument was that the Gulf Stream isn't actually a wind, but a current.

Volkswagen remained very tight lipped on the issue. Top executives insist that they have no theme or naming convention "either officially or confidentially". The company further complicated matters when their next two models, the Derby and Jetta, took their names from both winds and sports.

The general consensus is that "Golf" is based on the sport, but Gulf Stream advocates persist. With no answer likely to be forthcoming from Wolfsburg, the debate looks set to continue. What is not in dispute is that the name Golf has become one of the most recognized in the automotive world, synonymous with reliability, practicality and good value.