Golf History

The PGA of America (USPGA) was founded in 1916 to support individuals making their living as professional golfers and to advance the sport of professional golf. In 1968 some members of the PGA of America decided they wanted things to be different and broke away to form the PGA Tour.

Rodman Wanamaker was the businessman who instigated the PGA of America. The USPGA Championship trophy is called the Wanamaker Trophy.

But in the mid 60's there were disgruntled members of the PGA of America making noises and after the 1968 USPGA Championship they expressed dissatisfaction of the course for the week and also the number of club professionals (members of the PGA of America) that were in the field for the week.

A number of members of the PGA of America split from the PGA of America and formed the American Professional Golfers Inc. After negotiation the APG was abolished and the precursor to the PGA Tour, the PGA Tournament Players Division was formed.

The PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe the European Tour, the European Senior Tour and the Challenge Tour.

The European Tour is driving innovation in golf through the creation of award-winning content, pioneering tournament formats and the use of the latest technology and inventive fan engagement. According to management, they have recognised the need for golf to modernise for future fans and are committed to engaging new audiences whilst respecting the tradition of the sport.

Committed to including all who share a love for the game of golf, they are passionate about a closer collaboration with the women’s game, disability golf and promoting the health benefits of playing golf.

Since the European Tour was formed in 1972, players from 36 different countries have won tournaments and live broadcasts reach more than 490 million homes in more than 150 countries every week, generating in excess of 2,200 global broadcast hours for each event.

The Tour is supported by leading brands including Rolex, BMW, Callaway, DP World, Dubai Duty Free, Emirates, Hilton and Workday as Official Partners.

Source: https://www.europeantour.com/

Read more: How Do You Get on the European Tour?

The Grand Slam in golf is winning all major championships in the same calendar year.

In the early 1900s the Grand Slam meant consecutive victories at the United States Amateur Championship, The Amateur Championship (British Amateur), the US Open and the Open Championship.

Bobby Jones is the only man who has ever achieved a Grand Slam. He did so in 1930.

His Grand Slam titles were

• The Amateur Championship, Old Course at St Andrews, Scotland (May 31, 1930)
• The Open Championship, Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England (June 20, 1930)
• US Open, Interlachen Country Club, Minnesota (July 12, 1930)
• US Amateur, Merion Golf Club, Pennsylvania (September 27, 1930)

In modern golf the Grand Slam requires winning all 4 Major Tournaments in a single calendar year.

Major Tournaments

• Masters Tournament
• PGA Championship
• US Open
• The Open Championship

To date no professional golfer has accomplished the modern Grand Slam. Tiger Woods came close with his 'Tiger Slam' where he held all four Majors at the same time, but not in one calendar year.

The bridge at the Old Course at St Andrews is called Swilcan Bridge.

The Swilcan Bridge is located on the 18th hole of the Old Course at St Andrews.

The bridge is a small stone bridge and 700 years old. It’s a small bridge about 30 feet long, eight feet wide and six feet tall.

Shepherds could move their flock across the Swilcan Burn which meanders through what is now the 1st and 18th fairways.

Jack Nicklaus gave his final farewell to professional golf standing on the bridge at the 2005 Open Championship.

The World Golf Hall of Fame celebrates golf and preserves the legacies of those who have made this game we love great.

The Hall of Fame and it's Museum are at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida.

It is the primary caretaker of the history of the game sharing it's information through engaging, interactive storytelling and exhibitions featuring artifacts, works of art, audio, video and photography significant to the history of golf and its members.

The Hall of Fame is a Not for Profit institution allied with 25 national and international golf organizations, including The European Tour, LPGA, the Masters Tournament, PGA of America, PGA TOUR, The R&A and USGA.

Source: worldgolfhalloffame.org

King James II

The Scottish Parliament, under King James II, issued the first ban in 1457, stating that golf and football were interfering with the practice of archery, which was essential for national defense. The ban was reiterated in 1471 under King James III and again in 1491 under King James IV.

• At the time military training - and specifically archery - was compulsory for all males over 12 years of age due to the prospect of war with England.
• As well as golf, football (soccer) was also banned.
• Both activities were played in a range of public spaces including streets and churchyards – yep, golf was played in the streets!
• To get around the ban some golfers of the time used sabbath sticks. Clubs were disguised as walking sticks, the club head comfortably fitting into the palm of the golfer's hand, until when the golfer was unobserved, the stick was reversed and a few strokes were played.

The first documented women’s golf tournament was played on the 9th of January 1811 at Musselburgh Golf Club in Scotland.

The winner at the tournament received a fishing basket. The second- and third-place finishers received silk handkerchiefs from Barcelona.

The tradition of women playing golf actually dates back to as far as 1567 thanks to Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87) who was an avid golfer herself.

In 1900, the first women golf championship was held at the Morris County Golf Club in the US.

Alan Shepard played golf on the Moon.

Apollo 14 commander Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. (November 18, 1923 -- July 21, 1998) was an American naval aviator, test pilot, flag officer, NASA astronaut, and businessman, who in 1961 became the second person, and the first American, to travel into space.

Ten years later he commanded the Apollo 14 mission, piloting the lander to the most accurate landing of the Apollo missions. He became the fifth person to walk on the Moon, and the only astronaut of the Mercury Seven to walk on the Moon. During the mission, on Feb. 6, 1971, he hit two golf balls on the lunar surface.

This unique event took place after Shepard, the mission commander, had completed several scientific tasks on the lunar surface. He had smuggled a modified golf club—a Wilson Staff Dyna-Power 6-iron head attached to a sample collection tool—along with two golf balls, hidden in his space suit.

During a live broadcast, Shepard took two swings at the golf balls. His first attempt was less than successful, barely sending the ball a few feet. However, on his second swing, he claimed to have hit the ball "miles and miles," though analysis later revealed that it traveled approximately 40 yards (37 meters) . The event was not only a playful moment in space exploration but also a way for Shepard to connect with people back on Earth, showcasing the lighter side of the rigorous Apollo missions.

Shepard's golf club is now displayed at the USGA Golf Museum in New Jersey, symbolizing a blend of sports and space exploration . His playful act of golfing on the Moon has remained a memorable highlight in the history of space travel, illustrating the human spirit's desire for fun even in the most extraordinary circumstances.

Al Geiberger was the first golfer in PGA history to shoot 59. It happened at the 1997 Memphis Classic.

Al Geiberger was born on the 1st of September 1937.

Al won 11 tournaments on the PGA Tour and 10 events on the Senior PGA Tour (now Champions Tour).

Al Geiberger had one of the classic golf swings of all-time.

Other players who have shot 59 at PGA tournaments are

• Al Geiberger (1977 Memphis Classic)
• Chip Beck (1991 Las Vegas Invitational)
• David Duval (1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic)
• Paul Goydos (2010 John Deere Classic)
• Stuart Appleby (2010 Greenbrier Classic)
• Jim Furyk (2013 BMW Championship)
• Justin Thomas (2017 Sony Open in Hawaii)
• Adam Hadwin (2017 CareerBuilder Challenge)
• Brandt Snedeker (2018 Wyndham Championship)
• Kevin Chappell (2019 Greenbrier)
• Scottie Scheffler (2020 Northern Trust)

Golfers yell fore when it appears others are in danger of being hit by their golf ball.

In modern golf the call of fore is used to alert others that they might be struck by a golf ball heading their way. Most often it will be due a stray shot missing it's target but it could also be if someone has wandered onto the player's fairway and is not aware of their shot.

The origins of the call are not certain but the most generally accepted view is that, because in the early days golf balls were expensive, golfers often had "Forecaddies" that would stand around about where the ball would land. The Forecaddies would find the balls and thus limit the number of balls lost.

It's considered most likely that a golfer would shout to their Forecaddie to ensure their attention when a wayward shot was hit. Over time the shout of 'forecaddie' being shortened simply to 'fore!

It's generally accepted that the word golf comes from the Dutch word for club, ‘kolf’.

Trading was common between the Dutch and Scots through the 14^th – 17^th centuries and it’s thought that Dutch sailors may have brought ‘kolf’ clubs with them.

A game played on frozen canals in The Netherlands then was played on the coastal links lands of eastern Scotland.