Golf History 101
One of my biggest goals with this book is highlighting the history of the tour and some of the forgotten figures. Within the pages, you'll find out how the PGA Tour evolved from 1929 to its' current status. You'll learn about the golfers and celebrities, their contribution to the evolution of the tour, and the great game we all love.
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Below you can learn more about some of the key figures in the history of Golf and how they shaped the game.
Walter Hagen
(1892-1969)
Walter Charles Hagen, known as the "Father of Professional Golf" was an American golfer and a major figure in golf during the first half of the 20th century. He brought publicity, prestige, big prize money, and lucrative endorsements to the sport. While his 11 professional major wins leave him third all-time behind Jack Nicklaus (18) and Tiger Woods (15) His groundbreaking set the table for the financial feast that has been served up to Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, TigerWoods and others. Hagen was Barnum & Bailey rolled into one. “All the professionals…should say a silent thanks to Walter Hagen each time they stretch a check between their fingers. It was Walter who made professional golf what it is.” Gene Sarazen.
Marion Hollins
(1892-1944)
Marion B. Hollins (December 3, 1892 – August 27, 1944) was an American amateur golfer. She is known as an
athlete and as a golf course developer. She was responsible for hiring Alister MacKenzie to design Cypress Point
and Pasatiempo Golf Club. Ms. Hollins was ultimately the reason Bobby Jones hired MacKenzie to design Augusta National Golf Club. She is one of the only known female golf course developers in golf history.
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
(1911-1956)
Was Babe Didrikson-Zaharias’s talent on loan from God? One might think so… Didrikson was an All-American basketball player in high school, a proficient swimmer and diver, an expert with a rifle, a boxer, a fast-pitch softball pitcher, a top-notch bowler, and a tennis player of championship caliber. Didrikson starred in the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles winning two gold medals—in the 80-meter hurdles & in the javelin. She tied for first in the high jump but was then penalized for diving over the bar head-first; she settled for the silver. Babe is the only track and field athlete, male or female, to win individual Olympic medals in a running, throwing, and jumping event. Cashing in on her fame, Babe played professional basketball as well as exhibition baseball—she once threw an inning's worth for the Philadelphia Phillies in an exhibition game against the Brooklyn Dodgers…and even toured the country in a billiards exhibition! In January 1938, she became the first woman to play against men in a PGA tournament, the Los Angeles Open.
BEN HOGAN
(1912-1997)
William Ben Hogan is considered by most to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. The cornerstone of the swing instructions in From the Inside Out are based on the teachings in the book Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons. Hogan could be called the father of modern instruction— in which the big muscles of the body, rather than hands, as the controlling influences in the swing.“If you ever heard Hogan hit a ball.” says Ben Crenshaw flatly, “it was like no other sound in golf.” His nine career professional major championship wins, tie him with Gary Player for fourth all-time. He was one of only five players in the history of the game to win all four majors: The Masters, The Open Championship, The U.S. Open, and the PGA Championship. He was known as having the intangible
assets-the spiritual.
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Alethea Gibson
(1892-1944)
Alethea Neale Gibson was an American professional tennis player and golfer. She was an American Icon during the civil rights era . Breaking the color barrier in both international and professional tennis. Becoming the first African American to win a Grand Slam (1956 French Championship) on her way to winning 11 career Grand Slam titles. After an illustrious career in tennis, she went on to become the first African American Woman to join the LPGA. Even though she faced discrimination where she was routinely not allowed to compete. She played 14 years on the LPGA Tour. The importance of Alethea's golf career cannot be overstated, particularly for the future generations of African American female golfers she inspired.
What can you learn from these old-timers? Learning from other player's behavior and their resulting mistakes and successes is more efficient than figuring things out on your own. This book contains quotes and information from these historical golfers.
Harry Vardon • Percy Boomer • Ernest Jones • Jack Burke, Sr
MacDonald Smith • Walter Hagen • Alex Morrison • Bill Mehlhorn
Henry Picard • Olin Dutra • Jimmy Demaret • Claude Harmon
Most you’ve never heard of but these gentlemen have a plethora of information contained within these pages that are relevant in today’s golfing world.
ABOUT
A Golf Historian
There's not a golf book in publication that has this type of information emanating from the best players and legendary instructors in the history of the game between its pages. This book is an invaluable compedium of useful information about the great game of golf. For those that learn visually, the pictures and diagrams alone will give you a greater understanding of the golf swing. If you're a fan of golf history you'll enjoy this book.
