Golf History 101
On December 22, 1894, the Amateur Golf Association of the United States—later renamed the United States Golf Association—is formed in New York to govern the sport. On April 10, 1910 the PGA of America is founded with 35 charter members. ‘The Circuit’ became more formalized in 1929, when a tournament committee was formed consisting of Tommy Armour, Al Espinosa and J.J. Patterson, with the intent to operate independently from the club professionals. By 1930 the outline of what we know think of the PGA TOUR was starting to take shape; after four opening tournaments in California, the pros would travel east for stops in Arizona, Texas, Florida, and then up to the Atlantic Coast and into the spring/summer tournaments including the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. Walter Hagen was the paramount figure in establishing the professional golf tour.
Below you can learn more about some of the legendary figures in the history of Golf and how they shaped the game.
Walter Hagen
(1892-1969)
The title of Walter Hagen’s autobiography - I Never Wanted to Be a Millionaire Just Live Like One - was an American
golfer and a major figure in golf during the first half of the 20th century. Walter, along with Joe Kirkwood, introduced
golf to many countries around the world, including Australia, South Africa, Asia, and Europe. He played exhibition
matches on world tours to spread the sport and introduce it to countries that had never played golf before. His name is amongst the immortals of American sports as one of the finest, cleanest and most attractive figures that this country has ever produced. He brought publicity, prestige, big prize money, and lucrative endorsements to the sport. Hagen's groundbreaking set the table for the financial feast that has been served up to Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Tiger Woods 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 Hollins won the 1921 U.S. Amateur at Hollywood Golf Club, in Deal, New Jersey. In 1923 she was hired as the athletic director of the Pebble Beach resort, and one of her first moves was to establish the Pebble Beach Championship for Women (the event ran from 1923 to 1951). The Monterey Bay in the late 1920s is where Hollins forged the final chapters of her incredible life—the visionary behind iconic Cypress Point Club and Pasatiempo Golf Club. She was responsible for hiring Alister MacKenzie to design both courses. In September 8, 1929, Bobby Jones played in the opening exhibition match at Pasatiempo Golf Club. It was there he was introduced to Alistar MacKenzie (MacKenzie considered Pasatiempo his favorite design). 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 events. 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. Totaling both her amateur and professional victories, Zaharias had won a total of 82 golf tournaments.
BEN HOGAN
(1912-1997)
William Benjamin Hogan is recognized, historically, as the most solid ball-striker and on-target-tee to green player of all time. . . considered by most to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. In 1953, he became the first man ever to win three consecutive major championships in a single year: the Masters at Augusta National, the United States Open at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, and The Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland. The cornerstone of the swing instructions in From the Inside Out are based on the teachings in the book Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf. 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 six 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. ​​
Alethea Gibson
(1892-1944)
Althea Neale Gibson was an American Icon during the civil rights era - 1950-1963 . Gibson had a jam-packed eight-year tennis career, with all of her major championships coming from 1956 to 1958, when she appeared in a stunning 19 major finals and won 11 titles. In late 1958, after having won 56 national and international singles and doubles titles, Gibson retired from amateur tennis. In 1963, at the age of 37, Althea became the first African-American woman to join the LPGA tour. She played 171 events between 1963 and 1977 and was one of the LPGA's top 50 money winners for five years. Gibson's highest ranking was 27th in 1966. She retired from professional golf at the end of the 1978 season. The brilliance of her golf career was not based on her results, though. Gibson made a statement that people's prejudices wouldn't stop her from pursuing her athletic endeavors. Althea's accomplishments were more revolutionary because of the psychosocial impact on Black America. Every time a Black, Northeast Asian cultures, Hispanic, Jewish or an Islamic child picks up a tennis racket or a golf club for the first time. . . Althea touches another life.
Legendary Instructors
In the 1930’s there was no such thing as a golf instructor. There were a few individuals who specialized in the study of the golf swing and wrote about it; Harry Vardon, Percy Boomer, Ernest Jones, and Alex Morrison were considered the first teaching professionals. Professional golfers in those days all came out of the caddy yards. Many of the players had their own feels and concepts on how to swing the club. These major championship winners - MacDonald Smith, Bill Mehlhorn, Henry Picard, Olin Dutra, Jack Burke, Jr., Claude Harmon & the aforementioned teaching pros - are all heavily quoted. By studying legendary instructors and golfers, you can learn about their exceptional technical skills: swing mechanics, course management strategies, mental fortitude under pressure and the importance of practice and dedication. Iconic moments in golf history are also highlighted that demonstrate unique playing styles and how they overcame challenges to achieve greatness in the sport. Like golf history?
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.
