2012Traditions of Golf Challenge Study Guide
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2012Traditions of Golf Challenge Study Guide HISTORY SECTION PRE - 20th Century “When did the game of golf start?” Golf originated in the 15th century in Scotland. Mary, Queen of Scots introduced the word “caddie” to the game. While playing golf, she was accompanied by a club-carrying young boy whom she called the “cadet”, or “caddie.” Players would hit a pebble around a natural course of sand dunes, rabbit runs and tracks using a stick or primitive club. “How were golf balls developed?” The first real golf ball was known as the “feathery”. The feathery was a leather sack filled by hand with boiled goose feathers, and stitched up and painted. The feathery golf ball period may have started as early as the 1400’s and ended in the early 1850’s. The arrival of the gutta percha ball in 1848 or “guttie”, as it was called, revolutionized the game and allowed golf’s spread to the masses. The guttie was made from rubber, which could be heated, and formulated into a ball. The next revolution in ball design came around 1905 with the patented "Haskell" ball, which is a composite of a solid core wound with thin strips of rubber. Some modern balls (the expensive ones) are made this way today. This ball performed much better than the gutty and could be made cheaply compared to earlier balls. In 1972 the first two-piece ball was introduced by Spalding. These are more popular with amateurs, as they are more durable and considered to be longer and straighter. Many professionals are still devoted to the softer covered balls, since they prefer the added spin for control as opposed to distance. “How have golf clubs evolved?” Golf matches prior to 1850 were played with hand crafted, wooden-shafted golf clubs. Woods were long hickory sticks with oversized grips and long skinny heads, which looked like elongated hockey sticks. The United States Golf Association (USGA) legalized the steel shaft in 1926. The new clubs offered a wide variety of lofts and matched sets became the norm. Gene Sarazen is credited with inventing the sand wedge in 1930. In recent years persimmon had been the most popular wood used to make club heads for woods. Today, “woods” are made from metals such as stainless steel and titanium. Since the 1980’s, computers have been used increasingly to design clubs. The final phase has been the adaptation of computer aided design (CAD) to club design. This has led to some odd designs, but all the major manufacturers use CAD these days. Using finite element analysis you can go a long way to simulating club performance before manufacture. 1881-1900 The St. Andrews Golf Club is found in Yonkers, New York, the oldest surviving golf club in America. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews decided to standardize the hole to its current size of 4.25 inches in diameter. The United States Golf Association is founded as the Amateur Golf Association of the United States. Charles B. MacDonald wins the first official U.S. Amateur championship at Newport Golf Club. The U.S. Open is instituted with its first winner, Willie Anderson. The pool cue is banned as a putter by the USGA. The first rubber-cored ball is designed and patented by Coburn Haskell. Golf is placed on the Olympic calendar for the 2nd Games at Paris. 1901-1920 America’s first golf magazine, The Golfer, is published in New York, NY. Yale wins the first collegiate golf championship. John Shippen was the first African-American professional. Willie Anderson wins the Western Open with a 299 total; the first time 300 is broken for 72 holes in an American event. Mrs. Gordon Robertson becomes the first female professional. J.J. McDermott becomes the first native-born American to win the U.S. Open. At 17 years of age, he is also the youngest winner to date. The first miniature golf course opens in Pinehurst, North Carolina. The Professional Golfer’s Association of America is formed in January of 1916. 1921-1940 Walter Hagen becomes the first American-born player to win the British Open. Steel-shafted clubs are permitted in the United States by the USGA. The first complete fairway irrigation system is installed at Brook Hollow Golf Club in Dallas, Texas. Creeping bentgrass is developed for putting greens by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Craig Wood hit a 430-yard drive at the Old Course’s fifth hole in the British Open. This is still the longest drive in a major championship. The Walker Cup was established in 1922 as a competition between the U.S. and Great Britain. This event was named after Herbert Walker, the USGA president in 1920, who donated the cup. America won the inaugural Walker Cup match, 8 to 4. In 1932, the first Curtis Cup match, between women amateurs of the U.S. and Great Britain, is won by the United States, 5 ½ to 3 ½. The Curtis Cup was originally called the “The Women’s International Cup”, but was renamed after Harriot and Margaret Curtis donated the cup in 1932. The sister’s had accumulated 4 U.S. Women’s Amateur Titles between them. The USGA instituted the 14-club rule in 1938. 1941-1960 The United States government halts the manufacturing of golf equipment because of World War II. The U.S. Junior Amateur is instituted (1948). The current yardage guides for par are adopted by the USGA (1956). In 1943, the war takes a heavy toll on competitive golf. The PGA Tour is reduced to only three tournaments. There is no PGA Championship. In 1947, the U.S. Open was first televised – but only locally – on KDS-TV in St. Louis. The Open was being played at the St. Louis Country Club. 1961-1980 In 1961, The PGA of America drops the Caucasians-only clause from its constitution, allowing African-Americans to become members. Pete Brown becomes the first African-American to win an “official” PGA Tournament, taking the Waco Turner Open. PGA Tour Qualifying School is inaugurated at PGA National (1965). Kathy Whitworth and Carol Mann each win ten tournaments on the LPGA Tour. Astronaut Alan Shepard takes the game to new frontiers by hitting a six-iron shot during a walk on the moon. Ollie Bowers of Gaffney, SC completes a record 542 rounds in one calendar year (1969). Lee Elder becomes the first African-American to play in The Masters. 1981-Present Gary Wright completes 18 holes in a record 28 minutes 9 seconds at Twantin Noosa GC, Australia 6,039 yards. Kathy Whitworth is the first woman golfer to top $1 million in career earnings in 1981. Judy Bell becomes the first woman elected to the USGA Executive Committee and later becomes the first woman elected President of the USGA. After a controversy at the PGA Championship site Shoal Creek Country Club in Birmingham, AL, the PGA of America and PGA Tour announce they will not play tournaments at clubs that have no African-American or women members. John F Merchant, a Connecticut attorney, is the first African-American elected to the USGA Executive Committee. Professional Golfers Association (PGA) The Masters The Masters is one of the most prestigious of the major championships held in the USA. Instituted in 1934 by the legendary Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, it is an annual invitational held at Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia. Since 1949, the famous Green Jacket has been awarded to the winner as a mantle of honor with the award ceremony resembling the appointment of royalty. Tradition has it that the winner keeps the jacket for one year before returning it to Augusta whereupon it is kept indefinitely. United States Open The U.S. Open, instituted by the USGA in 1895, is one of golf’s four major championships. Given that the event is an “Open” rather than an invitational (like the Masters) the field is comprised of golfers who have either qualified for the event or are exempt from having to qualify The record for most wins in the U.S. Open is held by: Willie Anderson, Robert Jones, Ben Hogan, and Jack Nicklaus all of whom have 4 titles. British Open The British Open is golf’s oldest championship and one of golf’s four major championships It is traditionally played on links courses, which are invariably more demanding than the manicured courses so common throughout the world. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews assumed control of the Open Championship in 1872 PGA Championship Instituted in 1916, the PGA Championship is a professional men’s tournament and is considered one of golf’s four Majors. Up until 1957 it was contested as a match play event. In 1968, the PGA introduced a new event, the PGA Club Professional Championship. This event was developed to provide additional playing opportunities for PGA professionals. The event brings together elite club professionals that compete to earn a spot in the PGA Championship. Each year the top-25 “club professionals” from the event will qualify for the PGA Championship. Walter Hagen holds the record of four consecutive victories and is tied with Jack Nicklaus with five wins overall. Ryder Cup Samuel Ryder was determined that an international team match should become a permanent event so he ended-up creating one himself. He donated a gold trophy for the event crowned by a golfer cast in the image of Ryder’s golf teacher, Abe Mitchell, one of Britain’s top professionals. As a result, in 1926, American and British golf professionals teed off in the first Ryder Cup Matches at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts.