Golf History and Factoids
The Pro-Am Event
What's a Pro-Am you say? You may hear that term a lot but not completely understand it. Many organizations have charity golf events, where you may play in a shotgun on a Monday and the goal is to have a great day and raise money for a charity or cause.
Sometimes these events also involve adding a 'Pro' to your group, where they are either competing in a complimentary event or are there to play in a tournament and one of the practice days is a Pro-Am event where sponsors, fans, and others can pay to play with the pros.
It's typically not only a great opportunity to see up close how good these players are and help out a good cause, but many times are business events sponsored by companies and great networking opportunities. You don't have to be a good golfer as usually they are a scramble format, which means each time everyone hits you pick the best shot and all play from there. It's a GREAT way to start out the game.
Here's me at a recent Pro-Am event for the First Tee Tri-Valley
The History of Golf
The golf you see today found its origin in 15th Century Scotland. The first record of the game comes from when it was banned in 1457 by James II only for the ban to be lifted in 1502 by James IV. Notable golf courses include the Old Course at St. Andrews, created before 1574 and modified to the now standard 16 holes in 1764, along with Musselburgh Links, the course in Scotland is documented as the oldest golf course in the world with play being recorded in 1672. T
The rules of the game were first recorded by The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers in 1744. The Open Championship, the sport’s first Major, occurred in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club. The sport traveled to the US with two Scotsmen, John Reid and Robert Lockhart, in 1888 with the former setting up America’s first golf club in Yonkers, New York.
Where the game developed before Scotland is unknown, some attribute its spread to the game of Paganica and the Romans’ conquering of Europe, while others cite Chuiwan and the Chinese.
Amateur Golf
Run by the R&A the Amateur Championship and the Women's Amateur are one of the biggest tournaments for Amateur Golfers and the men's has taken place in the UK since 1885. The first tournament started off with 40 players, and now players from around the world compete to qualify for the 288 spots. The Women’s Amateur Championship was founded in 1893 by the Ladies Golf Union.
In the United States the USGA runs many national championships in various formats, many of which are amateur events and are highly competitive and challenging to qualify for. You can now watch many of these on TV or on streaming devices.
Professional Golf
A professional golfer is paid for their performance in a sport. The distinction between professional and amateur is strictly maintained. The largest prize an amateur can accept is about $1000 or they forfeit their status.
There are two main groups of Professional golfers: those who teach or manage golf courses and others who make a living from playing in tournaments and earning prize money. These golfers are called tour professionals.
The PGA Tour organizes tournaments for Professional golfers. It is a nonprofit based out of Florida. The tour’s history began with the formation of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America in 1916. The organization operates 6 tours. The top tour: The PGA Tour, the tour for those over 50: PGA Tour Champions, a developmental tour: the Korn Ferry Tour, and three international development tours: PGA Tour Latinoamerica, Canada, and China. They also host a qualifying tournament to earn spots on the PGA Tour. There are no rules barring women from participating in PGA Tour events, in fact, several women throughout the Tour’s history have competed.
The LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) runs it’s own tour similar to the men’s called the LPGA Tour. The LPGA also has a qualifying tournament and it’s own Amateur association. It was founded in 1950 at the Rolling Hills Country Club in Wichita, Kansas. For women over 50, The Women’s Senior Golf Tour (now known as The Legends Tour) was created in 2001.