Chronology of Some Important Events in Golf

[Kilroy]

Chronology of Some Important Events in Golf by Dan Kilbank

1353 - The first recorded reference to chole, the probable antecedent of golf. It is a derivative of hockey played in Flanders (Belgium). 1421 - A Scottish regiment aiding the French against the English at the Siege of Bauge is introduced to the game of chole. Hugh Kennedy, Robert Stewart and John Smale, three of the identified players, are credited with introducing the game in Scotland. 1457 - Golf, along with football (soccer), is banned by the Scots Parliament of James II because it has interfered with military training for the wars against the English. 1470 - The ban on golf is reaffirmed by the Parliament of James III. 1491 - The golf ban is affirmed again by Parliament, this time under King James IV. 1502 - With the signing of the Treaty of Glasgow between England and Scotland, the ban on golf is lifted. 1502 - James IV makes the first recorded purchase of golf equipment, a set of clubs from a bow-maker in Perth, Scotland. 1513 - Queen Catherine of England, in a letter to Cardinal Wolsey, refers to the growing popularity of golf in England. 1527 - The first commoner recorded as a golfer is Sir Robert Maule, described as playing on Barry Links (near the modern-day Carnoustie). 1552 - The first recorded evidence of golf at St. Andrews. 1553 - The Archbishop of St. Andrews issues a decree giving the local populace the right to play golf on the links at St. Andrews. 1567 - Mary, Queen of Scots, seen playing golf shortly after the death of her husband Lord Darnley, is the first known female golfer. 1589 - Golf is banned in the Blackfriars Yard, Glasgow. This is the earliest reference to golf in the west of Scotland. 1592 - The City of Edinburgh bans golfing at Leith on Sunday "in tyme of sermonis." 1618 - Invention of the feathery ball. 1618 - King James VI of Scotland and I of England confirms the right of the populace to play golf on Sundays. 1621 - First recorded reference to golf on the links of Dornoch (later Royal Dornoch), in the far north of Scotland. 1641 - Charles I is playing golf at Leith when he learns of the Irish rebellion, marking the beginning of the English Civil War. He finishes his round. 1642 - John Dickson receives a license as ball-maker for Aberdeen, Scotland. 1659 - Golf is banned from the streets of Albany, New York. The first reference to golf in America. 1682 - In the first recorded international golf match, the Duke of York and John Paterstone of Scotland defeat two English noblemen in a match played on the links of Leith. 1682 - Andrew Dickson, carrying clubs for the Duke of York, is the first recorded caddy. 1687 - A book by Thomas Kincaid, Thoughts on Golve, contains the first references on how golf clubs are made. 1721 - Earliest reference to golf at Glasgow Green, the first course played in the west of Scotland. 1724 - "A solemn match of golf" between Alexander Elphinstone and Captain John Porteous becomes the first match reported in a newspaper. Elphinstone fights and wins a duel on the same ground in 1729. 1743 - Thomas Mathison's epic The Goff is the first literary effort devoted to golf. 1744 - The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers is formed, playing at Leith links. It is the first golf club. 1744 - The City of Edinburgh pays for a Silver Cup to be awarded to the annual champion in an open competition played at Leith. John Rattray is the first champion. 1754 - Golfers at St. Andrews purchase a Silver Cup for an open championship played on the Old Course. Bailie William Landale is the first champion. 1754 - The first codified Rules of Golf published by the St. Andrews Golfers (later the Royal & Ancient Golf Club). 1759 - Earliest reference to stroke-play, at St. Andrews. Previously, all play was match. 1764 - The competition for the Silver Club at Leith is restricted to members of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. 1764 - The first four holes at St. Andrews are combined into two, reducing the round from twenty-two holes (11 out and in) to 18 (nine out and in). St. Andrews is the first 18-hole golf course, and sets the standard for future courses. 1766 - The Blackheath Club becomes the first golf club formed outside of Scotland. 1767 - The score of 94 returned by James Durham at St. Andrews in the Silver Cup competition sets a record unbroken for 86 years. 1768 - The Golf House at Leith is erected. It is the first golf clubhouse. 1773 - Competition at St. Andrews is restricted to members of the Leith and St. Andrews societies. The Royal Burgess Golfing Society of Edinburgh is formed. 1774 - Thomas McMillan offers a Silver Cup for competition at Musselburgh. He wins the first championship. The first part-time golf course professional (at the time also the greenkeeper) is hired, by the Edinburgh Burgess Society. 1780 - The Aberdeen Golf Club (later Royal Aberdeen) is formed. 1783 - A Silver Club is offered for competition at Glasgow. 1786 - The South Carolina Golf Club is formed in Charleston, the first golf club outside of the United Kingdom. 1786 - The Crail Golfing Society is formed. 1787 - The Bruntsfield Club is formed. 1788 - The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers requires members to wear club uniform when playing on the links. 1797 - The Burntisland Golf Club is formed. 1897 - The town of St. Andrews sells the land containing the Old Course (known then as Pilmor Links), to Thomas Erskine for 805 pounds. Erskine was required to preserve the course for golf. 1806 - The St. Andrews Club chooses to elect its captains rather than award captaincy to the winner of the Silver Cup. Thus begins the tradition of the Captain "playing himself into office," by hitting a single shot before the start of the annual competition. 1810 - Earliest recorded reference to a women's competition at Musselburgh. 1820 - The Bangalore Club is formed, the first club outside of the British Isles. 1824 - The Perth Golfing Society is formed, later Royal Perth (the first club so honored). 1826 - Hickory imported from America is used to make golf shafts. 1829 - The Calcutta Golf Club (later Royal Calcutta) is formed. 1832 - The North Berwick Club is founded, the first to include women in its activities, although they are not permitted to play in competitions. 1833 - King William IV confers the distinction of "Royal" on the Perth Golfing Society; as Royal Perth it is the first Club to hold the distinction. 1833 - The St. Andrews Golfers ban the stymie, but rescind the ban one year later. 1834 - William IV confers the title "Royal and Ancient" on the Golf Club at St. Andrews. 1836 - The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers abandons the deteriorating Leith Links, moving to Musselburgh. 1836 - The longest driver ever recorded with a feathery ball, 361 yards, is achieved by Samuel Messieux at Elysian Fields. 1842 - The Bombay Golfing Society (later Royal Bombay) is founded. 1844 - Blackheath follows Leith in expanding its course from five to seven holes. North Berwick also had seven holes at the time, although the trend toward a standard eighteen had begun. 1848 - Invention of the "guttie," the gutta-percha ball. It flies farther than the feathery and is much less expensive. It contributes greatly to the expansion of the game. 1901 - The first course at the Carolina Hotel (later the Pinehurst Resort & CC) in Pinehurst, N.C., is completed by Donald Ross. Ross will go on to design 600 courses in his storied career as a golf course architect. 1902 - The first grooved-faced irons are invented 1905 - The first dimple-pattern for golf balls is patented by William Taylor in England. 1906 - Goodrich introduces a golf ball with a rubber core filled with compressed air. The "Pneu-matic" proves quite lively, but also prone to explode in warm weather, often in a golfer's pocket. The ball is eventually discontinued; at this time the Haskell ball achieves a dominance of the golf ball market. 1910 - The R & A bans the center-shafted putter while the USGA keeps it legal - marking the beginning of a 42-year period with two official versions of The Rules of Golf. 1916 - PGA of America formed; Jim Barnes wins first PGA Championship over Jock Hutchison at Siwanoy CC in Bronxville, NY 1919 - Pebble Beach opens as the Del Monte G.L. in Pebble Beach, California 1921 - The R & A limits the size and weight of the ball 1925 The first fairway irrigation system is developed in Dallas, Texas. 1927 - First Ryder Cup matches played, won by the United States 1930 - Bobby Jones’ Grand Slam victory, encompassing the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, British Amateur and British Open. Since Jones is an amateur, however, the financial windfall belongs to professional Bobby Cruickshank, who bets on Jones to complete the Slam, at 120-1 odds, and pockets $60,000. 1931 - The USGA increases the minimum size of the ball from 1.62 inches to 1.68 inches, and decreases the maximum weight from 1.62 ounces to 1.55. The R&A does not follow suit. The lighter, larger "balloon ball" is universally despised and eventually the USGA raises the weight back to 1.62 ounces. 1933 - Hershey Chocolate Company became the first corporate sponsor on PGA TOUR with The Hershey Open. 1933 - Augusta National Golf Club, designed by Alister Mackenzie with advice from Bobby Jones, opens for play. 1936 - Johnny Fisher becomes the last golfer to win a major championship (the U.S. Amateur) with hickory-shafted clubs. 1936 The USGA passes a rule limiting the number of clubs to 14. Two years later the R & A followed suit. 1940 The British Open and Amateur are discontinued for the duration of the Second World War. 1942 - The U.S. government halts the manufacture of golf equipment for the duration of the war. 1945 - Byron Nelson won the Canadian Open for his 11th consecutive victory on the PGA TOUR. 11 consecutive tournament starts, seven other official events and one unofficial, a total of 19 wins in one year. 1947 - The first golf event on TV , The U.S. Open, televised live in St. Louis area. In 1954 the USGA begins to televise U.S. Open for national audience 1950 - Ladies PGA (LPGA) was established. 1950 - The USGA and the R & A, in a conference, complete a newly revised Rules of Golf. Although in 1951 the R & A and the USGA continue to differ over the size of the golf ball, all other conflicts are resolved in this momentous conference. The center-shafted putter is legalized world-wide. The out-of-bounds penalty is standardized at stroke-and-distance, and the stymie is finally and forever abolished. 1953 - The Tam O'Shanter World Championship becomes the first tournament to be nationally televised. Lew Worsham holes a 104 yard (95 m) wedge shot on the final hole for eagle and victory in one of the most dramatic finishes ever. The first PGA Merchandise Show is held in a parking lot in Dunedin, Florida, outside the PGA National Golf Club. Salesmen work the show out of the trunks of their cars. The Show goes on to become one of the main events on the golfing calendar - by 1994 it grows to over 30,000 attendees, four days, and has become the single largest tenant of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, spilling over 220,000 square feet (20,000 m²) of exhibit space. The current yardage guides for par are adopted by the USGA Lifting, cleaning, and repairing ballmarks is allowed on the putting green for the first time. 1961 - Caucasians-only clause stricken from PGA constitution; PGA TOUR officially integrated. 1962 - Dr. Joseph Boydstone records 11 aces in one calendar year. Three were recorded in one round, at Bakersfield C.C., Calif. 1962 - Jack Nicklaus wins his first professional tournament, the U.S. Open, the last player to win the U.S. Open as his first pro victory. 1968 - Tommy Moore, age 6 years 1 month, 1 week, becomes the youngest player to score a hole-in-one. Moore also becomes, in 1975, the youngest player ever to score a double-eagle at the age of 11. 1970 U.S. astronaut Alan Shepard struck 6-iron shots on the moon. 1971 - The official birth of the PGA European Tour. 1971 - A cable was sent from the R&A to Alan Shepard "Please refer to rules of golf on etiquette, paragraph 6," the cable said. "Before leaving a bunker, a player should carefully fill up all holes made by him therein." 1971 - Jack Nicklaus became the first player to win all four professional major championships twice by winning the PGA Championship at PGA National. 1971 - Italian pro Baldovino Dassu shot an 11-under 60, a record that has been tied but never broken on the PGA European Tour 1972 - Spalding introduces the first two-piece ball, the Top-Flite 1973 - The graphite shaft is invented 1975 - Lee Elder becomes the first black golfer to play in The Masters 1975 - Lee Trevino, Jerry Heard and Bobby Nichols are struck by lightning during the Western Open. The incident prompts new safety standards in weather preparedness at PGA events, but one spectator is killed when struck by lightning during the 1991 U.S. Open at Hazeltine National, and one at the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick later that summer. 1976 - The USGA institutes the Overall Distance Standard. Balls that fly more than 280 yards during a standard test are banned. 1977 - Al Geiberger records first sub-60 round in PGA TOUR history on June 10, a 59 in Danny Thomas Memphis Classic at Colonial CC. 1977 - The "sudden-death" playoff is used for the first time in a major championship, when Lanny Wadkins defeats Gene Littler for the PGA Championship played at Pebble Beach. 1980 - Gary Wright completes 18 holes in a record 28 minutes 9 seconds at Twantin Noosa GC, Australia 6,039 yards 1985 - The USGA introduces the Slope System to allow golfers to adjust their handicaps to allow for the relative difficulty of a course compared to players of their own ability. 1986 - The Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational offers the first $1 million purse. 1988 - Square-grooved clubs such as the PING Eye2 irons are banned by the USGA, which claims that tests show the clubs give an unfair competitive advantage to PING customers. The PGA TOUR also bans the clubs in 1989. Karsten Manufacturing, maker of the clubs, fights a costly two-year battle with both the USGA and the PGA TOUR to have the ban rescinded after winning a temporary injunction. Eventually both organizations drop the ban. The R & A, after 38 years, adopts the 1.68 inch diameter ball, and for the first time since 1910 The Rules of Golf are standardized throughout the world. 1990 - Ben Hogan Tour comes into existence as developmental circuit. In 1993 it was renamed the Nike Tour, followed by The Buy.com tour, and then The Nationwide Tour. 1991 - Chip Beck matches Geiberger's 1977 feat on October 11, carding a 59 at Sunrise Golf Club during Las Vegas Invitational. 1991 - Oversized metal woods are introduced, with Callaway's Big Bertha quickly establishing itself as the dominant brand, the Big Bertha driver becomes one of the biggest-selling clubs of all time. 1992 - Simon Clough and Boris Janic complete 18-hole rounds in five countries in one day, walking each course. They played rounds in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Holland, and Germany, and completed their journey in 16 hours, 35 minutes. 1993 - An ownership group led by Joe Gibbs and Arnold Palmer announce plans for The Golf Channel, a 24-hour, 365-day cable service. 1997 - Tiger Woods stormed onto the scene winning 5 events, including the Masters, and accumulating 13 top ten finishes in his rookie year. 1998 - In May Nota Begay matched the feat of shooting 59 while playing on the Nike tour. Three weeks later Doug Dunakey also playing on the Nike tour, carded a 59 as well. David Duval shot a 59 to the win the Bob Hope Classic. A gutsy performance on a brutally tough course to win The Players Championship, followed by his fourth victory in eight starts in Atlanta -- a stretch of golf that elevated him to No. 1 in the world. 2000 - Shigeki "Smiley" Maruyama shoots 58 in U.S. Open qualifier June 5. This virtual barrage of sub 60 scores has added fuel to the debate on how technology may be adversely affecting the game. 2000 -Tiger is "The Man". Winner of 3 majors completing the career Grand Slam - Earnings: $9,169,921 - PGA Tour Events Played: 21 Best Finish: 1st (Mercedes Championships, Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Bay Hill Invitational, The Memorial, U.S. Open, British Open, PGA Championship, NEC Invitational, Canadian Open) - Cuts Made: 21 - Top 10 Finishes: 17 - Rounds Played: 76 - Rounds Under Par: 67 - Rounds in the 60s: 51 2001 - Ryder cup postponed until 2002 due to the 911 attack on the World Trade Center. 2003 - Mike Weir becomes the first Canadian and the first left-handed golfer to win The Masters. He defeats Len Mattiace on the first playoff hole. 2004 - At the age of 14, golf prodigy Michelle Wie becomes the youngest woman (and only the fourth overall) to play at a PGA TOUR event, shooting 72-68 (even par) at the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in her hometown of Honolulu. She missed the cut by one stroke. 2004 - September 6 - Vijay Singh replaces Tiger Woods at the top of the world rankings, ending Woods' reign of five years and four weeks. 2005 - 7-10 April, Tiger Woods claims his 4th Masters title, and his 9th major. He returned to number one in the Official World Golf Rankings.