Golf: A Brief Course of History
It’s hard to imagine a world without golf, isn’t it? To be honest, it’s really a sad thought. We don’t want to think about a world where Jordan Spieth isn’t dominating every major tournament. We can’t picture the absence of exciting moments created by the likes of legend golfers like Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer. When they celebrated, we celebrated, and when they failed, we felt their pain right alongside them.
Yes, the game of golf and its talented players have become an instrumental part of our lives. Watching great golfers makes any novice understand just how complex a sport it really is. So how did this great game first come to be?
According to Livestrong, golf had a somewhat unexpected start in the United States, when a pair of drunk men were arrested for breaking windows by hitting balls with their clubs in Albany in 1657. Well, something about what this pair did clearly had an impact on people, because from there, a new sport was born in America.
That being said, every sport has to start somewhere. Most early golf courses in this country were crude constructions, often only consisting as three holes in the middle of surprising locations, like cow pastures. Eventually, when the United States Golf Association, or the USGA, was formed in 1894, well-manicured, 9-hole courses began to spread far and wide. This organization began to establish amateur championship tournaments, crowning victors such as Charles Macdonald and Horace Rawlins. The growth and enthusiasm for the sport only continued from there, as the American Professional Golfers Association, or the PGA, was established in 1916 by department store owner Rodman Wanamaker. The association held the first PGA Championship tournament in October of that same year, further shifting the game of golf into the sport we know and love today.
Golf has certainly come a long way since its original inception. It’s clear that in its lifetime, this sport has only grown in complexity and excitement, and it’s a game that, fortunately, isn’t going away any time soon. Be part of the ongoing history of this incredible sport at Tiburon Golf Club. Call 402-895-2688 to schedule your next 18 on our beautiful greens at 10302 South 168th Street.
