A History of Golf, Part 2

Last time, we looked at the origins of golf and how this sport has undergone various periods of popularity and growth since the 15^th century. After a period of being banned – because King James of Scotland believed golf was getting in the way of military training – golf became popular throughout Europe and eventually the globe, with its connection to royalty and imperialism in the 16^th century.

Now, with golf courses and clubs throughout the world, we wonder how golf made its way to the United States and here in our very backyards in Arizona. Here, we look at the advent of golf in the United States, its association with the certain classes, and how it came to be a competitive and professional sport.

As with many former British colonies, golf made its way to the US in the 17^th century, during colonial times and continued to flourish after British rule. In 1657, it was reported that a “pair of apparently drunk men were arrested for breaking windows by hitting balls with their clubs in Albany, New York.” In 1744, golf clubs were documented entering Savannah, Georgia by ship and eventually made their way to the Savannah Golf Club, which claims to be the oldest American golf club, established in 1794 or 1795.

Back in those early days, the term “golf course” was something of a stretch. The St. Andrew’s golf course in Y0nkers, New York, which claims to be the oldest course in the US, was reportedly “three holes laid out in the middle of a cow pasture.” Most Americans were preoccupied with other burgeoning sports of horse racing, boxing, and baseball. It wasn’t until the 19^th century that we begin to see courses reminiscent of the ones we know today – “well-manicured, 9-hole courses with intelligent layouts.”

The 19^th century was an important time for golf. Worldwide, the first British Open took place in 1860. In 1873, the first permanent golf club in North America was founded in Montreal, Canada: “Canada’s Royal Montreal Club.” Not to be outdone by our neighbors in the North, the US established its first 18-hole golf course in the US in 1893 – located at The Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois. On the East Coast, famous courses such as Shinnecock Hills in New York and the Newport Golf Club in Rhode Island were established. St. Andrew’s in New York received a face-lift in the mid-1890s as well. On the West Coast, a course was established in Tacoma, Washington in 1884.

By 1894, the United States Golf Association had been established, propelling golf from an amateur sport into a professional one.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) was founded on December 22, 1894 and established itself as the national governing body of golf in the US, its territories, and Mexico. After a long attempt to organize, from Newport, Rhode Island to Yonkers, New York, Charles Macdonald – a prominent golfer and architect – established the first national championship for golf. Originally named the Amateur Golf Association of the United States – before settling on the USGA – the organization comprised of five charter clubs: the Newport Golf Club, the St. Andrews Golf Club, the Chicago Golf Club, the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in New York, and The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

The inaugural US Amateur Championship was held at the Newport Golf Club, with Charles Macdonald prevailing as the victor, beating Charles E. Sands in the championship match. The US Open was held a few days later, with Horace Rawlins as the winner. Women’s golf championships took place a few weeks later, both at the US Amateur and the US Open, taking place at the Meadow Brook Club in Hempstead, New York. Lucy Barnes was the ultimate victor of these events.

Perhaps one of the most extraordinary moments in US golf history was the upset victory at the 1913 US Open, held at The Country Club in Brookline. Francis Ouimet was a 20-year-old hometown amateur, who competed against the top professionals nationwide with a 10-year-old caddie by his side. According to Michael Trostel, this was “the most significant championship in American golf history…Ouimet’s humility and his working-class backgrounds were something you didn’t see a lot at that time in the game. Golf was perceived as a game exclusively for the wealthy and the elite, and Ouimet helped break that perception.”

Indeed, the ripple effect was felt after Ouimet’s victory at the 1913 US Open, with approximately 2 million Americans taking up golf in the ensuing decades.

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