As we celebrate Thanksgiving, I think this is worth reading:

George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;—for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our sasety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;—and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;—to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

(signed) G. Washington

The PGA Grand Slam of Golf is an annual four-man golf tournament featuring that year’s winners of golf’s four Major Championships (at least usually. see below). The event is organized by the PGA of America, not the PGA Tour. The inaugural year was 1979, but the event had several years in which it was not played.

The four invitations are issued to the winners of the four modern Majors: The Masters, the US Open, the Open Championship and the PGA Championship. If one player has won multiple events, or declines the invitation, another is given to a former major winner with the best overall finish in that year’s majors.

The format for the event has varied. As currently construed, it’s a two day, 36 hole tournament. It also has been staged as match play (1988 and 1999), and a one day 18 hole event (1979 - 1990). The Grand Slam was originally a wandering tournament, before settling in at the Poipu Bay Course in Hawaii from 1994 - 2006. In 2007, it moved to Bermuda.

The current prize fund is $1.35 million, of which $600,000 goes to the winner, and a $200,000 last place finish.

Past results are below. The letter after the name indicates the tournament won (a=alternate; M=Masters; U=US Open; O=Open Championship; P=PGA Championship.)

European PGA Tour Order of Merit lists based on earnings go back to 1975. Prior to that, it was based on a points system, so the top money earner didn’t necessarily reflect the Order of Merit winner. Since the system was institute, it’s changed names several times, as well as varying in the currency used. Originally, the pound sterling was used. In more recent years its been the Euro.

Colin Montgomerie has dominated the list, having taken the Order of Merit eight times in his career. I suspect that this is due to the history of better players on the European Tour shifting to the PGA Tour where the money has in the past been better.

The complete list is below:

While any win during a season on the PGA Tour is an impressive feat, managing multiple wins or winning the money title is in another category altogether. Those achievements speak to a period of sustained excellence. Since 1997, both those categories have been dominated by—of course—Tiger Woods. In the 1970s and early 1980s, the list was dominated by Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson. Similarly, Arnold Palmer ruled the 1960s.

Below is a list of the PGA Tour money and win leaders for each season on the PGA Tour, extending back to 1916.

The HIGH Museum of Art in Atlanta is opening an exhibit on the art of golf. I REALLY want to see this one, but a trip to Atlanta isn’t in the family budget at this point. It’ll be there Feb. 5 - June 3, 2012. From their description:

The Art of Golf explores the royal and ancient game as depicted by landscape and portrait artists, photographers, Pop artists and sculptors through the ages. This is the first-ever exhibition devoted to the game by a major American art museum. Comprising approximately 90 works from artists as diverse as Rembrandt, Charles Lees, Norman Rockwell and Andy Warhol, The Art of Golf examines the game’s origins, its foundation in Scotland and its growth in America in the 20th century. The exhibition also features a contemporary and interactive video component and large-scale photography, and is accompanied by a full-color catalogue. The Art of Golf continues the High’s multi-year partnership with National Galleries of Scotland.

The exhibition begins with a display devoted to the depiction of kolf, a cousin of the modern game, as depicted in early Dutch landscape and genre paintings of the 17th century. This section will include Rembrandt’s famous etching The Golfer (1654) and winter landscapes by Hendrick and Barent Avercamp, which depict kolf being played on the frozen canals of Holland. Following in the display will be Scottish artworks of the 18th century, including the earliest known depiction of golf being played in Scotland (ca. 1740). Also included will be a series of iconic Scottish golfing portraits from the National Galleries of Scotland, including a stunning full-length portrait of the tartan-clad Sir James and Sir Alexander MacDonald (ca. 1749) by William Mosman and an incisive portrayal of William Inglis, Captain of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (ca. 1790), by Sir Henry Raeburn, the preeminent portraitist of the Scottish Enlightenment. Among many objects that will be lent from the collection of the world-renowned Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St Andrews, Scotland, is the charming portrait of Old Tom Morris by Sir George Reid. Morris was one of the great early players, winning four British Opens in the 1860s and also earning fame as a clubmaker and course designer.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is known as greatest golfing painting in the world: Charles Lees’s The Golfers, which portrays in detail a match played on the Old Course at St Andrews in 1847. Jointly owned by the National Galleries of Scotland and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, this masterpiece has never before traveled to the United States, though reproductions of it hang in golf clubhouses around the world. Displayed alongside the painting are several preparatory sketches, all portraits of individuals who can be identified in the painting, and an early photograph by Hill and Adamson to which Lees referred as he composed his painting. Also included in this section is golfiana (antique balls, clubs and clothing) to illustrate the very different equipment used in the earliest days of the sport.

Moving into the early 20th century, the exhibition presents a series of elegant golfing scenes by Sir John Lavery, which capture the chic glamour and appeal of the game in the Roaring Twenties. This section also features Art Deco railway posters advertising Scotland’s premier courses to an expanding audience in Britain, and a series of photographs by Harold Edgerton, developer of strobe photography, that features the great Bobby Jones, Jr., hitting a golf ball. Other artists featured in this section include Childe Hassam, James McNeill Whistler, Norman Rockwell and Andy Warhol (an iconic screenprint of golfing superstar Jack Nicklaus, 1977, part of Warhol’s Athlete Series).

Fittingly, the exhibition also features a special section on legendary American hero and Atlanta native Robert Tyre “Bobby” Jones, Jr. (1902–1971), who popularized golf on the international stage. The exhibition includes portraits of Jones, notable photographs, sculpture and film footage that illustrate his importance to the game and the bond he created between the United States and Scotland, where he came to love and admire the Old Course at St Andrews.

The Art of Golf will close with a series of aerial photographs, newly commissioned by the National Galleries of Scotland, which capture the beauty of iconic Scottish golf courses including the Old Course at St Andrews and other great seaside courses (“links”) such as Carnoustie, Royal Aberdeen and the beautiful inland golf complex of Gleneagles, set in the majestic beauty of the Perthshire, “gateway” to the Highlands.

Here’s an interesting newsreel clip of the legendary Babe Zaharias and Betty Jameison in a 1955 match in Beaumont, Texas.

The Critical Past video site has an interesting clip of President Eisenhower at Cypress Point.