Category: History
The sport of golf is over a thousand years old -- so old, in fact, that its origins are shrouded in mystery. The earliest written record of golf dates to 1497, when King James banned golf in Scotland because it interfered with archery practice. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews was formally recognized in 1754. Names from golf's history come easily to any fan of the game: from Old Tom Morris to Gene Sarazen, Bobby Jones, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and, of course, Arnold Palmer.
A Look Back At Fleck’s 1955 US Open Win
Jack Fleck’s 1955 US Open Victory over Ben Hogan is one of the most amazing in golf. An article in The Morning Call catches up with the now-83-year-old Fleck.
An Interview With Byron Nelson
Cybergolf has a good interview with golf legend Byron Nelson.
Who’s Billy Casper?
The first time that many people heard of Billy Casper was this last weekend when he shot a 106 at the Masters.
That’s unfortunate. Billy Casper was one of the best players of his generation, winning two US Opens, the Masters, and the Senior Open. He also won five Vardon trophies. From 1968 to 1970 he won more tournaments than Nicklaus, Palmer and Player combined. His total of 51 PGA victories places him 6th on the All-Time List (behind Snead, Nicklaus, Hogan, Palmer and Nelson).
An eight time Ryder Cup team member, he is, needless to say, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Given all of that, I think we should cut him some slack.
Hogan by Curt Sampson
When I’m not playing golf ... or writing about it ... I like to read about it (o.k., I’m obsessed).
One of the most interesting books I’ve in recent months is Hogan by Curt Sampson.
Hogan is a figure obscured by the fog of legend. Everyone knows of his relentless pursuit of perfection, of his reputation for coolness and of the devastating automobile crash.
But Sampson’s book sheds some light on Hogan’s personal life. He comes as close as I think anyone can to revealing the “real” Ben Hogan. Although Hogan gave few revealing interviews during his life, Sampson uses every resource at his disposal to explain his foibles and motivations. It could not have been an easy job, but Sampson has produced a very enjoyable read.
In the end, I found Ben Hogan to be a sympathetic and very human character—not at all like the more popular image of him as an unlikable “ice man.”
Tony Lema Retrospective
Today, only golf historians remember Tony Lema, the PGA Tour star who died in a plane crash in 1966.
But during the 1960s, there were few players who could match Champaigne Tony’s skills. From 1962 to 1966, he had 26 top 3 finishes.
John Berry of the Record-Bee has a nice column that will get you up to speed on this golf legend who died far too young.
