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GOLF PHOTO 1940S VINTAGE ORIGINAL BETTY HICKS NEWELL PROFESSIONS LPGA For Sale
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GOLF PHOTO 1940S VINTAGE ORIGINAL BETTY HICKS NEWELL PROFESSIONS LPGA:
$233.82
BETTY HICKS NEWELL PROFESSIONAL GOLFER C1940S VINTAGE ORIGINAL PRESS PHOTOGRAPHElizabeth M. \"Betty\" Hicks (November 16, 1920 – February 20, 2011) was an American professional golfer, golf coach and teacher, aviator, and author. She also competed under her married name, Betty Hicks Newell. Hicks was born in Long Beach, California.Elizabeth “Betty” Hicks, 90, 1941 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, a dedicated pioneer of two women’s professional golf circuits, journalist and flight instructor, died Feb. 20 in Aptos, Calif., of Alzheimer’s disease.
One of golf’s earliest feminists, Hicks co-founded one women’s professional golf tour and worked hard to keep another one alive. She wrote pointed articles for national publications, and feuded with Babe Zaharias. Her love of teaching extended from golf to flight instruction, which she pursued well into her eighties.
Born in Long Beach, Calif., on Nov. 16, 1920, Hicks began studies at Long Beach City College at 16 and that same year began playing golf in a school golf class.
In 1938, Hicks won her first tournament, the Long Beach City Championship. She reached the semifinals of the 1939 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Pebble Beach, losing to Betty Jameson, the eventual champion. In 1940, she won two of the five tournaments in which she played on the Florida winter women’s amateur circuit.
The year 1941 was one of the most eventful of her life: She won the Doherty and the California Women’s Amateur, married and became Elizabeth Hicks Newell, won the U.S. Women’s Amateur and was named the Associated Press Woman Athlete of the Year.
Prior to the 1941 Women’s Amateur at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., Hicks visited Helen Hicks (no relation) and three-time Women’s Amateur champion Virginia Van Wie. When Betty complained of woes with her golf swing, Hicks and Van Wie took her to Women’s National G.C., where she met and worked with Ernest Jones, the famed golf instructor. Jones put a record of the Blue Danube waltz on the phonograph, told Hicks to swing the clubhead, and to forget everything else. It was a propitious pairing and Hicks forever after subscribed to Jones’s swing theories.
In the semifinals of the 1941 Women’s Amateur, Hicks was one hole down to Estelle Lawson Page going to the 18th. She faced a 15-foot putt for a par to win the hole and stay alive. “I was thinking, ‘This is MY tournament, so it’s got to be MY match, so it must be MY putt,’” Hicks recalled in 1992. She made the putt and won the match on the 19th hole. In the final she met Helen Sigel from Philadelphia, “but I swung to the Blue Danube Waltz all the way through it,” she remembered.
She defeated Sigel, 5 and 3, and was presented with the trophy on The Country Club’s clubhouse porch, since women were not allowed to enter the clubhouse.
Hicks assessed herself as a streaky putter with a great sand game who enjoyed practicing. She admittedly had a terrible temper on the golf course when she was young.
Following the trophy presentation at the Women’s Amateur, Hicks immediately announced that she would entertain professional offers, which was unusual in that day. “I was being pushed by my then-husband on the issue because neither one of us made much money, needless to say,” Hicks said. “I think I would have preferred to remain amateur because the war had already begun and there wasn’t going to be much competitive opportunity... That would have been my preference, to remain amateur and see what developed after the war.”
Betty Hicks Tournament WinsSouthern California Women\'s Amateur (1939)Palm Springs Invitational (1939)Western Women\'s Stroke Play (1939)Palm Springs Invitational (1940)Southern California Women\'s Amateur (1940)South Atlantic Championship (1940)Palm Beach Invitational (1940)Western Women\'s Stroke Play (1940)U.S. Women\'s Amateur (1941)California Women\'s Amateur (1941)Miami-Biltmore Invitational (1941)Chicago Victory Open (1943)All-American Open (1943)Chicago Victory Open (1944)Portland Open Open (1943)Hicks got some offers, but they were not the lucrative sponsorship offers of today because there was no women’s professional tour. Her first job was as an assistant pro at Recreational Park Golf Course in Long Beach, where she gave lessons and repaired clubs for $83 a month. An equipment contract with J.A. Dubow Company, which also made the famed bomber jackets for airmen during the war, provided some royalty income.During the war, Hicks joined the U.S. Coast Guard as a public relations officer and played in a few tournaments.
At the time, George S. May sponsored tournaments for pros and amateurs at Tam O’Shanter G.C. in Chicago, but there was a great disparity in prize money. “Byron Nelson won the All-American Open in 1943 and got $14,000,” Hicks said. ”I won the women’s division and received $500.
“We decided we’d form our Women’s Professional Golf Association to try to deal with sponsors on a more equitable basis,” she said. “At that point, the disparity was so great that I think we didn’t really recognize it… Many people had the attitude that we shouldn’t be out on tour in the first place.”
So in 1944, Hicks took a step that would influence the future of women’s golf: With Hope Seignious and Ellen Griffin, she founded the Women’s Professional Golf Association, the first professional tour for women, and was its first president.
“A very important part of our objective was to promote golf in schools and colleges,” Hicks said.
There were few WPGA tournaments for pros to play in but the school division got off the ground promptly because it needed little financial backing. The WPGA dissolved after only three years because of financial difficulties.
By 1949, when Babe and George Zaharias, Patty Berg and sports promoter Fred Corcoran formed the Ladies Professional Golf Association, the WPGA had given the new organization a foothold with the Women’s Open and Tampa Women’s Open.
“I think some of these people just don’t want to recognize there was a WPGA, which I resent a little bit because we were the pioneers,” Hicks said.
Hicks became part of the LPGA retinue that drove some 35,000 miles per year, staying in motels, where Hicks sometimes cooked meatballs in the bottom of an electric coffee pot.
\"We couldn’t skip one tournament,” Hicks said. “If one or two people dropped out of a 30-player field, it could be disaster. The competition was still there, and Babe could be extremely difficult at times. There wasn’t a great deal of love lost among the top players, no matter what the TV documentaries claim. It was competitive, and yet at times, the camaraderie was quite excellent.”
In 1954, after Corcoran resigned as LPGA tournament director, Zaharias held the post for two months, then Hicks became tournament director for $200 a month, “which just about paid for my electric typewriter and postage,” she said.
“(Betty) was a lifesaver, until we could get somebody else,” said Mary Lena Faulk in 1992. “When the big three sporting goods people dropped out as sponsors, they dropped us just like that.”
Beginning in 1939, Hicks had written sports stories for the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Now she taped player interviews to give to radio stations and took all of the tour’s photographs. She wrote magazine articles about the players for Sports Illustrated and The Saturday Evening Post. One series of player profiles she wrote for ThePost caused a furor.
Zaharias ranted about “that terrible article” Hicks wrote and temporarily resigned from the tour, saying she would start her own tour if Hicks didn’t resign as publicity director. The resulting contretemps prompted large galleries to turn out for the Tampa Open. Hicks said she thought she knew where the “feud” started. In 1940, Zaharias had said to Hicks, “Why don’t you and me start a feud, and then we can go on an exhibition tour, and make us both a bunch of money,” Hicks recalled.
The feud, however, had triggered new interest in the professional personalities and “Babe knew how to milk the publicity cow,” Hicks said.
“Betty wrote some controversial things about the tour,” said Louise Suggs in a 1992 interview. “Were they accurate? They weren’t far from it. They really weren’t.”
With fellow player Carol Bowman driving from town to town, Hicks pounded out stories on her portable typewriter, which rested on her lap.
Hicks, with all of her extra-curricular duties, never became a big winner on the professional circuits, although she captured a few tournaments. She played in her last LPGA tournament in 1965. After retiring from the tournament trail, she became a flight instructor and an FAA Written Test Examiner, having logged 6,000 hours in total pilot time. She coordinated the aviation department of Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, Calif., and coached the college’s women’s golf team.
She was a productive journalist, writing more than 300 magazine articles that appeared in some of the nation’s top publications, from Sports Illustrated to Atlantic Monthly. With Ellen Griffin, Hicks wrote, “Golf Manual for Teachers,” which became a bible of sorts for golf instructors in the 1940s and ‘50s.
Hicks (born November 16, 1920) was an American professional golfer, golf coach and teacher, aviatrix, and author. She also competed under her married name, Betty Hicks Newell.
Hicks was born in Long Beach, California. As an amateur golfer, she won the 1941 U.S. Women\'s Amateur and was Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year. She turned professional later that year.
Hicks competed on the LPGA Tour, finishing second several times in the 1950s but never winning. She finished second in the U.S. Women\'s Open in 1948 and 1954 and third in 1957. She won the All American Open, which would later become a LPGA Tour event, in 1944.
Hicks also taught golf and coached several women\'s college teams.
In 1959, with Marilynn Smith serving as president, the LPGA membership voted to establish the Teaching membership. Shirley Spork, Barbara Rotvig, Betty Hicks and Marilynn Smith were the division\'s founding members and served on the first Teaching Committee, playing pivotal roles in creating guidelines and strategies for the LPGA Teaching membership\'s future growth.
As an author, Hicks co-authored the book \"Golf Manual for Teachers\" with Ellen Griffin in 1949. In 1996, she co-authored \"Patty Sheehan on Golf\" with Patty Sheehan. In 2006, she wrote \"My Life: From Fairway to Airway\" which chronicles her life in golf and her second career as a pilot.
Hicks was a member of the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Hall of Fame, the Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame, San Jose Sports Hall of Fame, the Women\'s Sports Foundation International Hall of Fame, the California Golf Writers Hall of Fame, and the International Forest of Friendship Aviation Hall of Fame. In 1999, she won the Ellen Griffin Rolex award for her efforts in helping the LPGA grow and in teaching the game of golf to women.Elizabeth M. \"Betty\" Hicks (November 16, 1920 – February 20, 2011)[1][2] was an American professional golfer, golf coach and teacher, aviator, and author. She also competed under her married name, Betty Hicks Newell.
Hicks was born in Long Beach, California.[1] As an amateur golfer, she won the 1941 U.S. Women\'s Amateur[3] and was Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year. She turned professional later that year.
Hicks competed on the LPGA Tour, finishing second several times in the 1950s but never winning.[4] She finished second in the U.S. Women\'s Open in 1948[5] and 1954[6] and third in 1957. She won the All American Open, which would later become a LPGA Tour event, in 1944.
Hicks coached the women\'s golf team at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California, where she also coordinated the aviation department.[2]
As an author, Hicks co-authored the book \"Golf Manual for Teachers\" with Ellen Griffin in 1949. In 1996, she co-authored \"Patty Sheehan on Golf\" with Patty Sheehan. In 2006, she wrote \"My Life: From Fairway to Airway\" which chronicles her life in golf and her second career as a pilot.[7]
Hicks is a member of the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Hall of Fame,[8] the Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame,[9] San Jose Sports Hall of Fame,[10] the Women\'s Sports Foundation International Hall of Fame,[11] the California Golf Writers Hall of Fame, and the International Forest of Friendship Aviation Hall of Fame.[12] In 1999, she won the Ellen Griffin Rolex award for her efforts in helping the LPGA grow and in teaching the game of golf to women.
Hicks is sometimes confused with contemporary Helen Hicks, who won the U.S. Women\'s Amateur in 1931.
Hicks died on February 20, 2011, from Alzheimer\'s disease.[2][13]The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world.Contents1 Organization and history2 Prize money and tournaments3 International presence4 LPGA Tour tournaments4.1 LPGA Playoffs5 2020 LPGA Tour6 Historical tour schedules and results7 Hall of Fame8 LPGA Tour awards9 Leading money winners by year10 Leading career money winners11 Total prize money awarded in past years12 See also13 References14 External linksOrganization and historyOther \"LPGAs\" exist in other countries, each with a geographical designation in its name, but the U.S. organization is the first, largest, and best known. The LPGA is also an organization for female club and teaching professionals. This is different from the PGA Tour, which runs the main professional tours in the U.S. and, since 1968, has been independent of the club and teaching professionals\' organization, the PGA of America.
The LPGA also administers an annual qualifying school similar to that conducted by the PGA Tour. Depending on a golfer\'s finish in the final qualifying tournament, she may receive full or partial playing privileges on the LPGA Tour. In addition to the main LPGA Tour, the LPGA also owns and operates the Symetra Tour, formerly the Futures Tour, the official developmental tour of the LPGA. Top finishers at the end of each season on that tour receive playing privileges on the main LPGA Tour for the following year.
In 1996 Muffin Spencer-Devlin became the first LPGA player to come out as gay.[4]
In its 70th season in 2019, the LPGA is the oldest continuing women\'s professional sports organization in the United States.[5][6] It was founded in 1950 by a group of 13 golfers: Alice Bauer, Patty Berg, Bettye Danoff, Helen Dettweiler, Marlene Bauer Hagge, Helen Hicks, Opal Hill, Betty Jameson, Sally Sessions, Marilynn Smith, Shirley Spork, Louise Suggs, and Babe Zaharias.[3] The LPGA succeeded the WPGA (Women\'s Professional Golf Association), which was founded in 1944 but stopped its limited tour after the 1948 season and officially ceased operations in December 1949.[7]
In 2001, Jane Blalock\'s JBC Marketing established the Women\'s Senior Golf Tour, now called the Legends Tour, for women professionals aged 45 and older. This is affiliated with the LPGA, but is not owned by the LPGA.
Michael Whan became the eighth commissioner of the LPGA in October 2009, succeeding the ousted Carolyn Bivens.[6][8] Whan is a former marketing executive in the sporting goods industry.[9]
After a lawsuit filed by golfer Lana Lawless, the rules were changed in 2010 to allow transgender competitors.[10][11][12] In 2013, trans woman Bobbi Lancaster faced local scorn for attempting playing in Arizona\'s Cactus Tour and attempting to qualify in the LPGA Qualifying Tournament.[13]
Prize money and tournamentsIn 2010, total official prize money on the LPGA Tour was $41.4 million, a decrease of over $6 million from 2009. In 2010 there were 24 official tournaments, down from 28 in 2009 and 34 in 2008. Despite the loss in total tournaments, the number of tournaments hosted outside of the United States in 2010 stayed the same, as all four lost tournaments had been hosted in the United States. By 2016, the number of tournaments had risen to 33 with a record-high total prize money in excess of $63 million. In 2019, a new record was set with total prize money amounting to $70.5 million (a rise of over $5 million in one year).[14]
International presenceIn its first four decades, the LPGA Tour was dominated by American players. Sandra Post of Canada became the first player living outside the United States to gain an LPGA tour card in 1968. The non-U.S. contingent is now very large. The last time an American player topped the money list was in 1993, the last time an American led the tour in tournaments won was in 1996, and from 2000 through 2009, non-Americans won 31 of 40 major championships.
Particularly, one of the notable trends seen in the early 21st century in the LPGA is the rise and dominance of Korean golfers.[15] Se Ri Pak\'s early success in the LPGA sparked the boom in Korean women golfers on the LPGA Tour.[16] In 2009, there were 122 non-Americans from 27 countries on the tour, including 47 from South Korea, 14 from Sweden, 10 from Australia, eight from the United Kingdom (four from England, three from Scotland and one from Wales), seven from Canada, five from Taiwan, and four from Japan.[17]
Of the 33 events in 2006, a total of 11 were won by Koreans and only seven were won by Americans. (See 2006 LPGA Tour for more details on the 2006 season.) In 2007, Americans saw a relative resurgence, winning 12 events. For the first time since 2000, two Americans won majors (See 2007 LPGA Tour for more details on the 2007 season.) In 2008, Americans grew in dominance, winning 9 of 34 events, tied with Koreans, but no majors, one of which was won by a Mexican player, one by Taiwanese player, and the other two by teenage Korean players (See 2008 LPGA Tour for more details on the 2008 season.) In 2009, Americans won 5 of 28 official events, including one major, the Kraft Nabisco Championship while Koreans won 11 events (See 2009 LPGA Tour for more details on the 2009 season.)
LPGA Tour tournaments
Kristy McPherson during her practice round before the 2009 LPGA Championshipat Bulle Rock Golf Course in Maryland.As a United States-based tour, most of the LPGA Tour\'s events are held in the United States. In 1956, the LPGA hosted its first tournament outside the United States at the Havana Open in Havana, Cuba. In 2020, fourteen tournaments are held outside of the United States, seven events in Asia, four in Europe, two events in Australia, and one in Canada.
Five of the tournaments held outside North America are co-sanctioned with other professional tours. The Ladies European Tour co-sanctions the Women\'s British Open, The Evian Championship in France, and the Women\'s Australian Open (also co-sanctioned with the ALPG Tour). The other two co-sanctioned events—the BMW Ladies Championship (LPGA of Korea Tour) and Toto Japan Classic (LPGA of Japan Tour)—are held during the tour\'s autumn swing to Asia.
The LPGA\'s annual major championships are:
ANA InspirationU.S. Women\'s OpenWomen\'s PGA ChampionshipRicoh Women\'s British OpenThe Evian ChampionshipLPGA PlayoffsSince 2006, the LPGA has played a season-ending championship tournament. Through the 2008 season, it was known as the LPGA Playoffs at The ADT; in 2009 and 2010, it was known as the LPGA Tour Championship; and in 2011, the event became the CME Group Titleholders, held in November.
From 2006 through 2008 the LPGA schedule was divided into two halves, with 15 players from each half qualifying for the Championship based on their performance. Two wild-card selections were also included for a final field of 21 players. The winner of the LPGA Tour Championship, which features three days of \"playoffs\" plus the final championship round, earns $1 million.
In 2009, the Tour Championship field was increased to 120 players, with entry open to all Tour members in the top 120 on the money list as of three weeks prior to the start of the tournament. The total purse was $1.5 million with $225,000 going to the winner.
The CME Group Titleholders, which resurrects the name of a former LPGA major championship (the Titleholders Championship), was first played in 2011. From 2011 to 2013, its field was made up of three qualifiers from each official tour event during the season, specifically the top three finishers not previously qualified. Beginning in 2014, the field will be determined by a season-long points race. The winner of the points race will receive a $1 million bonus.[18]
2020 LPGA TourSee also: 2020 LPGA TourHistorical tour schedules and resultsYear Number ofofficial tournaments Countries hostingtournaments Tournaments inUnited States Tournaments inother countries Total prizemoney ($)2019 32 12 20 12 70,200,0002018 33 13 19 14 66,950,0002017 34 15 17 17 67,650,0002016 33 14 18 15 63,000,0002015 31 14 17 14 59,100,0002014 32 14 17 15 57,550,0002013 28 14 14 14 48,900,0002012 27 12 15 12 47,000,0002011 23 11 13 10 41,500,0002010 24 10 14 10 41,400,0002009 28 9 18 10 47,600,0002008 34 8 24 10 60,300,0002007 31 8 23 8 54,285,0002006 33 8 25 8 50,275,0002005 32 7 25 7 45,100,0002004 32 6 27 5 42,875,000Official tournaments are tournaments in which earnings and scores are credited to the players\' official LPGA record.Hall of FameThe LPGA established the Hall of Fame of Women\'s Golf in 1951, with four charter members: Patty Berg, Betty Jameson, Louise Suggs, and Babe Zaharias. After being inactive for several years, the Hall of Fame moved in 1967 to its first physical premises, in Augusta, Georgia, and was renamed the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame. In 1998 it merged into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
LPGA Tour awardsThe LPGA Tour presents several annual awards. Three are awarded in competitive contests, based on scoring over the course of the year.
The Rolex Player of the Year is awarded based on a formula in which points are awarded for top-10 finishes and are doubled at the LPGA\'s four major championships and at the season-ending Tour Championship. The points system is: 30 points for first; 12 points for second; nine points for third; seven points for fourth; six points for fifth; five points for sixth; four points for seventh; three points for eighth; two points for ninth and one point for 10th.The Vare Trophy, named for Glenna Collett-Vare, is given to the player with the lowest scoring average for the season.The Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the first-year player on the LPGA Tour who scores the highest in a points competition in which points are awarded based on a player\'s finish in an event. The points system is: 150 points for first; 80 points for second; 75 points for third; 70 points for fourth; and 65 points for fifth. After fifth place, points are awarded in decrements of three, beginning at sixth place with 62 points. Points are doubled in the major events and at the season-ending Tour Championship. Rookies who make the cut in an event and finish below 41st each receive five points. The award is named after Louise Suggs, one of the founders of the LPGA.American golfer Nancy Lopez, in 1978, is the only player to win all three awards in the same season. Lopez was also the Tour\'s top money earner that season.
Year Player of the Year Vare Trophy Rookie of the Year2019 South Korea Ko Jin-young South Korea Ko Jin-young South Korea Lee Jeong-eun2018 Thailand Ariya Jutanugarn[19] Thailand Ariya Jutanugarn South Korea Ko Jin-young[20]2017 South Korea Sung Hyun ParkSouth Korea So Yeon Ryu United States Lexi Thompson South Korea Sung Hyun Park[21]2016 Thailand Ariya Jutanugarn South Korea In Gee Chun South Korea In Gee Chun2015 New Zealand Lydia Ko South Korea Inbee Park South Korea Sei Young Kim2014 United States Stacy Lewis United States Stacy Lewis New Zealand Lydia Ko[22]2013 South Korea Inbee Park United States Stacy Lewis Thailand Moriya Jutanugarn2012 United States Stacy Lewis South Korea Inbee Park South Korea So Yeon Ryu2011 Taiwan Yani Tseng Taiwan Yani Tseng South Korea Hee Kyung Seo2010 Taiwan Yani Tseng South Korea Na Yeon Choi Spain Azahara Muñoz2009 Mexico Lorena Ochoa Mexico Lorena Ochoa South Korea Jiyai Shin2008 Mexico Lorena Ochoa Mexico Lorena Ochoa Taiwan Yani Tseng2007 Mexico Lorena Ochoa Mexico Lorena Ochoa Brazil Angela Park2006 Mexico Lorena Ochoa Mexico Lorena Ochoa South Korea Seon Hwa Lee2005 Sweden Annika Sörenstam Sweden Annika Sörenstam United States Paula Creamer2004 Sweden Annika Sörenstam South Korea Grace Park South Korea Shi Hyun Ahn2003 Sweden Annika Sörenstam South Korea Se Ri Pak Mexico Lorena Ochoa2002 Sweden Annika Sörenstam Sweden Annika Sörenstam United States Beth Bauer2001 Sweden Annika Sörenstam Sweden Annika Sörenstam South Korea Hee-Won Han2000 Australia Karrie Webb Australia Karrie Webb United States Dorothy Delasin1999 Australia Karrie Webb Australia Karrie Webb South Korea Mi Hyun Kim1998 Sweden Annika Sörenstam Sweden Annika Sörenstam South Korea Se Ri Pak1997 Sweden Annika Sörenstam Australia Karrie Webb England Lisa Hackney1996 England Laura Davies Sweden Annika Sörenstam Australia Karrie Webb1995 Sweden Annika Sörenstam Sweden Annika Sörenstam United States Pat Hurst1994 United States Beth Daniel United States Beth Daniel Sweden Annika Sörenstam1993 United States Betsy King United States Betsy King England Suzanne Strudwick1992 United States Dottie Mochrie United States Dottie Mochrie Sweden Helen Alfredsson1991 United States Pat Bradley United States Pat Bradley United States Brandie Burton1990 United States Beth Daniel United States Beth Daniel Japan Hiromi Kobayashi1989 United States Betsy King United States Beth Daniel Scotland Pamela Wright1988 United States Nancy Lopez United States Colleen Walker Sweden Liselotte Neumann1987 Japan Ayako Okamoto United States Betsy King United States Tammie Green1986 United States Pat Bradley United States Pat Bradley United States Jody Rosenthal1985 United States Nancy Lopez United States Nancy Lopez United States Penny Hammel1984 United States Betsy King United States Patty Sheehan United States Juli Inkster1983 United States Patty Sheehan United States JoAnne Carner United States Stephanie Farwig1982 United States JoAnne Carner United States JoAnne Carner United States Patti Rizzo1981 United States JoAnne Carner United States JoAnne Carner United States Patty Sheehan1980 United States Beth Daniel United States Amy Alcott United States Myra Blackwelder1979 United States Nancy Lopez United States Nancy Lopez United States Beth Daniel1978 United States Nancy Lopez United States Nancy Lopez United States Nancy Lopez1977 United States Judy Rankin United States Judy Rankin United States Debbie Massey1976 United States Judy Rankin United States Judy Rankin United States Bonnie Lauer1975 United States Sandra Palmer United States JoAnne Carner United States Amy Alcott1974 United States JoAnne Carner United States JoAnne Carner Australia Jan Stephenson1973 United States Kathy Whitworth United States Judy Rankin United States Laura Baugh1972 United States Kathy Whitworth United States Kathy Whitworth Canada Jocelyne Bourassa1971 United States Kathy Whitworth United States Kathy Whitworth South Africa Sally Little1970 United States Sandra Haynie United States Kathy Whitworth United States JoAnne Carner1969 United States Kathy Whitworth United States Kathy Whitworth United States Jane Blalock1968 United States Kathy Whitworth United States Carol Mann Canada Sandra Post1967 United States Kathy Whitworth United States Kathy Whitworth United States Sharron Moran1966 United States Kathy Whitworth United States Kathy Whitworth United States Jan Ferraris1965 – United States Kathy Whitworth Australia Margie Masters1964 – United States Mickey Wright United States Susie Maxwell1963 – United States Mickey Wright United States Clifford Ann Creed1962 – United States Mickey Wright United States Mary Mills1961 – United States Mickey Wright –1960 – United States Mickey Wright –1959 – United States Betsy Rawls –1958 – United States Beverly Hanson –1957 – United States Louise Suggs –1956 – United States Patty Berg –1955 – United States Patty Berg –1954 – United States Babe Zaharias –1953 – United States Patty Berg –Leading money winners by yearYear Player Country Earnings ($) Most wins2019 Ko Jin-young South Korea 2,773,894 4 – Ko Jin-young2018 Ariya Jutanugarn Thailand 2,743,949 3 – Ariya Jutanugarn, Sung Hyun Park2017 Sung Hyun Park South Korea 2,335,883 3 – Shanshan Feng, In-Kyung Kim2016 Ariya Jutanugarn Thailand 2,550,928 5 – Ariya Jutanugarn2015 Lydia Ko New Zealand 2,800,802 5 – Lydia Ko, Inbee Park2014 Stacy Lewis United States 2,539,039 3 – Lydia Ko, Stacy Lewis, Inbee Park2013 Inbee Park South Korea 2,456,619 6 – Inbee Park2012 Inbee Park South Korea 2,287,080 4 – Stacy Lewis2011 Yani Tseng Taiwan 2,921,713 7 – Yani Tseng2010 Na Yeon Choi South Korea 1,871,166 5 – Ai Miyazato2009 Jiyai Shin South Korea 1,807,334 3 – Jiyai Shin, Lorena Ochoa2008 Lorena Ochoa Mexico 2,754,660 7 – Lorena Ochoa2007 Lorena Ochoa Mexico 4,364,994 8 – Lorena Ochoa2006 Lorena Ochoa Mexico 2,592,872 6 – Lorena Ochoa2005 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 2,588,240 10 – Annika Sörenstam2004 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 2,544,707 8 – Annika Sörenstam2003 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 2,029,506 6 – Annika Sörenstam2002 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 2,863,904 11 – Annika Sörenstam2001 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 2,105,868 8 – Annika Sörenstam2000 Karrie Webb Australia 1,876,853 7 – Karrie Webb1999 Karrie Webb Australia 1,591,959 6 – Karrie Webb1998 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 1,092,748 4 – Annika Sörenstam, Se Ri Pak1997 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 1,236,789 6 – Annika Sörenstam1996 Karrie Webb Australia 1,002,000 4 – Laura Davies, Dottie Pepper, Karrie Webb1995 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 666,533 3 – Annika Sörenstam1994 Laura Davies England 687,201 4 – Beth Daniel1993 Betsy King United States 595,992 3 – Brandie Burton1992 Dottie Mochrie United States 693,335 4 – Dottie Mochrie1991 Pat Bradley United States 763,118 4 – Pat Bradley, Meg Mallon1990 Beth Daniel United States 863,578 7 – Beth Daniel1989 Betsy King United States 654,132 6 – Betsy King1988 Sherri Turner United States 350,851 3 – 5 players (see 1)1987 Ayako Okamoto Japan 466,034 5 – Jane Geddes1986 Pat Bradley United States 492,021 5 – Pat Bradley1985 Nancy Lopez United States 416,472 5 – Nancy Lopez1984 Betsy King United States 266,771 4 – Patty Sheehan, Amy Alcott1983 JoAnne Carner United States 291,404 4 – Pat Bradley, Patty Sheehan1982 JoAnne Carner United States 310,400 5 – JoAnne Carner, Beth Daniel1981 Beth Daniel United States 206,998 5 – Donna Caponi1980 Beth Daniel United States 231,000 5 – Donna Caponi, JoAnne Carner1979 Nancy Lopez United States 197,489 8 – Nancy Lopez1978 Nancy Lopez United States 189,814 9 – Nancy Lopez1977 Judy Rankin United States 122,890 5 – Judy Rankin, Debbie Austin1976 Judy Rankin United States 150,734 6 – Judy Rankin1975 Sandra Palmer United States 76,374 4 – Carol Mann, Sandra Haynie1974 JoAnne Carner United States 87,094 6 – JoAnne Carner, Sandra Haynie1973 Kathy Whitworth United States 82,864 7 – Kathy Whitworth1972 Kathy Whitworth United States 65,063 5 – Kathy Whitworth, Jane Blalock1971 Kathy Whitworth United States 41,181 5 – Kathy Whitworth1970 Kathy Whitworth United States 30,235 4 – Shirley Englehorn1969 Carol Mann United States 49,152 8 – Carol Mann1968 Kathy Whitworth United States 48,379 10 – Carol Mann, Kathy Whitworth1967 Kathy Whitworth United States 32,937 8 – Kathy Whitworth1966 Kathy Whitworth United States 33,517 9 – Kathy Whitworth1965 Kathy Whitworth United States 28,658 8 – Kathy Whitworth1964 Mickey Wright United States 29,800 11 – Mickey Wright1963 Mickey Wright United States 31,269 13 – Mickey Wright1962 Mickey Wright United States 21,641 10 – Mickey Wright1961 Mickey Wright United States 22,236 10 – Mickey Wright1960 Louise Suggs United States 16,892 6 – Mickey Wright1959 Betsy Rawls United States 26,774 10 – Betsy Rawls1958 Beverly Hanson United States 12,639 5 – Mickey Wright1957 Patty Berg United States 16,272 5 – Betsy Rawls, Patty Berg1956 Marlene Hagge United States 20,235 8 – Marlene Hagge1955 Patty Berg United States 16,492 6 – Patty Berg1954 Patty Berg United States 16,011 5 – Louise Suggs, Babe Zaharias1953 Louise Suggs United States 19,816 8 – Louise Suggs1952 Betsy Rawls United States 14,505 8 – Betsy Rawls1951 Babe Zaharias United States 15,087 9 – Babe Zaharias1950 Babe Zaharias United States 14,800 8 – Babe Zaharias1 The five players with three titles in 1988 were Juli Inkster, Rosie Jones, Betsy King, Nancy Lopez, and Ayako Okamoto.
Leading career money winnersThe table below shows the top-10 career money leaders on the LPGA Tour (from the start of their rookie seasons) as of the 2019 season.[23]
Rank Player Country Played Earnings ($) Careerevents1 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 1994–2008 22,573,192 3032 Karrie Webb Australia 1996–2019 20,270,249 4883 Cristie Kerr United States 1997–2019 19,764,991 5454 Inbee Park South Korea 2007–2019 15,356,126 2615 Lorena Ochoa Mexico 2003–2010 14,863,331 1756 Suzann Pettersen Norway 2003–2019 14,837,579 3167 Juli Inkster United States 1983–2019 14,029,723 7098 Stacy Lewis United States 2009–2019 12,910,753 2679 Se Ri Pak South Korea 1998–2016 12,583,713 36510 Paula Creamer United States 2005–2019 12,131,822 333Total prize money awarded in past yearsSeason Totalpurse ($)2010 41,400,0002000 38,500,0001990 17,100,0001980 5,150,0001970 435,0401960 186,7001950 50,000
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not utilize a standardized playing area, and coping with the varied terrains encountered on different courses is a key part of the game. The game at the usual level is played on a course with an arranged progression of 18 holes, though recreational courses can be smaller, often having nine holes. Each hole on the course must contain a teeing ground to start from, and a putting green containing the actual hole or cup 4+1⁄4 inches (11 cm) in diameter. There are other standard forms of terrain in between, such as the fairway, rough (long grass), bunkers (or \"sand traps\"), and various hazards (water, rocks) but each hole on a course is unique in its specific layout and arrangement.
Golf is played for the lowest number of strokes by an individual, known as stroke play, or the lowest score on the most individual holes in a complete round by an individual or team, known as match play. Stroke play is the most commonly seen format at all levels, but most especially at the elite level.
The modern game of golf originated in 15th century Scotland. The 18-hole round was created at the Old Course at St Andrews in 1764. Golf\'s first major, and the world\'s oldest tournament in existence, is The Open Championship, also known as the British Open, which was first played in 1860 at the Prestwick Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland. This is one of the four major championships in men\'s professional golf, the other three being played in the United States: The Masters, the U.S. Open, and the PGA Championship.Contents1 Origin and history2 Golf course3 Play of the game4 Rules and regulations4.1 Penalties5 Equipment6 Stroke mechanics6.1 Stance6.2 Strokes6.3 Musculature6.4 Types of putting7 Scoring and handicapping7.1 Par7.1.1 Scoring7.2 Basic forms of golf7.2.1 Match play7.2.2 Stroke play7.3 Other formats of play7.3.1 Bogey or par competition7.3.2 Stableford7.3.3 Basic pairs formats7.3.4 Team formats7.4 Handicap systems8 Popularity8.1 Golf courses worldwide9 Professional golf9.1 Instruction9.2 Golf tours9.3 Men\'s major championships9.4 Women\'s major championships9.5 Senior major championships9.6 Olympic Games10 Women11 International events12 See also13 References14 External linksOrigin and historyMain article: History of golf
The Xuande Emperor of the Ming dynasty playing chuiwanWhile the modern game of golf originated in 15th-century Scotland, the game\'s ancient origins are unclear and much debated.
Some historians[3] trace the sport back to the Roman game of paganica, in which participants used a bent stick to hit a stuffed leather ball. One theory asserts that paganica spread throughout Europe as the Romans conquered most of the continent, during the first century BC, and eventually evolved into the modern game.[4]
Others cite chuiwan (捶丸; \"chui\" means striking and \"wan\" means small ball)[5] as the progenitor, a Chinese game played between the eighth and fourteenth centuries.[6] A Ming Dynasty scroll by the artist Youqiu dating back to 1368 entitled \"The Autumn Banquet\" shows a member of the Chinese Imperial court swinging what appears to be a golf club at a small ball with the aim of sinking it into a hole.[5] The game is thought to have been introduced into Europe during the Middle Ages.[7]The MacDonald boys playing golf, attributed to William Mosman. 18th century, National Galleries of Scotland.Another early game that resembled modern golf was known as cambuca in England and chambot in France.[7] The Persian game chowkan is another possible ancient origin, albeit being more polo-like. In addition, kolven (a game involving a ball and curved bats) was played annually in Loenen, Netherlands, beginning in 1297, to commemorate the capture of the assassin of Floris V, a year earlier.
The modern game originated in Scotland, where the first written record of golf is James II\'s banning of the game in 1457, as an unwelcome distraction to learning archery.[8] James IV lifted the ban in 1502 when he became a golfer himself, with golf clubs first recorded in 1503–1504: \"For golf clubbes and balles to the King that he playit with\".[9] To many golfers, the Old Course at St Andrews, a links course dating to before 1574, is considered to be a site of pilgrimage.[10] In 1764, the standard 18-hole golf course was created at St Andrews when members modified the course from 22 to 18 holes.[11] Golf is documented as being played on Musselburgh Links, East Lothian, Scotland as early as 2 March 1672, which is certified as the oldest golf course in the world by Guinness World Records.[12][13] The oldest surviving rules of golf were compiled in March 1744 for the Company of Gentlemen Golfers, later renamed The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, which was played at Leith, Scotland.[14] The world\'s oldest golf tournament in existence, and golf\'s first major, is The Open Championship, which was first played on 17 October 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club, in Ayrshire, Scotland, with Scottish golfers winning the earliest majors.[15] Two Scotsmen from Dunfermline, John Reid and Robert Lockhart, first demonstrated golf in the U.S. by setting up a hole in an orchard in 1888, with Reid setting up America\'s first golf club the same year, Saint Andrew\'s Golf Club in Yonkers, New York.[16]
Golf course
Aerial view of the Golfplatz Wittenbeck in Mecklenburg, Germany
The Tammer Golf Course in the Ruotula district of Tampere, Finland.Main article: Golf courseA golf course consists of either 9 or 18 holes, each with a teeing ground or \"tee box\" that is set off by two markers showing the bounds of the legal tee area, fairway, rough and other hazards, and the putting green surrounded by the fringe with the pin (normally a flagstick) and cup.
The levels of grass are varied to increase difficulty, or to allow for putting in the case of the green. While many holes are designed with a direct line-of-sight from the teeing area to the green, some holes may bend either to the left or to the right. This is commonly called a \"dogleg\", in reference to a dog\'s knee. The hole is called a \"dogleg left\" if the hole angles leftwards and \"dogleg right\" if it bends right. Sometimes, a hole\'s direction may bend twice; this is called a \"double dogleg\".
A regular golf course consists of 18 holes, but nine-hole courses are common and can be played twice through for a full round of 18 holes.[17][18]
Early Scottish golf courses were primarily laid out on links land, soil-covered sand dunes directly inland from beaches. The word \"links\" derives from the Scots language and the Old English word hlinc (\"rising ground, ridge\"): traditionally these are coastal sand dunes but sometimes open parkland.[19] This gave rise to the term \"golf links\", particularly applied to seaside courses and those built on naturally sandy soil inland.[20]
The first 18-hole golf course in the United States was on a sheep farm in Downers Grove, Illinois, in 1892. The course is still there today.[21]
Play of the game
1=teeing ground, 2=water hazard, 3=rough, 4=out of bounds, 5=sand bunker, 6=water hazard, 7=fairway, 8=putting green, 9=flagstick, 10=holeEvery round of golf is based on playing a number of holes in a given order. A \"round\" typically consists of 18 holes that are played in the order determined by the course layout. Each hole is played once in the round on a standard course of 18 holes. The game can be played by any number of people, although a typical group playing will have 1-4 people playing the round. The typical amount of time required for pace of play for a 9-hole round is two hours and four hours for an 18-hole round.
Playing a hole on a golf course is initiated by putting a ball into play by striking it with a club on the teeing ground (also called the tee box, or simply the tee). For this first shot on each hole, it is allowed but not required for the golfer to place the ball on a tee prior to striking it. A tee is a small peg that can be used to elevate the ball slightly above the ground up to a few centimetres high. Tees are commonly made of wood but may be constructed of any material, including plastic. Traditionally, golfers used mounds of sand to elevate the ball, and containers of sand were provided for the purpose. A few courses still require sand to be used instead of peg tees, to reduce litter and reduce damage to the teeing ground. Tees help reduce the interference of the ground or grass on the movement of the club making the ball easier to hit, and also places the ball in the very centre of the striking face of the club (the \"sweet spot\") for better distance.
When the initial shot on a hole is intended to move the ball a long distance, typically more than 225 yards (210 m), the shot is commonly called a \"drive\" and is generally made with a long-shafted, large-headed wood club called a \"driver\". Shorter holes may be initiated with other clubs, such as higher-numbered woods or irons. Once the ball comes to rest, the golfer strikes it again as many times as necessary using shots that are variously known as a \"lay-up\", an \"approach\", a \"pitch\", or a \"chip\", until the ball reaches the green, where he or she then \"putts\" the ball into the hole (commonly called \"sinking the putt\" or \"holing out\"). The goal of getting the ball into the hole (\"holing\" the ball) in as few strokes as possible may be impeded by obstacles such as areas of longer grass called \"rough\" (usually found alongside fairways), which both slows any ball that contacts it and makes it harder to advance a ball that has stopped on it; \"doglegs\", which are changes in the direction of the fairway that often require shorter shots to play around them; bunkers (or sand traps); and water hazards such as ponds or streams.[17]
In stroke play competitions played according to strict rules, each player plays their ball until it is holed no matter how many strokes that may take. In match play it is acceptable to simply pick up one\'s ball and \"surrender the hole\" after enough strokes have been made by a player that it is mathematically impossible for the player to win the hole. It is also acceptable in informal stroke play to surrender the hole after hitting three strokes more than the \"par\" rating of the hole (a \"triple bogey\" - see below); while technically a violation of Rule 3–2, this practice speeds play as a courtesy to others, and avoids \"runaway scores\", excessive frustration and injuries caused by overexertion.
The total distance from the first teeing ground to the 18th green can be quite long; total yardages \"through the green\" can be in excess of 7,000 yards (6.4 km), and when adding in the travel distance between the green of one hole and the tee of the next, even skilled players may easily travel five miles (8 km) or more during a round. At some courses, electric golf carts are used to travel between shots, which can speed-up play and allows participation by individuals unable to walk a whole round. On other courses players generally walk the course, either carrying their bag using a shoulder strap or using a \"golf trolley\" for their bag. These trolleys may or may not be battery assisted. At many amateur tournaments including U.S. high school and college play, players are required to walk and to carry their own bags, but at the professional and top amateur level, as well as at high-level private clubs, players may be accompanied by caddies, who carry and manage the players\' equipment and who are allowed by the rules to give advice on the play of the course.[22] A caddie\'s advice can only be given to the player or players for whom the caddie is working, and not to other competing players.
Rules and regulationsMain article: Rules of golf
Arnold Palmer in 1953The rules of golf are internationally standardised and are jointly governed by The R&A, spun off in 2004 from The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (founded 1754), and the United States Golf Association (USGA).[23][24] With the aim of simplifying the rules, in 2017 the USGA and R&A undertook a complete rewrite.[25] The new rule book came into effect in January 2019.[26]
The underlying principle of the rules is fairness. As stated on the back cover of the official rule book:
Play the ball as it lies, play the course as you find it, and if you cannot do either, do what is fair.There are strict regulations regarding the amateur status of golfers.[27] Essentially, anybody who has ever received payment or compensation for giving instruction, or played golf for money, is not considered an amateur and may not participate in competitions limited solely to amateurs. However, amateur golfers may receive expenses that comply with strict guidelines and they may accept non-cash prizes within the limits established by the Rules of Amateur Status.
In addition to the officially printed rules, golfers also aoffere by a set of guidelines called golf etiquette. Etiquette guidelines cover matters such as safety, fairness, pace of play, and a player\'s obligation to contribute to the care of the course. Though there are no penalties for breach of etiquette rules, players generally follow the rules of golf etiquette in an effort to improve everyone\'s playing experience.
PenaltiesMain article: Penalty (golf)Penalty strokes are incurred in certain situations and are counted towards a player\'s score as if there were extra swing(s) at the ball. Either one or two strokes are added for most rule infractions or for taking relief from various situations, with the \"general penalty\" defined as two-strokes, and disqualification for severe or repeated rule breaches. Examples include:
A lost ball or a ball hit out of bounds (OB) results in a penalty of one stroke and distance (Rule 18.2).With the exception of certain circumstances, a one-stroke penalty is assessed if a player causes their ball to move (Rule 9.4).A one-stroke penalty is assessed if a player elects to take relief when their ball comes to rest within a red or yellow penalty area (Rule 17), or from an unplayable lie (Rule 19).A two-stroke penalty is incurred for making a stroke at the wrong ball (Rule 6.3c).A two-stroke penalty is incurred for hitting a fellow player\'s ball if both balls lay on the green prior to the stroke (Rule 11.1a).Disqualification can result from cheating, signing for a lower score, or failing to adhere to one or more rules that lead to improper play.[28]EquipmentMain article: Golf equipment
A wood positioned ready to be swung and to strike a golf ballGolf clubs are used to hit the golf ball. Each club is composed of a shaft with a lance (or \"grip\") on the top end and a club head on the bottom. Long clubs, which have a lower amount of degree loft, are those meant to propel the ball a comparatively longer distance, and short clubs a higher degree of loft and a comparatively shorter distance. The actual physical length of each club is longer or shorter, depending on the distance the club is intended to propel the ball.
Golf clubs have traditionally been arranged into three basic types. Woods are large-headed, long-shafted clubs meant to propel the ball a long distance from relatively \"open\" lies, such as the teeing ground and fairway. Of particular importance is the driver or \"1-wood\", which is the lowest lofted wood club, and in modern times has become highly specialized for making extremely long-distance tee shots, up to 300 yards (270 m), or more, in a professional golfer\'s hands. Traditionally these clubs had heads made of a hardwood, hence the name, but virtually all modern woods are now made of metal such as titanium, or of composite materials. Irons are shorter-shafted clubs with a metal head primarily consisting of a flat, angled striking face. Traditionally the clubhead was forged from iron; modern iron clubheads are investment-cast from a steel alloy. Irons of varying loft are used for a variety of shots from virtually anywhere on the course, but most often for shorter-distance shots approaching the green, or to get the ball out of tricky lies such as sand traps. The third class is the putter, which evolved from the irons to create a low-lofted, balanced club designed to roll the ball along the green and into the hole. Putters are virtually always used on the green or in the surrounding rough/fringe. A fourth class, called hybrids, evolved as a cross between woods and irons, and are typically seen replacing the low-lofted irons with a club that provides similar distance, but a higher launch angle and a more forgiving nature.
A maximum of 14 clubs is allowed in a player\'s bag at one time during a stipulated round. The choice of clubs is at the golfer\'s discretion, although every club must be constructed in accordance with parameters outlined in the rules. (Clubs that meet these parameters are usually called \"conforming\".) Violation of these rules can result in disqualification.
The exact shot hit at any given time on a golf course, and which club is used to accomplish the shot, are always completely at the discretion of the golfer; in other words, there is no restriction whatsoever on which club a golfer may or may not use at any time for any shot.
Golf balls are spherical, usually white (although other colours are allowed), and minutely pock-marked by dimples that decrease aerodynamic drag by increasing air turbulence around the ball in motion, which delays \"boundary layer\" separation and reduces the drag-inducing \"wake\" behind the ball, thereby allowing the ball to fly farther.[29] The combination of a soft \"boundary layer\" and a hard \"core\" enables both distance and spin.
A tee is allowed only for the first stroke on each hole, unless the player must hit a provisional tee shot or replay their first shot from the tee.
Many golfers wear golf shoes with metal or plastic spikes designed to increase traction, thus allowing for longer and more accurate shots.
A golf bag is used to transport golf clubs and the player\'s other or personal equipment. Golf bags have several pockets designed for carrying equipment and supplies such as tees, balls, and gloves. Golf bags can be carried, pulled on a trolley or harnessed to a motorized golf cart during play. Golf bags usually have both a hand strap and shoulder strap for carrying, others may be carried over both shoulders like a backpack, and often bags have retractable legs that allow the bag to stand upright when at rest.
Stroke mechanics
A golfer takes an approach shot on the fairway.Main article: Golf swingThe golf swing is outwardly similar to many other motions involving swinging a tool or playing implement, such as an axe or a baseball bat. However, unlike many of these motions, the result of the swing is highly dependent on several sub-motions being properly aligned and timed. These ensure that the club travels up to the ball in line with the desired path; that the clubface is in line with the swing path; and that the ball hits the centre or \"sweet spot\" of the clubface. The ability to do this consistently, across a complete set of clubs with a wide range of shaft lengths and clubface areas, is a key skill for any golfer, and takes a significant effort to achieve.
StanceStance refers to how the golfer positions themselves in order to play a stroke; it is fundamentally important in being able to play a stroke effectively. The stance adopted is determined by what stroke is being played. All stances involve a slight crouch. This allows for a more efficient striking posture whilst also isometrically preloading the muscles of the legs and core; this allows the stroke to be played more dynamically and with a greater level of overall control. When adopting their stance golfers start with the non-dominant side of the body facing the target (for a right-hander, the target is to their left). Setting the stance in regard to the position of the ball, and placing the clubhead behind the ball, is known as being at address; when in this position the player\'s body and the centerline of the club face are positioned parallel to the desired line of travel, with the feet either perpendicular to that line or slightly splayed outward. The feet are commonly shoulder-width apart for middle irons and putters, narrower for short irons and wider for long irons and woods. The ball is typically positioned more to the \"front\" of the player\'s stance (closer to the leading foot) for lower-lofted clubs, with the usual ball position for a drive being just behind the arch of the leading foot. The ball is placed further \"back\" in the player\'s stance (toward the trailing foot) as the loft of the club to be used increases. Most iron shots and putts are made with the ball roughly centered in the stance, while a few mid- and short-iron shots are made with the ball slightly behind the centre of the stance to ensure consistent contact between the ball and clubface, so the ball is on its way before the club continues down into the turf.
StrokesThe golfer chooses a golf club, grip, and stroke appropriate to the distance:
The \"drive\" or \"full swing\" is used on the teeing ground and fairway, typically with a wood or long iron, to produce the maximum distance capable with the club. In the extreme, the windup can end with the shaft of the club parallel to the ground above the player\'s shoulders.The \"approach\" or \"3/4 swing\" is used in medium- and long-distance situations where an exact distance and good accuracy is preferable to maximum possible distance, such as to place the ball on the green or \"lay up\" in front of a hazard. The windup or \"backswing\" of such a shot typically ends up with the shaft of the club pointing straight upwards or slightly towards the player.The \"chip\" or \"half-swing\" is used for relatively short-distance shots near the green, with high-lofted irons and wedges. The goal of the chip is to land the ball safely on the green, allowing it to roll out towards the hole. It can also be used from other places to accurately position the ball into a more advantageous lie. The backswing typically ends with the head of the club between hip and head height.The \"putt\" is used in short-distance shots on or near the green, typically made with the eponymous \"putter\", although similar strokes can be made with medium to high-numbered irons to carry a short distance in the air and then roll (a \"bump and run\"). The backswing and follow-through of the putt are both abbreviated compared to other strokes, with the head of the club rarely rising above the knee. The goal of the putt is usually to put the ball in the hole, although a long-distance putt may be called a \"lag\" and is made with the primary intention of simply closing distance to the hole or otherwise placing the ball advantageously.Having chosen a club and stroke to produce the desired distance, the player addresses the ball by taking their stance to the side of it and (except when the ball lies in a hazard) grounding the club behind the ball. The golfer then takes their backswing, rotating the club, their arms and their upper body away from the ball, and then begins their swing, bringing the clubhead back down and around to hit the ball. A proper golf swing is a complex combination of motions, and slight variations in posture or positioning can make a great deal of difference in how well the ball is hit and how straight it travels. The general goal of a player making a full swing is to propel the clubhead as fast as possible while maintaining a single \"plane\" of motion of the club and clubhead, to send the clubhead into the ball along the desired path of travel and with the clubhead also pointing that direction.
Accuracy and consistency are typically stressed over pure distance. A player with a straight drive that travels only 220 yards (200 m) will nevertheless be able to accurately place the ball into a favourable lie on the fairway, and can make up for the lesser distance of any given club by simply using \"more club\" (a lower loft) on their tee shot or on subsequent fairway and approach shots. However, a golfer with a drive that may go 280 yards (260 m) but often does not fly straight will be less able to position their ball advantageously; the ball may \"hook\", \"pull\", \"draw\", \"fade\", \"push\" or \"slice\" off the intended line and land out of bounds or in the rough or hazards, and thus the player will require many more strokes to hole out.
MusculatureA golf stroke uses the muscles of the core (especially erector spinae muscles and latissimus dorsi muscle when turning), hamstring, shoulder, and wrist. Stronger muscles in the wrist can prevent them from being twisted during swings, whilst stronger shoulders increase the turning force. Weak wrists can also transmit the force to elbows and even neck and lead to injury. (When a muscle contracts, it pulls equally from both ends and, to have movement at only one end of the muscle, other muscles must come into play to stabilize the bone to which the other end of the muscle is attached.) Golf is a unilateral exercise that can break body balances, requiring exercises to keep the balance in muscles.[30][31]
Types of puttingPutting is considered to be the most important component of the game of golf. As the game of golf has evolved, there have been many different putting techniques and grips that have been devised to give golfers the best chance to make putts. When the game originated, golfers would putt with their dominant hand on the bottom of the grip and their weak hand on top of the grip. This grip and putting style is known as \"conventional\". There are many variations of conventional including overlap, where the golfer overlaps the off hand index finger onto off the dominant pinky; interlock, where the offhand index finger interlocks with the dominant pinky and ring finger; double or triple overlap and so on.[32] Recently, \"cross handed\" putting has become a popular trend amongst professional golfers and amateurs. Cross handed putting is the idea that the dominant hand is on top of the grip where the weak hand is on the bottom. This grip restricts the motion in your dominant hand and eliminates the possibility of wrist breakdowns through the putting stroke.[33]
Other notable putting styles include \"the claw\", a style that has the grip directly in between the thumb and index finger of the dominant hand while the palm faces the target.[34] The weak hand placed normally on the putter. Anchored putting, a style that requires a longer putter shaft that can be anchored into the player\'s stomach or below the chin; the idea is to stabilize one end of the putter thus creating a more consistent pendulum stroke. This style has been banned on professional circuits since 2016.[35]
Scoring and handicappingParMain article: Par (score)
A par-3 hole in Phoenician Golf Club, Scottsdale, Arizona
A marker stone indicating that this hole is a par-5 holeA hole is classified by its par, which gives an indication of the number of strokes a skilled golfer may be expected to need to complete play of the hole.[17] The primary factor for classifying the par of a relatively straight, hazard-free hole is the distance from the tee to the green, and calculates the number of strokes a skilled golfer is expected to require to reach the green with an additional allowance of 2 putts. As such, the minimum par of any hole is 3; one stroke for the tee shot and two putts. Par 3, 4 and 5 holes are commonplace on golf courses; far more rarely, courses may feature par-6 and even par-7 holes.
For men, a typical par-3 hole is less than 250 yards (230 m) in length, with a par-4 hole ranging between 251–450 yards (230–411 m), and a par-5 hole being longer than 450 yards (410 m); for women these boundaries are lower, and for professionals they are much increased. The rare par-6s can stretch well over 650 yards (590 m). These distances are based on the typical scratch golfer\'s drive distance of between 240 and 280 yards (220 and 260 m). Although length is the primary factor in calculating par, other factors are taken into account; however the number of strokes a scratch golfer should take to make the green remains foremost. Factors affecting the calculation include altitude, gradient of the land from the tee to green, and forced \"lay-ups\" due to dog-legs (sharp bends) or obstacles (e.g. bunkers, water hazards).[36]
Getting the ball onto the green in two strokes less than par, and hence meeting the par calculation criteria, is called making \"green in regulation\" or GIR.[37] Missing a GIR does not necessarily mean a golfer will not make par, but it does make doing so more difficult as it reduces the number of putts available; conversely, making a GIR does not guarantee a par, as the player might require three or more putts to \"hole out\". Professional golfers typically make between 60% and 70% of greens in regulation.[38]
Eighteen-hole courses typically total to an overall par score of 70 to 72 for a complete round; with most holes having a par of 4, and a smaller number of par-3 and par-5 holes. Additionally, courses may be classified according to their play difficulty, which may be used to calculate a golfer\'s handicap.[39] The two primary difficulty ratings in the U.S. are the Course Rating, which is the expected score for a zero-handicap \"scratch golfer\", and the Slope Rating, which is a measure of how much worse a \"bogey golfer\" (handicap around 20) would be expected to play than a \"scratch golfer\" relative to their handicap.
Scoring
Golf-themed decorative nest box “Birdies Welcome”The goal is to play as few strokes per round as possible. A golfer\'s number of strokes in a hole, course, or tournament is compared to its respective par score, and is then reported either as the number that the golfer was \"under-\" or \"over-par\", or if it was \"equal to par\". A hole in one (or an \"ace\") occurs when a golfer sinks their ball into the cup with their first stroke from the tee. Common scores for a hole also have specific terms.[17]
Numeric term Name Definition−4 Condor four strokes under par−3 Albatross (Double eagle) three strokes under par−2 Eagle two strokes under par−1 Birdie one stroke under parE Par equal to par+1 Bogey one stroke over par+2 Double bogey two strokes over par+3 Triple bogey three strokes over parIn a typical professional tournament or among \"scratch\" amateur players, \"birdie-bogey\" play is common; a player will \"lose\" a stroke by bogeying a hole, then \"gain\" one by scoring a birdie. Eagles are uncommon but not rare; however, only 18 players have scored an albatross in a men\'s major championship. One of the rarest feats in golf is the condor, which has never occurred in a professional tournament. Only five condors have been verified to have ever occurred, although none of the courses involved were professionally accredited.[40]
Basic forms of golfThere are two basic forms of golf play, match play and stroke play. Stroke play is more popular.
Match playTwo players (or two teams) play each hole as a separate contest against each other in what is called match play. The party with the lower score wins that hole, or if the scores of both players or teams are equal the hole is \"halved\" (or tied). The game is won by the party that wins more holes than the other. In the case that one team or player has taken a lead that cannot be overcome in the number of holes remaining to be played, the match is deemed to be won by the party in the lead, and the remainder of the holes are not played. For example, if one party already has a lead of six holes, and only five holes remain to be played on the course, the match is over and the winning party is deemed to have won \"6 & 5\". At any given point, if the lead is equal to the number of holes remaining, the party leading the match is said to be \"dormie\", and the match is continued until the party increases the lead by one hole or ties any of the remaining holes, thereby winning the match, or until the match ends in a tie with the lead player\'s opponent winning all remaining holes. When the game is tied after the predetermined number of holes have been played, it may be continued until one side takes a one-hole lead.[17]
Stroke playThe score achieved for each and every hole of the round or tournament is added to produce the total score, and the player with the lowest score wins in stroke play. Stroke play is the game most commonly played by professional golfers. If there is a tie after the regulation number of holes in a professional tournament, a playoff takes place between all tied players. Playoffs either are sudden death or employ a pre-determined number of holes, anywhere from three to a full 18. In sudden death, a player who scores lower on a hole than all of their opponents wins the match. If at least two players remain tied after such a playoff using a pre-determined number of holes, then play continues in sudden death format, where the first player to win a hole wins the tournament.
Other formats of playMain article: Variations of golfThere are many variations in scoring and playing formats in the game of golf, some officially defined in the Rules of Golf. Variations include the popular Stableford scoring system, and various team formats. Some common and popular examples are listed below.
There are also variations on the usual starting procedure where everyone begins from the first tee and plays all holes in order, through to the eighteenth. In large field tournaments, especially on professional tours, a two tee start is commonplace, where the field will be split between starting on the first tee and the tenth tee (sometimes the eighth or eleventh depending on proximity to the clubhouse). Shotgun starts are mainly used for amateur tournament or society play. In this variant, each of the groups playing starts their game on a different hole, allowing for all players to start and end their round at roughly the same time. For example, a group starting on hole 5 will play through to the 18th hole and continue with hole 1, ending their round on hole 4.
Bogey or par competitionMain article: Par (golf scoring format)A bogey or par competition is a scoring format sometimes seen in informal tournaments. Its scoring is similar to match play, except each player compares their hole score to the hole\'s par rating instead of the score of another player. The player \"wins\" the hole if they score a birdie or better, they \"lose\" the hole if they score a bogey or worse, and they \"halve\" the hole by scoring par. By recording only this simple win–loss–halve score on the sheet, a player can shrug off a very poorly-played hole with a simple \"-\" mark and move on. As used in competitions, the player or pair with the best win–loss differential wins the competition.
StablefordMain article: StablefordThe Stableford system is a simplification of stroke play that awards players points based on their score relative to the hole\'s par; the score for a hole is calculated by taking the par score, adding 2, then subtracting the player\'s hole score, making the result zero if negative. Alternately stated, a double bogey or worse is zero points, a bogey is worth one point, par is two, a birdie three, an eagle four, and so on. The advantages of this system over stroke play are a more natural \"higher is better\" scoring, the ability to compare Stableford scores between plays on courses with different total par scores (scoring an \"even\" in stroke play will always give a Stableford score of 36), discouraging the tendency to abandon the entire game after playing a particularly bad hole (a novice playing by strict rules may score as high as an 8 or 10 on a single difficult hole; their Stableford score for the hole would be zero, which puts them only two points behind par no matter how badly they played), and the ability to simply pick up one\'s ball once it is impossible to score any points for the hole, which speeds play.
The USGA and R&A sanction a \"Modified Stableford\" system for scratch players, which makes par worth zero, a birdie worth 2, eagle 5 and double-eagle 8, while a bogey is a penalty of −1 and a double-bogey or worse −3. As with the original system, the highest score wins the game, and terrible scores on one or two holes will not ruin a player\'s overall score, but this system rewards \"bogey-birdie\" play more than the original, encouraging golfers to try to make riskier birdie putt or eagle chipshots instead of simply parring each hole.[17]
Basic pairs formats
Junín Golf Club, in Junín, ArgentinaFoursomes (also known as Alternate Shot): defined in Rule 22, this is played in pairs, in which each team has only one ball and players alternate playing it. For example, if players \"A\" and \"B\" form a team, \"A\" tees off on the first hole, \"B\" will play the second shot, \"A\" the third, and so on until the hole is finished. On the second hole, \"B\" will tee off (regardless who played the last putt on the first hole), then \"A\" plays the second shot, and so on. Foursomes can be played as match play or stroke play.[41]Greensomes (also known as Scotch Foursomes): also called modified alternate shot, this is played in pairs; both players tee off, and then pick the best shot. The player who did not shoot the best first shot plays the second shot. The play then alternates as in a foursome.[42] A variant of greensome is sometimes played where the opposing team chooses which of their opponent\'s tee shots the opponents should use.Four-ball: defined in Rules 23, this is also played in pairs, but every each plays their own ball and for each team, the lower score on each hole counts. Four-ball can be played as match play or stroke play.[43]Team formatsScramble: also known as ambrose or best-shot; each player in a team tees off on each hole, and the players decide which shot was best. Every player then plays their second shot from within a clublength of where the best shot has come to rest (and no closer to the hole), and the procedure is repeated until the hole is finished. This system is very common at informal tournaments such as for charity, as it speeds play (due to the reduced number of shots taken from bad lies), allows teams of varying sizes, and allows players of widely varying skill levels to participate without profoundly affecting team score.[44]Best-ball: like four-ball, each player plays the hole as normal, but the lowest score of all the players on the team counts as the team\'s score for the hole.[45] There are many variations on this format, which count a different number of scores on each hole.Handicap systemsMain article: Handicap (golf)A handicap is a numerical measure of a golfer\'s potential scoring ability over 18 holes. It is used to enable players of widely varying abilities to compete against one another. Better players are those with the lowest handicaps, and someone with a handicap of 0 or less is often referred to as a scratch golfer. Handicap systems vary throughout the world and use different methods to assess courses and calculate handicaps. In order to address difficulties in translating between these systems the USGA and The R&A, working with the various existing handicapping authorities, devised a new World Handicap System which is set to be introduced globally starting in 2020.[46]
Golf courses are assessed and rated according to the average good score of a scratch golfer, taking into account a multitude of factors affecting play, such as length, obstacles, undulations, etc. A player\'s handicap gives an indication of the number of strokes above this course rating that the player will make over the course of an \"average best\" round of golf, i.e. scoring near their potential, above average.[47] Lower handicap players are generally the most consistent, so can be expected to play to this standard or better more often than higher handicappers. Some handicap systems also account for differences in scoring difficulty between low and high handicap golfer. They do this by means of assessing and rating courses according to the average good score of a \"bogey golfer\", a player with a handicap of around 20. This is used with the course rating to calculate a slope rating, which is used to adjust golfer\'s handicap to produce a playing handicap for the course and set of tees being used.[48]
Handicap systems have potential for abuse by players who may intentionally play badly to increase their handicap (sandbagging) before playing to their potential at an important event with a valuable prize. For this reason, handicaps are not used in professional golf, but they can still be calculated and used along with other criteria to determine the relative strengths of various professional players. Touring professionals, being the best of the best, have negative handicaps; they can be expected, more often than not, to score lower than the Course Rating on any course.
Popularity
Part of a golf course in western India
An aerial view of a golf course in ItalyIn 2005 Golf Digest calculated that the countries with most golf courses per capita, in order, were: Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Canada, Wales, United States, Sweden, and England (countries with fewer than 500,000 people were excluded).
The number of courses in other territories has increased, an example of this being the expansion of golf in China. The first golf course in China opened in 1984, but by the end of 2009, there were roughly 600 in the country. For much of the 21st century, the development of new golf courses in China has been officially banned (with the exception of the island province of Hainan), but the number of courses had nonetheless tripled from 2004 to 2009; the \"ban\" has been evaded with the government\'s tacit approval simply by not mentioning golf in any development plans.[49]
In the United States, women made up 25 percent of golfers in 2021, which was up from 19 percent since 2011 and junior female golfers account for 35 percent or 1.1 million golfers.[50]
In the United States, the number of people who play golf twenty-five times or more per year decreased from 6.9 million in 2000 to 4.6 million in 2005,[51] according to the National Golf Foundation. The NGF reported that the number who played golf at all decreased from 30 to 26 million over the same period.[51]
In February 1971, astronaut Alan Shepard became the first person to golf anywhere other than Earth. He smuggled a golf club and two golf balls on board Apollo 14 with the intent to golf on the Moon. He attempted two drives. He shanked the first attempt, but it is estimated his second went more than 200 yards (180 m).[52]
Golf courses worldwideBelow are the top 20 countries that have the most golf courses as of 2019.[53]
Country Number of courses %USA 16,752 43%Japan 3,169 8%Canada 2,633 7%England 2,270 6%Australia 1,616 4%Germany 1,050 3%France 804 2%South Korea 798 2%Sweden 662 2%Scotland 614 2%China 599 1%Spain 497 1%Ireland 494 1%South Africa 489 1%New Zealand 418 1%Argentina 349 1%Denmark 346 1%Netherlands 330 1%Italy 321 1%Thailand 315 1%Rest of the world 4,338 11%Total 38,864 100%Professional golfMain article: Professional golferThe majority of professional golfers work as club or teaching professionals (\"pros\"), and only compete in local competitions. A small elite of professional golfers are \"tournament pros\" who compete full-time on international \"tours\". Many club and teaching professionals working in the golf industry start as caddies or with a general interest in the game, finding employment at golf courses and eventually moving on to certifications in their chosen profession. These programs include independent institutions and universities, and those that eventually lead to a Class A golf professional certification. Touring professionals typically start as amateur players, who attain their \"pro\" status after success in major tournaments that win them either prize money and/or notice from corporate sponsors. Jack Nicklaus, for example, gained widespread notice by finishing second in the 1960 U.S. Open to champion Arnold Palmer, with a 72-hole score of 282 (the best score to date in that tournament by an amateur). He played one more amateur year in 1961, winning that year\'s U.S. Amateur Championship, before turning pro in 1962.
Instruction
Indoor putting green for practice and instructionMain article: Golf instructionGolf instruction involves the teaching and learning of the game of golf. Proficiency in teaching golf instruction requires not only technical and physical ability but also knowledge of the rules and etiquette of the game. In some countries, golf instruction is best performed by teachers certified by the Professional Golfers Association. Some top instructors who work with professional golfers have become quite well known in their own right. Professional golf instructors can use physical conditioning, mental visualization, classroom sessions, club fitting, driving range instruction, on-course play under real conditions, and review of videotaped swings in slow motion to teach golf to prepare the golfer for the course.
Golf toursMain article: Professional golf toursThere are at least twenty professional golf tours, each run by a PGA or an independent tour organization, which is responsible for arranging events, finding sponsors, and regulating the tour. Typically a tour has \"members\" who are entitled to compete in most of its events, and also invites non-members to compete in some of them. Gaining membership of an elite tour is highly competitive, and most professional golfers never achieve it.Gary Player is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf.Perhaps the most widely known tour is the PGA Tour, which tends to attract the strongest fields, outside the four Majors and the four World Golf Championships events. This is due mostly to the fact that most PGA Tour events have a first prize of at least 800,000 USD. The European Tour, which attracts a substantial number of top golfers from outside North America, ranks second to the PGA Tour in worldwide prestige. Some top professionals from outside North America play enough tournaments to maintain membership on both the PGA Tour and European Tour. Since 2010, both tours\' money titles have been claimed by the same individual three times, with Luke Donald doing so in 2011 and Rory McIlroy in 2012 and 2014. In 2013, Henrik Stenson won the FedEx Cup points race on the PGA Tour and the European Tour money title, but did not top the PGA Tour money list (that honour going to Tiger Woods).
The other leading men\'s tours include the Japan Golf Tour, the Asian Tour (Asia outside Japan), the PGA Tour of Australasia, and the Sunshine Tour (for southern Africa, primarily South Africa). The Japan, Australasian, Sunshine, PGA, and European Tours are the charter members of the trade body of the world\'s main tours, the International Federation of PGA Tours, founded in 1996. The Asian Tour became a full member in 1999. The Canadian Tour became an associate member of the Federation in 2000, and the Tour de las Américas (Latin America) became an associate member of the Federation in 2007. The Federation underwent a major expansion in 2009 that saw eleven new tours become full members – the Canadian Tour, Tour de las Américas, China Golf Association, the Korea Professional Golfers\' Association, Professional Golf Tour of India, and the operators of all six major women\'s tours worldwide. The OneAsia Tour, founded in 2009, is not a member of the Federation, but was founded as a joint venture of the Australasia, China, Japan, and Korean tours. In 2011, the Tour de las Américas was effectively taken over by the PGA Tour, and in 2012 was folded into the new PGA Tour Latinoamérica. Also in 2012, the Canadian Tour was renamed PGA Tour Canada after it agreed to be taken over by the PGA Tour. All men\'s tours that are Federation members, except the India tour, offer points in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) to players who place sufficiently high in their events. The OneAsia Tour also offers ranking points.
Golf is unique in having lucrative competition for older players. There are several senior tours for men aged fifty and over, arguably the best known of which is the U.S.-based PGA Tour Champions.
There are six principal tours for women, each based in a different country or continent. The most prestigious of these is the United States-based LPGA Tour. All of the principal tours offer points in the Women\'s World Golf Rankings for high finishers in their events.
All of the leading professional tours for under-50 players have an official developmental tour, in which the leading players at the end of the season will earn a tour card on the main tour for the following season. Examples include the Korn Ferry Tour, which feeds to the PGA Tour, and the Challenge Tour, which is the developmental tour of the European Tour. The Korn Ferry and Challenge Tours also offer OWGR points.
Men\'s major championships
Lee Westwood pictured making a bunker shot at the 2008 OpenMain article: Men\'s major golf championshipsThe major championships are the four most prestigious men\'s tournaments of the year. In chronological order they are: The Masters, the U.S. Open, The Open Championship (referred to in North America as the British Open) and the PGA Championship.[54]
The fields for these events include the top several dozen golfers from all over the world. The Masters has been played at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, since its inception in 1934. It is the only major championship that is played at the same course each year.[55] The U.S. Open and PGA Championship are played at courses around the United States, while the Open Championship is played at courses around the United Kingdom.[56]
Prior to the advent of the PGA Championship and The Masters, the four Majors were the U.S. Open, the U.S. Amateur, the Open Championship, and the British Amateur.
Women\'s major championships
Lorena Ochoa, a retired number one female golfer, pictured here in 2007Main article: Women\'s major golf championshipsWomen\'s golf does not have a globally agreed set of majors. The list of majors recognised by the dominant women\'s tour, the LPGA Tour in the U.S., has changed several times over the years, with the most recent changes occurring in 2001 and 2013. Like the PGA Tour, the (U.S.) LPGA[57] tour long had four majors, but now has five: the Chevron Championship (previously known by several other names, most recently the ANA Inspiration), the Women\'s PGA Championship (previously known as the LPGA Championship),[58] the U.S. Women\'s Open, the Women\'s British Open (which replaced the du Maurier Classic as a major in 2001) and The Evian Championship (added as the fifth major in 2013). Only the last two are also recognised as majors by the Ladies European Tour. However, the significance of this is limited, as the LPGA is far more dominant in women\'s golf than the PGA Tour is in mainstream men\'s golf. For example, the BBC has been known to use the U.S. definition of \"women\'s majors\" without qualifying it. Also, the Ladies\' Golf Union, the governing body for women\'s golf in Great Britain and Ireland, stated on its official website that the Women\'s British Open was \"the only Women\'s Major to be played outside the U.S.\"[59] (this was before the elevation of The Evian Championship to major status).
For many years, the Ladies European Tour tacitly acknowledged the dominance of the LPGA Tour by not scheduling any of its own events to conflict with the three LPGA majors played in the U.S., but that changed beginning in 2008, when the LET scheduled an event opposite the LPGA Championship. The second-richest women\'s tour, the LPGA of Japan Tour, does not recognise any of the U.S. LPGA or European majors as it has its own set of majors (historically three, since 2008 four). However, these events attract little notice outside Japan.
Senior major championshipsMain article: Senior major golf championshipsSenior (aged fifty and over) men\'s golf does not have a globally agreed set of majors. The list of senior majors on the U.S.-based PGA Tour Champions has changed over the years, but always by expansion. PGA Tour Champions now recognises five majors: the Senior PGA Championship, The Tradition, the Senior Players Championship, the United States Senior Open, and The Senior (British) Open Championship.
Of the five events, the Senior PGA is by far the oldest, having been founded in 1937. The other events all date from the 1980s, when senior golf became a commercial success as the first golf stars of the television era, such as Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, reached the relevant age. The Senior Open Championship was not recognised as a major by PGA Tour Champions until 2003. The European Senior Tour recognises only the Senior PGA and the two Senior Opens as majors. However, PGA Tour Champions is arguably more dominant in global senior golf than the U.S. LPGA is in global women\'s golf.
Olympic GamesMain article: Golf at the Summer OlympicsGolf was featured in the Summer Olympic Games official programme in 1900 and 1904. After a 112-year absence, golf returned for the 2016 Rio Games.[60]
WomenIt was not until 1552 that the first woman golfer played the game. Mary Queen of Scots commissioned St. Andrew\'s Links.[61] However, it was not until the 20th century that women were taken seriously and eventually broke the \"Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forofferden\" rule. Many men saw women as unfit to play the sport due to their supposed lack of strength and ability.
In 1891 the newly built Shinnecock Hills nine-hole course in Southampton, New York became the first club to offer membership to women golfers. Four years later, in 1895, The U.S. Golf Association held the first Women\'s Amateur Championship tournament.[61][62]
Just like professional golfer Bobby Jones, Joyce Wethered was considered to be a star in the 1920s.[63] Jones praised Wethered in 1930 after they had played an exhibition against each other. He doubted that there had ever been a better golfer, man or woman.[64] However, Bobby Jones\' comment was not enough for others to change their views on women golfers.
The Royal Liverpool\'s club refused entry of Sir Henry Cotton\'s wife into the clubhouse in the late 1940s. The secretary of the club released a statement saying, \"No woman ever has entered the clubhouse and, praise God, no woman ever will.\"[63] However, American golfer and all-around athlete Babe Zaharias did not have to enter the clubhouse. She was able to prove herself on the course, going on to become the first American to win the British Women\'s Amateur title in 1947. The following year she became the first woman to attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open, but her application was rejected by the USGA. They stated that the event was intended to be open to men only.[65]
The Ladies Professional Golf Association was formed in 1950 as a way to popularize the sport and provide competitive opportunities for golfers.[63] The competitions were not the same for the men and women. It was not until 1972 that U.S. Congress passed the Title IX of the Education Amendments. \"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any education program or activities receiving Federal financial assistance.\"[66] American Renee Powell moved to the UK in the 1970s to further her career, and became the first woman to play in a British men\'s tournament in 1977.[67]
As of 2016,[needs update] women golfers were still fighting to have the same opportunities as male golfers. There is still a significant pay gap in the USGA. The USGA has a long history of writing bigger checks to winners of the men\'s U.S. Open than the U.S. Women\'s Open.[68]
International eventsGolf at the Asian GamesCurtis CupEurAsia CupInternational CrownGolf at the Summer OlympicsGolf at the Pan American GamesPresidents CupRyder CupSeve TrophySolheim CupGolf at the Summer UniversiadeWalker CupSee alsoGlossary of golfOutline of golfLists of golfersList of golf courses in the United KingdomProfessional Golfers\' Association of AmericaVariations of golf
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