Quick 9: What the US has given to golf
3. Better ball
A lot happened in 1930. The Wall Street crash was in full swing, Uruguay won the inaugural World Cup, Betty Boop was created, Scarface was jailed, and Phil Young missed a putt.
That putt sparked a change in the core of golf manufacturing that produced probably the single most important piece of equipment. One well-struck putt that didn’t drop in a Sunday morning match between friends, prompted the owner of a moulded rubber company and the head of the X-ray department at a local hospital to look into what lay beneath the surface of a golf ball. The results? The nucleus was off-centre. The outcome? Titleist, and its famous Pro V1, was born.
It remains the most played ball on tour today.
2. Metal heads
Golf clubs that changed the game are in abundance, but this US contribution provided groundbreaking technology that still shapes the game today.
Metal-headed drivers had been tested for years but never achieved commercial success until Gary Adams designed the driver. Released in 1979, Ron Streck and Jim Simons were the first to game the club on the PGA Tour, making hickory clubs a thing of the past.
Streck went on to make history with golf’s new “metalwoods”.
1. Ladies first
Women playing golf for a living wasn’t even an option until 1950. Competing, teaching and even management was only made possible by 13 courageous women who founded the Ladies Professional Golf Association – LPGA to you and me.
In 1959 the tour was struggling for regular tournaments and support, but by 2016, the number of tournaments had risen to more than 30 with a record-high total prize money in excess of $63 million.
Our long list of thanks, in no particular order, is for: Alice Bauer, Patty Berg, Bettye Danoff, Helen Detweiler, Marlene Bauer Hagge, Helen Hicks, Opal Hill, Betty Jameson, Sally Sessions, Marilynn Smith, Shirley Spork, Louise Suggs, and Babe Zaharias.
A chicken, a barrel, and Nelson Mandela? The weirdest golf trophies you’ll ever see…
Quick 9: Best clutch shots
Quick 9: Golf’s greatest comebacks
Tom Irwin
Tom is a lifetime golfer, now over 30 years playing the game. 2023 marks 10 years in golf publishing and he is still holding down a + handicap at Alwoodley in Leeds. He has played over 600 golf courses, and has been a member of at least four including his first love Louth, in Lincolnshire. Tom likes unbranded clothing, natural fibres, and pencil bags. Seacroft in Lincolnshire is where it starts and ends.
