A Time of Living Memory

A Time of Living Memory: The origin of golf can be traced back to the fifteenth century Scotland, where the game was played as a pastime. With the advancement of the science and technology, the sport also grew bigger and bigger. By the twentieth century, golf had got the status of a global and a recognized modern sport. However, the twentieth century also witnessed much development of the sport.

The year, 1946 saw the staging of the first Women’s Open Cup. In 1951, the Ladies PGA was established. The Women’s Professional Golf Association was replaced by this organization. After the World War II was over, there was a common tendency among the golf players to participate in the American golf tournaments. It was because the prize money offered in the American competitions was much higher than their European counterpart. As a consequence, the R&A raised the prize money of the British Open and the players became equally interested in playing in the European tournaments.

The pre-World War period signified the rise of women in every field of the society including golf. However, the post-war golf was again dominated by the male golf players. In 1961, the “white-only” rule was withdrawn by the PGA. 1971 witnessed the extraordinary event of playing golf on moon. Alan Shepherd was the person, who hit the ball with the club kept in the USGA museum.

The 1970s were dominated by the American and South African golf players. The team golf competition also came into existence during this period. The Solheim Cup, which was women’s competition equivalent to the Ryder Cup, made its appearance in 1990. The famous golf players of the twentieth century are Patty Berg, Mildred Babe Didrikson, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Charlie Sifford, Lee Elder, Tiger Woods, Severiano Ballesteros, Sandy Lyle, Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, Tony Jacklin and Ian Woosnam.