Golf Organizations and Tournaments

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.

Golf first appeared at St. Andrews in 1522, under the leadership of local clergymen. In 1754, the town formed the St. Andrews Society of Golfers and drew on the Leith set of rules to form tournaments. The Club later introduced stroke play and an 18-hole course. With these implementations, St. Andrews became the standard for golf in Europe. In 1834 King William deemed the club "Royal and Ancient" making it the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (R&A). The R&A in conjunction with the United States Professional Golf Association (USPGA), regulates golf throughout Europe and the United States.

United States Professional Golf Association

The United States Professional Golf Association (USPGA) officially began in 1984. Previous to 1984, the group formed under the title of The Amateur Golf Association of the United States. The formation of USPGA is very important because it marks the establishment of golf in America. The organization created rules, researched different kinds of grass, and decided the handicapping system. The organization, in addition to making new rules in golf, also sponsored tournaments and national championships. To increase golf's popularity in the U.S, the organization drew from its vast knowledge of golf and published Americas first golf magazine entitled The Golfer.

Professional Golf Association of America and the PGA Tour

The PGA of America formed in 1916, under the guidance of several professional and armature golfers. Rodman Wanamaker, a department store manager, hosted a luncheon at Taplow Club in New York City in order to discuss the promotion of golf in the United States. He saw golf as an emerging trend and drew on its popularity to form the PGA with the intention of exploring golf as a profession. The organization started as a 7 member committee that promoted and organized tournaments for golfers. Currently the PGA of America promotes over 30 tournaments each year and owns several courses. In 1968, a group of professional players broke from the PGA of America to form the PGA Tour. The players wanted more control over the tournament schedule. Despite the break, many professional golfers remain members of both organizations.

Ladies Professional Golf Association and the LPGA Tour

The roots of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) can be traced to 1944 and the formation of the Women's Professional Golf Association (WPGA). Hope Seignious, Betty Hicks and Ellen Griffin founded the group to promote the role of women in golf. The organizations struggled and offered very little prize money to participants until 1948, when Wilson Sporting Goods stepped in to support the organization. In 1951, the WPGA officially changed its name to the Ladies Professional Golf Association. The organization started gaining momentum and in 1952, founder Betty Jameson donated the Vare Trophy. She named the trophy after famed amateur golfer Glenna Collett Vare. The LPGA gained its first TV coverage in 1963 during the Nabisco Dinah Shore Tournament. The prize money also increased. The LPGA Tour became so popular by the 1980's that a qualification system was put in place. Currently, the LPGA continues to grow and expand. The prize money has increased to $1 million at any given tournament, and the TV coverage continues to increase significantly.

The Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup started due to unofficial matches played between Americans and Britons in Gleneagles Scotland. The professionals had been watching the already formed Walker Cup, pitting amateur Americans against amateur Britons, and wanted a tradition of their own. Samuel Ryder, a London businessman, proposed that an official tournament take place between the two countries. He even went as far as commissioning a trophy for the tournament. The idea caught on and by 1927, the Ryder Cup became an actual tournament. The first match took place at the Worcester Country Club in Worcester, MA. The event could be played in foursomes or by singles. The Ryder Cup commences every 2 years between citizens of the U.S. and Britain.

The U.S. Open

The U.S. Open officially started in 1895 at the Newport Golf and Country Club under the sponsorship of the USGA. The event coincided with the U.S. Amateurs Open, which at the time proved more popular than the actual U.S. Open. Ten professional golfers participated in the event with 1 amateur. The prize money totaled $335, with $150 going to first place. The current U.S. Open drew its roots from the first tournament, but has made several changes. The tournament now institutes strenuous qualifications, implemented in 1924, as a precursor to participation. Additionally, the event consists of 4 games of 18-hole golf played daily versus 4 gamed of 9-hole golf played daily. The U.S. Open greatly contributed to golf's popularity by broadcasting the first national golf tournament in 1954.

The British Open

The British Open began 35 years before the U.S. Open in 1860. The tournament, simply known as "The Open," admits international players as well as British players, which distinguishes it greatly from the American only U.S. Open. Due to the international players, the tournament is also called the "World Open." The fist tournament and the following 12 took place on the Prestwick course. Eight golfers originally participated in the event, which consisted of 12 holes played 3 times daily. Tom Morris Sr.won the first 4 tournaments and his son, Tom Morris Jr., won an additional 4 tournaments after his father. The tournament moved locations in 1837, to the St. Andrews 18-hole course. By this point in its history, The British Open placed strict requirements on qualification like the U.S. Open did. The tournament currently spreads events over several courses and boasts the reputation of the oldest tournament in existence.

The Masters Tournament

The Masters Tournament, founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, officially began in 1934. The tournament warranted creation due to the limited availability of open tournaments. The tournament originally existed under the title of The Augusta National Invitational Tournament. The name changed to Masters in 1939 under the urging of Bobby Jones who participated in it for the first 12 years in addition to founding the tournament. The Masters consisted of 18 holes played 4 times a day. Unlike the U.S. Open, the Masters required no qualifications and had limited commercial involvement. The tournament took a hiatus during WWII, while the Augusta course served as a range to raise turkey and cattle for the war effort. The tournament takes place annually during the first part of April.