Brief history of golf in America

Golf in America is considered the best in the world. They have many of the best golf courses, and a good number of the top ranked golfers are in the US. The history of golf in the US dates back to the late 19th century as the first US golf courses were established.

Among the first golf courses was the Oakhurst Golf Club which had some of the first golf holes in the US. Today, the oldest golf course in the USA is that of Foxburg Country Club, a 9-hole public course in Pennsylvania opened in 1887. This golf course was designed by Joseph Fox, an American who had visited St Andrews, and aimed to bring the game to America. The golf course itself is America's home of golf.


The first Major to begin in the US was that of the US Open. The US Open began in 1895 at the Newport Country Club of Rhode Island. The first winner of this golf championship was an English golfer, and it was not until 1911 that J McDermott became the first US golfer to win the US Open.

PGA professional golf in America began in 1916 when the PGA of America was founded. The PGA of America was founded by Robert White. It also marked the beginning of the PGA Championship which was first won by Jim Barnes.

The last of the four Majors was established during the 1930s. With the opening of the Augusta National golf course in Georgia the US Masters was first staged as the Augusta Invitational in 1934. This was then later renamed to the US Masters.


The 1960s was a golden era for US golf as some great US golfers emerged. Palmer was one such who was the top ranked US golfer in the late '50s and early '60s. However, the emergence of Nicklaus saw the Majors of the '60s keenly contested, particularly at the Masters. Nicklaus would go on to win a record 18 Majors with the final win at Augusta during the 1980s.

The emergence of Woods in the 1990s saw another great US golfer win their first Major titles. In the 2000s Woods started to dominate the golf Majors, winning all four of the Majors in a row. With such dominance Woods has remained at the top of the golf rankings since, and won 14 Majors in total.

So today, golf in America is one of the nations favorite sports with most of the golf championships of the PGA Tour in the USA. US golfers dominate the sport, and like baseball America considers the game to be one of their own. From Pebble Beach in California to Augusta National golf course in Georgia, golf is America's sport.

How high to tee-up a golf ball?

For tee-shots there are a few different sized tees which can range from 55mm to 83mm. As such, the length of tee required for a tee-shot can vary. So, how high to tee-up a golf ball?

The length of tee required for a tee-shot is largely determined by the golf club used. To be more specific, the amount of loft that the golf club has. The loft of each golf club varies, as the shorter irons such as 9 irons have the most amount of loft, and the longer wood clubs have the least amount of loft.

Given this, the clubs with the most loft require only the smallest golf tees. These can then be pressed far down so that the ball is very close to the ground. As such, this is best for the short irons such as the 9, 8, and possibly 7.

However, if you are teeing-off with a long wood for a long drive, then a longer tee will be better. With these tees the ball can be placed a few cms above the ground. This will provide a greater degree of loft for the tee-shot.

In the event that there is a fair amount of wind, then less loft will also be required. Under such circumstances it can be good to tee-up a little lower than you would usually. Alternatively, you can also consider an alternative club with less loft.

So, how high you tee-up really depends on the club selected, and amount of loft required. For the most lofted clubs the smaller tees are more suitable. However, for the longer clubs tee-up higher for greater loft and potential distance.

Golf stats for the golf course

Golf is a game of numbers, and so there is some variety of golf statistics. After keeping golf scores there are a few golf stats that can be recorded. Here are a few of the more notable golf statistics which are worth noting.

Score average:

This statistic is basically a mean average of all the hole scores recorded during a round. As such, by taking your total score and dividing it by the number of holes played an average score for each hole can be provided. Usually, the scoring average will certainly be real numbers with fractional components such as 4.8, 5.5, or 6.2. As such, these can also be rounded up or down for a nearest whole number average.

Putting average:

The putting average is very similar to the hole score average, except it includes putts only. As such, during a round the total number of putts on the green also need to be recorded. Then, at the end of the round a putting average can be noted in the same way as above, after adding all the putts up and dividing by the number of holes played. For a lot of golfers this average will usually be between two – three per green, and perhaps also between three – four.

Modal score average:

The modal average actually requires no calculator! Quite simply, this is the most frequent golf hole score you record over 9 or 18 holes. So, if you score five scores of five over nine holes then this will certainly be your modal score for the round. At pro level the modal score may be something like a three or four depending on how many par three or par four holes there are on a golf course.

Tee-shot accuracy:

This is a good golf stat that will record how accurate your tee shots are. After each tee-shot a tick will need to be noted on the score card if your ball lands on the fairway or green. Then, the number of ticks record over the round should be divided by the number of holes played and then multiplied by 100. So, if six ticks are recorded over 18 holes then 33% of the tee-shots were accurate and landed on the fairway or green.

These are just a few great golf stats for the golf course! Keep a record of these after a round.

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