Famous Golf Trophies

The game of golf has a variety of championships which are a part of the PGA Tour. Each has a glistening trophy to be handed to the championship winner. The most famous golf trophies are those of the major championships, and other notable golfing events such as the Ryder Cup. These are a few of the more famous in the sport.

Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup is, as you may have guessed, the trophy of the Ryder Cup championship. That championship, and trophy, was largely inspired by the seed merchant Samuel Ryder. For a regular international golf championship to take place between the USA and Great Britain golf teams, Ryder presented the trophy to the PGA of Great Britain. Today that has changed to USA V E.U., but the Ryder Cup remains the official trophy of the championship.

The Ryder Cup is a gold trophy that weighs a somewhat lightweight four pounds. It is topped with a sculptured golfer, who is supposed to be Abe Mitchell. That’s not a famous golfer, but one of Ryder’s colleagues.

The Player Championship Trophy

Even though it’s not a major, the Players Championship is one of the most exciting golf championships of the PGA Tour. The winner of this championship is presented with the Player Championship trophy. Unlike many other famous trophies, this trophy is not a cup as such. Instead it’s a small crystal slab on which a golfer is carved.

The Claret Jug

The Claret Jug is a golf trophy that dates back to the 19th century. The silver jug is presented to the winners of the U.K. Open golf championship. That is one of the majors of golf, and undoubtedly the most famous golf championship beyond the USA. However, as it replaced the Claret Belt it is not the original trophy of the U.K. Open.

This trophy is effectively a silver jug, which is more like a claret wine jug. Inscribed on the trophy is, “The Golf Champion Trophy” which is another title for it, although today it is more widely considered the Claret Jug trophy. Winners of the U.K. Open are also engraved on the trophy. The original jug is today displayed in the R&A Golf Club of St Andrews.

Masters Trophy

The Masters is a golf championship that is played at the Augusta golf course. It is the one major that is played a regular annual venue. The winners of the championship have lifted the Masters Trophy since it was first introduced in 1961.

As the Masters is always played at Augusta the trophy is more original than others. It is essentially a silver sculpture of the Augusta clubhouse, which rests on a pedestal. The trophy consists of 900 silver pieces, and weighs approximately 35 pounds. Bands of silver provide the space for the winner and runner-up engravings on the replica Masters Trophy which are given to the winners. The original trophy, in which the champions are also added, remains at the clubhouse.

Wanamaker Trophy

The Wanamaker Trophy is the one presented to the winners of the PGA Championship, another of the major golf championships. The trophy that is today presented is not the original, as that was actually lost by one of the former champions, Hagen, during the 1920s. When Hagen revealed that he had lost the trophy a duplicate replacement Wanamaker Trophy was introduced for the championship. Whilst the original was later found in a dusty crate within a Detroit warehouse during the ’30s, it was not brought back for the PGA Championship. Today it is on display at a PGA museum.

The replica Wanamaker Trophy is a fairly large one. It’s a silver golf cup that weighs approximately 27 pounds. On the front of the trophy is engraved, “Annual Championship of the Professional Golfers Association of America.” Alongside that the names of the PGA Championship champions are also still added to the original. For the champions, they take home a smaller replica of the trophy.

U.S. Open Championship Trophy

Another of the Grand Slams is that of the U.S. Open. Consequently, its trophy is one of the famous golf trophies. This golf trophy is one of the few American championship trophies that dates back to the 19th century. However, as the original has since been lost a replica model is now presented to the winners. The silver jug is topped with a majestic female figure with open wings.

These golf trophies are undoubtedly the most famous in the sport. Each season they are presented to their championship winners. They are grand and historic trophies that have been lifted by the great golfers of the game.

Formby Golf Course Video

The Formby Golf Course is ranked as one as of England's finest golf courses. It is a top-notch links golf course located near St Annes. It is a golf course that expands some 7,028 yards. The golf course is bordered on three sides by pine trees. Check out this Fromby golf course video:

KISS Guide to Golf

The KISS Guide to Golf is another of the golfing guide books for the sport. It’s a part of the KISS series of books, and provides a general golf guide. The book includes up to 400 pages, and with a foreword from PGA Tour star Montgomery it can be assumed that he provided some input for the author Duno.

The book is primarily a golfing guidebook for the game. As such, it provides details for all parts of it, from the long game to the short game, bunker play etc. Pitching, chipping, putting, tee shots and iron play are all covered within its pages.

The guidelines are illustrated with a variety of photographs of the various shots in motion, alongside the text. Photographs included in book vary in scale, with a variety of smaller ones as well as some larger full-page photos. There’s plenty of illustrations added alongside the photographs. The golfing puppy cartoon sketches are included throughout the book as a comical addition. Additional illustrations highlighting ball distances, hole layouts etc have also been included.

The book also provides a general golfing equipment guide. Primarily this covers the clubs for the golf course, with a club yardage guide. However, it also provides details on the other accessories such as ball markers, golf tees, gloves, balls and hats within its equipment chapter.

Also included within its pages is a golf vacation section. If you’re interested in taking a golf vacation, this provides some details for booking and selecting suitable destinations. There it includes some suggestions for what to pack, as well as details for resort packages. The book has a listing of 20 of the world’s famous golf courses, as well as 20 of the more famous courses that you can play on.

At the back of the book there is a website directory listing. Here a number of noteworthy golfing websites have been added, with their pertinent URL. Further appendices are also added for golf magazines and alternative golf books.

Among its final pages is that of a scoring table. This is a table where you can record some of your golfing scores, as well as total number of putts during the round. Whilst it’s a little short, the table can be photocopied for additional copies.

Whilst it’s not a golf history book, it does provide some historical details as well. Brief historical background is included within its opening pages. The KISS Guide to Golf also has a variety of trivia boxes which include some additional historical snippets.

If you’re searching for a guide to golf then this could be suitable. It pretty much has the whole game covered, and not just the more basic things, as well as additional extras for golf travel etc. Check out its Amazon page, where it has five star rating, for further details.

Highest Ranked U.K. Golf Courses

The United Kingdom has a variety of great courses in Scotland, England, N Ireland and Wales. Golf Digest have fairly regular rankings, among which are the top 100 golf courses beyond the United States. The top 10 of their rankings is dominated by the U.K. golf courses. These are the five highest ranked Golf Digest U.K. golf courses.

Five: Turnberry Resort (Ailsa), Scotland

Fifth in the rankings is that of Turnberry’s Ailsa championship golf course. This is a par-70 golf course that extends some 7,211 yards. It is renowned for its coastal scenery and holes that are flanked with rocks and sandy hillocks. Having hosted four U.K. Open Championships there’s no doubting that this is a championship course comparable with St Andrews.

Four: Royal Portrush G.C. Dunluce course, N. Ireland

One of N. Ireland’s most exciting courses is that of the Dunluce course. It is a links course approximately 7,143 yards. Among its notable holes is the fourth; a long 480 yard par-4 which has several bunkers alongside its fairway, and a green nestled between a couple of sand hills. The 14th hole, a long par-3 which plays over a large ravine, is also another of the course’s highlights.

Three: Murifield, Scotland

Muirfield, in Scotland, is one of the more regular venues for the U.K. Open. As it has played host to 15 Open Championships many great golfers of the PGA Tour have visited the course. In 1973 the Ryder Cup also came to town in Muirfield. Overall, the course has a great collection of holes such as 504 yard par five, and the uphill par-3 at the 13th.

Two: St. Andrews Links (Old), Scotland

St Andrew’s Old Course is probably the most famous, and is usually ranked among the top U.K. golf courses. Golf Digest place this second in their rankings, and as a home of golf the Old Course is something of a golfing shrine. 28 times the U.K. Open has been played at this acclaimed golf course, which is more than any other. It was here that Nicklaus played his large Major, and in 2010 the Open returned to St. Andrews.

Given its history the Old Course has some famed holes. The Road Hole, a 495 yard par-4, is probably the most famous. This includes the large Road Hole bunker. In addition to this, at the tee-box there are replica sheds that stretch out from the Road Hole Hotel. The 18th hole at St Andrews includes the Swilican Bridge. A number of the course’s holes have double greens which are combined for two holes. The holes have an overall yardage of 7,305 from the championship tees.

One: Royal County Down G.C., N. Ireland

Nestling at the feet of the majestic Mountains of Mourne is that of the Royal County Down championship links golf course. This is the U.K. course that Golf Digest rank higher than the Old Course. Its unique landscape combines both the Dundrum Bay coastline and the Mourne Mountains. Whilst it doesn’t quite have the same championship pedigree as St Andrews, few will doubt that the golf course’s landscape is unmatched by most.

Probably the most famous hole here is the ninth. That’s a 486 yard par-4 hole which has some great scenery. Here you tee off from an elevated tee, across a mound, to the fairway. The longest hole at the course is the 18th, a 548 yard par-5 which has 24 bunkers scattered along its fairway. Those are just a couple of the 18 holes which collectively have a total yardage of approximately 7,186 yards from the championship tees.

Those are five of the top ranked courses in the United Kingdom. These are great link golf courses, and you won’t find too many comparable anywhere else. Check out the Golf Digest website for the full rankings.

Golf on TV

Where I am it's pouring with rain, but the golf season is still underway. The February Tour championships are as follows: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Joburg Open and the Allianz Championship. They will be on the following channels:

AT&T

Thursday, February 6: Golf Channel Sky Four
Friday, February 7: Golf Channel; Sky Four
Saturday, February 8: Golf Channel; CBS; Sky Four
Sunday, February 9: Golf Channel; CBS; Sky Four

Joburg Open

Thursday, February 6: Golf Channel; Sky Four
Friday, February 7: Golf Channel; Sky Four
Saturday, February 8: Golf Channel; Sky Four
Sunday, February 9: Golf Channel; Sky Four

Allianz Championship

Friday, February 7: Golf Channel
Saturday, February 8: Golf Channel
Sunday, February 9: Golf Channel

Unless you have the Golf Channel, Sky Four or CBS there isn't really much on. Best wait until April when the golf really hots up!

The Highest Ranked Spanish Golf Courses

Spain has a variety of golf courses along its coastline and further inland. There some notable golf championships have been played, including the Ryder Cup. It boasts some of Europe’s top golf courses; many of which are included within Golf World Magazine’s 2011 top 100 courses in Europe. These are Golf World’s top five golf courses in Spain.

El Prat, Rosa, Norman

At 29th in the rankings, Rosa is the fifth Spanish course included. This is a championship golf course, located within rolling countryside on the outskirts of Barcelona, which expands some 7,103 yards. The Rosa course has a variety of terrain with the front nine holes playing through pine forest. Its back nine moves out to more open landscapes, and includes some inspired holes.

Real Club de Golf de Sevilla, Jose Maria Olazabal

The fourth ranked Spanish golf course in Golf World’s rankings is the Real Club de Golf in Seville. This is a par – 72 golf course that has a yardage of approximately 6,674 yards. It has some large fairways with Bermuda grass, and approximately 90 bunkers scattered along its holes. Covering 61 hectares the course boasts over 10,000 trees. Having previously hosted the World Golf Championship it’s a championship pedigree golf course.

El Saler Golf Club , Javier Arana Ybarra

The third highest ranked Spanish course, which is 11th in the overall rankings, is El Saler. El Saler extends some 7,095 yards. The majority of this course’s holes play over pine-laden slopes, and are surrounded by woodland. This course has a mix of forested and coastal holes adjacent to its Mediterranean coastline. Among the more notable is the short par-4 eight hole, located by the coast, which has an expansive sandy waste area.

PGA Golf de Catalunya, Neil Coles & Angel Gallardo

The second Spanish golf course is that of PGA Golf de Catalunya, which makes the overall top 10. This course is located on the Costa Brava, along the foothills of the Pyrenees, and extends some 7,205 yards. The Stadium Course at PGA Golf de Catalunya has some lush vegetation and a variety of green fir trees along its holes. The course is also notable for its large number of lakes which come into play on a number of holes such as the 13th. At the end of that hole one lake separates the fairway from green, and a second is also positioned directly behind it.

Valderrama Golf Club, Robert Trent Jones Sr

At number of one is perhaps the most famous golf course in Spain, that of Valderrama. For many this is the Augusta National of Europe, and it is ranked sixth in Golf World’s rankings. It has hosted some famous golf championships such as the Ryder Cup and World Golf Championships. The 6,951 yard course winds through oak and olive trees.

Among the most famous holes at this course is that of the fourth La Cascada hole. That is a 460 yard par-5 hole with an expansive fairway, surrounded by trees, that runs up to the green. On the right side of the green there is a large pond in which balls can fall, and on the left a greenside bunker. Water also comes into play on the 10th par-4 hole with a large lake along the right of the fairway. That fairway plays up to a green surrounded by five bunkers.

Those are Golf World’s top five in Spain. They are also ranked among the best in Europe by a variety of others such as Golf Digest etc. Check out the full Golf World rankings here.