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.

The appeal of nine-hole golf courses

Today, 18-hole golf courses may be something of a standard for golf courses. Indeed, golf's great championships are played on such courses. As such, the nine-hole golf course has become somewhat overshadowed by its larger 18-hole counterpart. However, in the amateur game nine-hole golf courses are still good alternatives that can provide all the thrills and spills of 18-hole golf courses.

The first nine-hole golf courses date back to the 19th century. In Scotland, the nine-hole Cupar's Golf Club was founded in November of 1855. As such, it is considered the oldest nine-hole golf course in the sport's history. Today, the nine-hole golf course remains and has some of the best views in the whole of Fife. Admittedly, at 2608 yards it is not especially big even for a nine-hole course, but it still has some varied and exciting holes.

In America, the Chicago Golf Club was founded in 1892 by Blair Macdonald who was a great pioneer of golf in America. Mr Macdonald soon had a nine-hole golf course constructed as Downer's Grove Golf course. As such, aside from being the first nine-hole golf course in America, it was also America's first golf course west of the Allegheny mountain range. This course was then expanded to an 18-hole golf course in 1893.

So, golf in America has much to thank these nine-hole golf courses which helped establish the game in the US. However, they should not be considered just relics of the past. Today, there are many more nine-hole golf courses that golfers can and should play on. Some notable nine-hole golf courses include the likes of the Dunes Club in New Buffalo, a great but private course, Doral Arrow golf course, and Crow's Nest course which is regarded as one of the finest nine-hole courses.

Nine-hole golf courses like these are small wonders. They offer fantastic but affordable golf at a fraction of larger 18-hole course fees. Indeed, on average due to the fewer holes played nine-hole courses are a budget alternative to larger 18-hole golf courses.

Another advantage of nine-hole golf courses is indeed that they are shorter. As such, for casual golfers looking for a quick, or at least a quicker, round nine-hole golf courses can be much more suitable. Nine-holes will likely take half the time of an alternative 18-hole golf course. Golfers new to the sport may also prefer to start playing on the nine-hole courses, before stepping up onto larger ones.

Overall, architecturally the nine-hole golf courses are pretty much the same as 18-hole courses. Quite a few can be more authentic older golf courses such as Granada golf course in Coral Cables, which dates back to 1925. So, courses such as these may retain older layouts. Generally, you can expect that nine-hole golf courses will have quite a few par 3 holes, and fewer par 5s.

So really, nine-hole golf courses retain all the fun of the game. They are shorter, and some are older, golf courses but can be equally challenging as 18-hole courses and there are some great nine-hole golf courses to play on.