Yourcaddy #2 | Page 21

GOLFING TRIVIA... The Gentlemen Golfers of Leith (1744) was the first club and was formed to promote an annual competition with a silver golf club as the prize. The longest recorded drive on an ordinary course is one of 515 yards by Michael Hoke Austin of Los Angeles, California, in the US National Seniors Open Championship at Las Vegas, Nevada on September 25, 1974. The first golf club formed outside Scotland was Royal Blackheath (near London) in 1766. However golf is believed to have been played there since 1608. The very first nationally-televised golf tournament, the 1953 World Championship of Golf, featured an incredible finish from Lew Worsham. Needing a birdie for a playoff with Chandler Harper, Worsham holed out for eagle from 104 yards on the 72nd hole to defeat Harper by one shot. Tom Watson won the 1977 USPGA Championship, 1975 Open Championship, and 1977 Open Championship with clubs that were later deemed not to conform to R&A and USGA rules and regulations. The term birdie comes from an American named Ab Smith. While playing 1899, he played what he described as a “bird of a shot”, which became “birdie” over time. Golf was banned in Scotland from 1457 to 1502 to ensure citizens wouldn’t waste time when preparing for an English invasion. The driver swing speed of an average lady golfer is 62mph; 96mph for an average LPGA professional; 84mph for an average male golfer; 108mph for an average PGA Tour player; 130mph for Tiger Woods; 148-152mph for a national long drive champion. ISSUE 02 | YOURCADDY 21