From Myth to Fantasy: The History of Golf & Evolution of the Pro (and Fantasy) Tour

The Origins of Golf

The world of professional golf is a rare breed of sport indeed. It's history in modern form is well documented starting with the first ever professional tournament played in Scotland in 1860. However, its origins as a game date all the way back to the birth of Western civilization - think pyramids and gladiators. Such early games could hardly be called golf but the question of when these early stick and ball amusements actually became golf still remains. This is where things get a little fuzzy and the line between golf and almost-golf tends to blur. 

If we go all the way back to the time of ancient Egypt, around 2600 BC, we can see a hieroglyphic in an Egyptian tomb depicting two players with bent sticks facing off much like a puck drop in

an ice hockey game. After much time and regional trade this game would most likely have been exported to the surrounding Mediterranean area. The Romans eventually got their hands on it and developed their own version called Paganica. When Caesar began his merciless conquest into Gaul (Southern France) in 58 BC the Roman Legionnaires are thought to have brought this game with them and introduced it to their conquered territories. While the historical record tells us nothing about Caesar's penchant for paganica it is occasionally speculated that Julius had a swing like Hogan and the short game to rival Slamming Sammy Snead. 

The royal version of Jeu de Mail

During the Middle Ages as the game began to spread north through modern day France we begin to see mention of a game called Jeu de Mail. This is where something resembling golf began to develop. Two versions of Jeu de Mail were then developed with one being played as an "in town" game, or royal game, while the other was played across the open country (jeu de mail a la chicane). The commonality between these games and golf was the distinct idea of hitting a ball toward a target in as few strokes as possible. However, there was never any mention of hitting the ball into a hole so it could not properly be called golf.

Then in 1261, we find the earliest written record of a game resembling golf occurring in what is now modern day Netherlands and Belgium. A Flemish poet by the name of Jacob van Merlant wrote about a game known as "colf". The strategy was very similar to jeu de mail as the goal was to hit a ball at targets such as the door of the mill or courthouse in as few strokes as possible. Games were played with two teams of four (perhaps the precursor to the fourball?) and each team would alternate shots between its players. While the goal was to hit a ball at something in as few strokes as possible there was still no hole in the ground so the game could not rightfully be called golf as we know it. They also used a mallet to strike the ball much like in croquet - an important difference as the  golf "club" would not become the weapon of choice until much later. 

Colf was a game of leisure in the Middle Ages, enjoyed by peasant and nobility alike. However, it did have its detractors as well. It wasn't always the serene, bucolic activity we know it as today. Instead of the rolling greens and manicured fairways of a Donald Ross design, colf was played on busy streets and public thoroughfares which posed a danger to people, pigs, poultry and panes of glass, windows being a sleek new invention at this at the time). In 1360, colf was banned in Brussels by the city council and, if caught playing, would cost you 20 shillings - about $25 today - or "the offender's overcoat". One might even say that the first person to be fined in this way holds the honor (or dishonor) of being the first person ever to be charged for greens fees, and an expensive one at that since 20 shillings was about 44 days worth of wages back then!

Colf somehow migrated across the English Channel and became a popular sport among the privileged class - especially the Flemish transplants. After a time though it also became known

as a distraction and was viewed as a waste of time. There were more important things to do like practicing your combat skills for battle or building the outer defense walls a little higher. In 1457, King James II of Scotland banned "gawf", as it was then known, since it was taking his archers away from practicing their craft - a skill of necessity due to his frequent clashes with a rival clans and the tumultuous War of the Roses. Archers were particularly susceptible to the lures of gawf because the mowed fields on which they practiced were not only great for not losing arrows but also the perfect place for a quick round. If only they'd had the foresight to imagine the little known game of Archery Golf they might have killed two birds with one stone.

The game continued to progress and evolve until it reached its current form sometime in the 15th century. Most would credit the Scots with the invention of the modern form of golf but there are rival theories out there with one marking the true origin in the Netherlands at an even earlier date. But golf would continue to progress spread in popularity, mainly within the priviliged classes as a game of leisure. And within a few hundred years it would be possible for a craftsman to earn a small living making the equipment required by the gentry to play. Club and ball makers began to pop up around Scotland and as was typical for many trades the skill became a family business. These early tradesmen provided the equipment of the game for those of financial means capable of taking up the sport. The tradesmen even began to play a little as well and if they were any good the nobility would often put a wager on them, sharing the winnings if they won. After a brief lull in popularity in the early 1800s golf experienced a resurgence around 1840. During this resurgence there were two main types of golfers that emerged: the gentlemen golfer of the noblility who played for fun and the working class golfer in search of a living.  Noblemen approached the sport more as a leisure activity and would have considered it below their status to be labeled as a professional as the tradesman golfers were now being called. Such a status would have implied a need to actually work and earn a living. Instead, these lords of leisure were known as amateur golfers and played only for fun or a sporting wager. But it was the emergence of the professional golfer that would change the direction of the game forever.

The Origins of the Professional

Talk about a pressure putt

As these new professionals became more widespread it wasn't long until the first ever professional tournament was organized. Held in Prestwick, Scotland in 1860, the Prestwick Golf Club sent out invitations to clubs throughout the land asking for their best golf pros to make the trek for this inaugural event. Seven Scotsmen and one Englishman showed up to compete in the tournament for which the prize was a red leather belt with a silver buckle and
bells. It turned out to be a historic event as it would be the precursor to what is today The Open Championship.  

So what actually defined a professional golfer in these days? Who were these pros and where did they come from? After all, there were no governing bodies or Q-Schools to make these determinations.

Old Tom Morris (right) preparing to tee off

They were mainly made up of lower and middle class blue color workers, typically starting off their careers as caddies; carrying an assortment of loose clubs under their arm for gentlemen golfers. Others came from the ball and club making trade. They began playing golf themselves and even competed in private matches for money.  It would be working class men such as these who became known as the first ever professionals of golf. And just like horse racing the high society types couldn't wait to wager their hard earned inheritance on these monarchs of the mashie.  It was a Scotsman from Musselburgh by the name of Willie Park Sr. who went on to win the first ever professional tournament in Prestwick by shooting a final round 60 (the runner-up was none other than Old Tom Morris himself). Park's final round 60 would be extremely impressive by 20th century standards but in those days a single round was only played over 12 holes. The next year the tournament was opened to amateur golfers (gentlemen golfers) and was renamed the Open Championship which has been running for near 150 years.

The Modern Tour

While most professional athletes today are defined by the triad of "one team, one league, one season" there is no such thing in the world of professional golf. Golfers jump from tour to tour and season to season (and team to team for that matter i.e. Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup and Olympic Teams). The closest thing there is to an off-season on professional tours is a stretch of a few weeks in December that isn't so much of an off-season as simply a holiday season. But even that isn't the case across the board as the Asian Tour hosts its last tournament on December 20 - the latest professional tournament in the calendar year. Their late schedule makes sense when you consider that for Asian countries don't celebrate Christmas. The one exception is South Korea where Santa Claus is called Grandfather Santa - or when translated back into Korean - K.J Choi. 

Far from the simple stick-and-ball game in the days of yore, the modern world of a touring pro has become a complex web of global travel, multi-tour exemptions, enormous paychecks and year-round golf. It's a world where different tours intersect at co-sponsored events; where only 50% of your U.S Open earnings counts toward the Order of Merit on the Asian Tour. It's a world where ancient rules are adhered to but new ones constantly pop up in response to new technologies. And for many golf fans questions are bound to come up; like why the WAGC became the IGF in order to deal with the IOC. Or why the Asian Tour co-sponsors an event with the Japan Golf Tour but would never partner up with its rival tour OneAsia. Answers abound but it's a hectic world so buckle up.

Across the Pacific you'll find the Japan Golf Tour. It's a founding member of the governing body of PGA Tours and tournament winners average around $250,000 at these events. They co-sponsored several high profile tournaments into their season as well by sanctioning the Masters, US Open, British Open and PGA Championship as official events. They conclude their year on December 13 with the Hitachi 3tours Championship which pits teams of six from the Japan Golf Tour, PGA Senior Tour and LPGA of Japan against each other in a stroke play tournament over a 3 day stretch. But before you think this is an unfair advantage for the men's teams consider this: the 2014 Hitachi 3tours Championship was won by Ahn Sun-ju, Lee Bo-mee, Jiyai Shin, Misuzu Narita, Miki Sakai and Shiho Oyama - all touring pros on the LPGA of Japan. 

Things are flipped upside down, literally, once you head south of the equator and onto South Africa's Sunshine Tour. The once British colony developed it's golf addiction late in the 19th century and has a year long season that is divided into two sections: one with the big events happening in their summer (Nov - Feb) and the other with lesser events during the months of March through October. It is at the lesser events that the young guns of the Sunshine Tour will ply their trade to gain a name and reputation in the golf world - playing tournaments with total purses as low as $46,000. This leg of the season is akin to Canada's Mackenzie Tour which functions as the PGA TOUR's 2nd tier racket. But in November, once the big names like Schwartzel, Oosthuizen, and Grace all return with tales of gold and glory from America and Europe, the second leg kicks off with guns blazing at the Alfred Dunhill Championship - the country's 6th highest paid tournament with a purse of $1.6 million. Coincidentally, this event is also the season opener on the European Tour as a co-sponsored event.  The next three tournaments in South Africa are also included on the European Tour's schedule and make up what is known as the South African Swing. It puts things into perspective when the Sunshine Tour's four biggest tournaments are relegated to season-opener status for the European Tour.

But let's back up a bit and take a closer look at the young guns who are fighting simply for a chance to even make one of these professional tours. Most aspiring amateurs throughout the world will earn their stripes by playing on a development tour in hopes of eventually earning their tour card. There's quite a few of these development tours across the globe and each pro tour, such as the PGA or European Tour, has multiple 2nd and 3rd tier meat grinders. As mentioned above, the professional tour of Canada, known as the Mackenzie Tour, serves as a 3rd tier program for the PGA. The top 5 money finishers on the Mackenzie Tour qualify for the Web.com Tour and effectively move from the 3rd tier to the 2nd tier. Mike Weir did this in 1997 and Graham DeLeat did the same in 2009. In turn, the Web.com Tour then sends its top 25 money earners to the big leagues where they'll bump elbows with the superstars and hopefully win some cash along the way. Across the pond Europe has it's own development shakedown known as the Challenge Tour. The Great Dane Thomas Björn is one of the Challenge Tour's most famous graduates and its biggest advocate. However, his fellow Nordic comrade Henrik Stenson takes the title of MOST famous Challenge Tour graduate. Below this level you start to wade into the murky waters of 3rd tier development tours where working a normal job to supplement your hopefully-budding career is par for the course. These programs include the Nordic Golf League, the Alps Tour, the PGA EuroPro Tour and the Pro Golf Tour of Germany. One such story of note is Deutschland's favored son Martin Kaymer who spent his formative years on the Pro Golf Tour and won 6 times before getting the call up to the big leagues of Europe. Martin struggled at first, only making one cut in his first seven pro tournaments but, as anyone who watched his birdie barrage in the 2014 US Open knows, things would eventually pick up for him. The list of development tours goes on as there's a never ending stream of youngsters determined to write their own Cinderella story. 

The Rules That Govern

Of course we can't go very far into the complex web of professional golf without first paying homage to the countless governing bodies that rule over this hallowed game. And it all started in Scotland with the Royal and Ancient Golfing Society of St. Andrews - a household name for the golfing enthusiast. Originally founded as a group of well-

to-do buddies who liked playing a spot of "gowf" in 1754, they later became the game's first official governing body, making decisions (and sometimes not making decisions) about how the game should be played. Widely known as the home of golf, St. Andrews and its cast of characters established the game as we know it today; making rules on club styles, ball weights, cup circumference and groove depth. Old Tom Morris, one of the games earliest pros and caretaker of St. Andrews, cut his teeth on the links of the Old Course back in the 1840s as an apprentice to Allan Robertson - widely considered to be the game's very first professional. Old Tom helped shape the game and it's rules which spawned countless federations and associations designed to help maintain and progress the game. Steeped in history and rightfully known as the mecca golf, St. Andrews is a bastion of tradition and old world sentimentality. Nobody really knows when golf transitioned from the stick-and-ball game of "colf" into the game it is today but it very well may have happened on the seaside links of St. Andrews. 

As golf became an international game and spread west across the Atlantic there were many issues of form that needed to be ironed out if the game was to become truly global. In 1894, the United States Golf Association formed in response to separate New York clubs announcing the winner of their respective tournaments to be the U.S. Amateur Champion. But of course we all know there can only be one Highlander. So the USGA was formed in response and took over administration of this championship, thus becoming the governing body of golf in America (as well as creating the modern day handicap system). 

Then in 1958, the World Amateur Golf Council (WAGC) was formed because of the need for a governing body to oversee challenges between countries. They soon officially sanctioned the World Amateur Team Championship which was first played on the Old Course at St.

Arnold Palmer presents a Hall of Fame jacket to Ike

Andrews between 29 countries which Australia won in a playoff against the U.S. President Eisenhower, a World Golf Hall of Famer who himself carried a handicap between 14-18, was instrumental in helping this committee form and hosted the initial meeting at the White House. In return, the trophy was named after him and to this day the World Amateur Champion, both team and individual, are presented with the Eisenhower Trophy. The WAGC would become the governing body for all international play and in 2003 changed its name to the International Golf Federation (IGF) so they could deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and get golf back into the Olympics - which they did after a 112 year absence. 

Then there is perhaps the largest professional governing body in golf which is the International Federation of PGA Tours. This governing body was created in 1996 and is comprised of members from the five largest professional tours: the PGA TOUR, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, Sunshine Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia. They have the responsibility of giving the "ok" for multiple tours to co-sponsor events such as the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup Golf tournament hosted by both the Asian and Japan Golf Tours. They are also responsible for the Official World Golf Rankings by way of a complex set of variables and a seemingly incoherent formula. And we cannot forget about the World Golf Classics as well which are co-sanctioned events on just about every pro tour of repute. Of course there's countless governing bodies in 137 other golfing countries around the world including some federations you might not expect: the Islamic Republic of Iran Golf Federation, the Uzbekistan Golf Federation and the National Golf Association of Armenia. There's also the AGA, FGF, ZGA, BSPOGF, GABH.... the list goes on. One could probably make up an acronym without even realizing that it stood for a golf association somewhere in the world.  

The Fantasy 

The Jackson Cup

Which brings us to one last governing body in the world of golf and perhaps the most importnat - Fantasy Golf Association (FGA). It's a storied and historic golf association. One with countless memories and dramas to fill up it's history books. The great names of old live here and are echoed through the halls every time a new one is etched onto the Jackson Cup. Names like Strangers and Gophers, multiple Major winner Papa Pilgrim, the purist Hogan's Heroes and the unflinching Freeside Links. These are the names being written into the record books of fantasy golf greatness. Who will be next to hoist the silver chalice and become a fantasy golf god? The dawn of the 2016 season is approaching. The thoroughbreds of golf are lined up in the starting gate, frothing at the mouth and chomping at the bit. Make your picks wisely, smack talk wryly, hunt for victory wolfishly and suffer defeat wailfully. The Race for the Jackson Cup is about to begin.