On This Day

January

1, 1938: United States Golf Association (USGA) rules that golfers can carry a maximum of 14 clubs around a course.
5, 1937: The Royal & Ancient Club rejects the 10-club limit that is later invoked by the USGA.
10, 1971 PGA European Tour is established.
13, 1933: Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia opens.
14, 1916: USGA announces that golfers who promote the sale of golf goods will lose their amateur status.
17, 1916: New York golf professionals and prominent amateurs meet to discuss formation of a organization for promoting golf in USA.
23, 1951: USGA decides to allow women competitors to wear shorts in USGA sponsored championships.

February

1, 1927: The R&A Golf Club of St Andrews announces its support of a lighter, bigger golf ball, but no final decision is reached.
3, 1504: King James IV plays golf's first "officially documented" match with the Earl of Bothwell.
6, 1971: Alan Shepard becomes the first man to hit a golf ball on the moon, using a specially designed 6 iron.
7, 1928: French golfers vote to sentence a blackbird to death for stealing 30 golf balls from the Saint-Germain course near Paris.
11, 1502: The ban on "golfe" is lifted unofficially when King James IV signs the Treaty of Glasgow to make peace with England.
17, 1883: The R&A and Town Council propose to build a second 18 hole course at St. Andrews, to be called the New Course.

March

1, 1947 The USGA revises the Rules of Golf, reducing the number from 61 to 21. The R & A makes no changes.
4, 1920 The R & A holds the first committee meeting since becoming the ruling authority for the Open and Amateur championships in Britain.
22, 1934 The first day of the new Augusta National Invitational Tournament (known as The Masters from 1938) is played.
25, 1934 The first Augusta National Invitational Tournament is won by Horton Smith.

April

1, 1938 The Augusta National Invitational Tournament is officially remaned as "The Masters".
2, 1744 The first official tournament played on the Links of Leith is won by John Rattray.

May

3, 1891 Muirfield Golf Course, home to The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, first opens for play.
17, 1867 Grand Golf Tournament of Professional Golfers takes place on Leith Links.
30, 1978 The Ryder Cup becomes US vs Europe after more than 50 years as a match between the US Great Britain and Ireland.

June

3, 1927 First Ryder Cup matches take place at the Worcester Country Club, Massachusetts.

July

8, 1960 Australia's Kel Nagle wins his only major title - the British Open at St Andrews.
20, 1986 Australian Greg Norman wins his first British Open title at Turnberry

August

6, 1972 Gary Player wins his second USPGA title at Oakland Hills.
12, 1973 Jack Nicklaus takes his third USPGA title.

September

1, 1895 Participants in first US Amateur Championship compete for a trophy donated by USGA president Theodore Havermayer.
12, 1999 GB and Ireland win the Walker Cup at Nairn, Scotland, for only the fifth time since the tournament began.
23, 1868 First recorded hole-in-one is scored by Tom Morris, Jr. on the eight hole at Prestwick during the British Open.

October

2, 1992 First day of the second Solheim Cup competition, later won by the European team for the first time.
5, 1889 Birkdale Golf Club is officially opened.
14, 1916 Inaugural USPGA Championship is won by Cornwell - born Jim Barnes.
17, 1960 First professional golf championship is held at Prestwick Scotland, and won by Willie Park, Sr.
23, 1994 US women's team wins the Solheim Cup for the second time.

November

14, 1888 First US golf club, St Andrew's, is founded in Yonkers, New York
18, 1990 US team beats Europe team in inagural Solheim Cup competition.

December

7, 1929 Leo Diegel wins his second USPGA title
22, 1894 Representatives from US golf clubs meet to discuss formation of United States Golf Association.