Growing up I hated history. I was never great at memorizing dates or knowing which General won which battle during the Civil War, but I wish I had. It is interesting how people bond over historical knowledge and for the first time in my life I’ve taken a liking to golf history.
Golf History includes not so much where the game originated but more of who helped shape the competitive sport we all know and love today. I don’t expect you all to go out and Wikipedia “Golf History” or read up on the thousands of books out there, but I do urge you to check out a few movies I just finished watching. These movies not only bring you closer to the players but also help you understand where golf came from, the class behind it and the soul that runs through it.
The first movie will help you understand the social class divide of the early 1900’s in addition to one of the greatest golf stories of all time. This movie is “The Greatest Game Ever Played” with Shia Labeouf. I have watched this film at least 100 times and continue to learn something new about my self and the game with every viewing.
The next movie is “Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius” which will bring you into the life of Bobby Jones who some say is the best golfer of all time. And who created Augusta National home to the Masters Tournament. A course with more tradition and notoriety than any other in the United States. It is also the most challenging course to get onto. Some people spend their whole lives wishing they could play it but never make the connections to get on.
The last movie came out in 2011 and teaches us what it takes to play the game. How much peace we need in our souls to be great and how the love should be for the game and those we love around us instead of just about winning. This movie is “7 Days in Utopia.”
I urge you all to check out these movies on Netflix or through your DVR. Most people who play golf love golf so much that they love every aspect of the game, especially the history. So if you want to impress your boss the next time you go out golfing or just around the water cooler, throw in a little golf history you learned from the movies above!
If you have any questions or would like to discuss the movies after you’ve watched them, leave a comment below.