A MISCELLANY OF GOLF LISTS

There are all kinds of lists: To-Do, Priority, Grocery, Reading, Passwords, Mailing, Bucket, Playlists, Rules, Reminders, Exercise Goals, etc. Lists can keep us organized and on task. In other words, most lists require work, action or commitment. However, some lists, such as today’s, are simply fun, entertaining and engaging. “Fun” lists are just food for thought – entertaining opinions that can kick start a lively conversation in the 19^th Hole.

My Top-of-the-Pops, I’d-Change-My-Flight-to-Play-It-Tomorrow Courses

From Tom Coyne’s book, A Course Called Scotland

1. Askernish – est. 1891, architect Old Tom Morris (6,259 yards, par 72)
2. Cruden Bay – est. 1899, original architect Old Tom Morris (6,609 yards, par 70)
3. St. Enodoc – est. 1890, Church course architect James Braid (6,557 yards, par 69)
4. Shiskine – est. 1896, Willie Park is credited for designing the current 12 holes (2,787 yards, par 42)
5. Machrihanish Old – est. 1876, In 1879, Old Tom Morris redesigned and expanded the course to 18 holes (6,473 yards, par 70)
6. Machrihanish Dunes – est. 2009, David McLay Kidd architect (7,082 yards, par 72)
7. Old Course – “Considered to be the oldest course in the world.” (7,292 yards, par 72)
8. Brora – est. 1891, James Braid architect (6,211 yards, par 70)
9. Murcar – est. 1909, Archie Simpson (6,516 yards, par 69)
10. Nairn – est. 1887, Archie Simpson, then Old Tom Morris and finally James Braid (6,832 yards, par 71)

The Top Ten Best Golfers of All Time

By Chris Price (howtheyplay.com)

1. Jack Nicklaus (Born 1940), winner of 18 Majors. His 73 PGA Tour wins ranks 3rd all time, behind Sam Snead’s and Tiger Woods’ 82.
2. Tiger Woods (Born 1975), winner 15 Majors and 82 PGA tournaments, which is T1 with Sam Snead.
3. Ben Hogan (1912 – 2002), won seven Majors.
4. Walter Hagen (1892 to 1969) won 11 Majors.
5. Bobby Jones (1902 – 1971) won13 Majors, including the Grand Slam in 1930. At that time, the four Majors were: The British Amateur, The British Open, U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur.
6. Gary Player (Born 1935) won nine Majors.
7. Sam Snead (1912 – 2002), who won 7 Majors. His 82 PGA Tour victories are tied for 1st all-time with Tiger Woods.
8. Tom Watson (Born 1949), winner of eight Majors – Masters 1977 & 1981; U.S. Open 1982 and British Open 1975, ‘77, ‘80, ’82 & ’83.
9. Byron Nelson (1912 – 2006), who five Majors.
10. Arnold Palmer (1929 – 2016), winner of seven Majors.

14 books every self-respecting golfer should read

Golf Magazine editors

1. Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf by Ben Hogan
2. The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods by Hank Haney
3. The Greatest Game Ever Played By Mark Frost
4. Leslie Nielson’s Stupid Little Golf Book by Leslie Nielson and Henry Beard
5. Golf is Not a Game of Perfect by Bob Rotella
6. Golf in the Kingdom by Michael Murphy
7. The Bogey Man: A Month on the PGA Tour by George Plimpton
8. To the Linksland: A Golfing Adventure by Michael Bamberger
9. The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever by Mark Frost
10. Final Rounds: A Father, A Son, The Golf Journey of a Lifetime by James Dodson
11. I Call Him “Mr. President”: Stories of Golf, Fishing, and Life with My Friend George H. W. Bush by Ken Raynor and Michael Patrick Shiels
12. The Complete Golfer Edited by Herbert Warren Wind
13. The Dogged Victims of Inexorable Fate by Dan Jenkins
14. Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf by Harvey Penick with Bud Shrake

7 Golf Records That Will Never Be Broken…

(Michael Weston, Golf Monthly, 2021)

1. Jack Nicklaus’ 18 Majors
2. Tiger Woods’ 142 straight cuts (Between 1998 and 2003.)
3. Byron Nelson’s 11 consecutive wins in 1945
4. Lydia Ko’s 10 LPGA Tour victories before turning 19
5. Jack Nicklaus’ 24 years between first and last Major win
6. Tiger Woods’ 683 weeks at World No.1
7. Phil Mickelson’s 26-year stay inside the world’s top 50 (Nov. 28, 1993 to Nov. 5, 2019)

12 Best Golf Movies, Ranked

(golfderby.com)

1. Tin Cup (1996)
2. Caddyshack (1980)
3. Happy Gilmore (1996)
4. The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)
5. The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
6. Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)
7. Pat and Mike (1952)
8. Tommy’s Honour (2016)
9. The Caddy (1953)
10. A Gentleman’s Game (2002)
11. From the Rough (2013)
12. Seven Days in Utopia (2011)

Highest Paid Golfers Off The Course

(Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico -- 2021)

1. Tiger Woods -- $62 million
2. Phil Mickelson -- $42 million
3. Rory McIlroy -- $28 million
4. Jordan Spieth – $25 million
5. Dustin Johnson -- $16 million
6. Hideki Matsuyama -- $10 million
7. Bryson DeChambeau -- $9 million
8. Justin Thomas -- $7 million
9.  Xander Schauffele: -- $7 million
10. Jon Rahm -- $6 million

Ben Crenshaw’s Top 10 Courses in the World

1. The Old Course at St. Andrews  
2.  Royal Melbourne – Australia
3.  Augusta National GC 
4.  Pine Valley  
5. National Golf Links of America -- Southampton  
6. Shinnecock Hills GC --  Southampton
7. Kingston Heath -- Victoria, Australia
8. Cypress Point 
9.  Chicago Golf Club
10.  Pinehurst No. 2.

Six still remarkable stats from Jack Nicklaus' illustrious career

(Christopher Powers, Golf Digest)

1. At age 58, Nicklaus carded the lowest final round (68) for a senior in Masters history in 1998. He finished T-6, also setting the record for lowest total score for a senior.
2. In 44 majors from 1970-1980, Nicklaus missed ONE cut. In that span he finished inside the top 10 38 times and 30 of those were in the Top 5. He won 10 of those times.
3. Nicklaus has 19 runner-up finishes in majors, and five of those came in a playoff or by one stroke. Three of those times he was edged out by Lee Trevino, who beat him in the 1971 U.S. Open in a playoff, then beat him by one stroke at the 1972 Open Championship and 1974 PGA Championship.
4. For his career, Nicklaus has 68 finishes of 7^th or better at majors.
5. Nicklaus made the cut in 39 straight majors from the 1969 Masters to the 1978 Open Championship. Tiger Woods matched that streak with his run from the 1996 US Open to the 2006 Masters.
6. Nicklaus and Tiger Woods are the only two players to achieve three career grand slams.

The Committee’s Five All-Time Favorite Quotes:

“Golf is 20 percent mechanics and technique. The other 80 percent is philosophy, humor, tragedy, romance, melodrama, companionship, camaraderie, cussedness and conversation.”

-- Sportswriter Grantland Rice (1880 to 1954).

“I have noticed, and I suppose other people have noticed, that in the golf education of every man there is a definitive point at which he may be said to have crossed the dividing line – the Rubicon, as it were – that separates the golfer from the non-golfer. This moment comes immediately after his first good drive.” – English humorist P.G. Wodehouse (1881 to 1975), from his book, The Clicking of Cuthbert, which was originally published in 1922.

 “I love rotten weather. The founders of the game accepted nature for what it gave or what it took away. Wind and rain are great challenges. They separate real golfers. Let the seas pound against the shore. Let the rains pour.” – Eight-time Major winner Tom Watson.

“Golf reminds you of your mortality. Like life, a round of golf begins in easy optimism, progresses through a lengthy middle period in which hope and despair are mingled, deteriorates into regret, confusion, and resignation, and comes abruptly to an end. Teeing off on the tenth hole, I usually find myself feeling pretty much the way I did when I turned thirty-five: Hey, what happened to the first nine? Then: Oh, well, maybe I’ll birdie in. Being reminded of one’s mortality is good for one’s game.  If you knew you were going to live forever, how hard to you think you work on your putting?” – Author/columnist David Owen (Born 1955). He has written more than a dozen books, including three wonderful golf books, My Usual Game and Hit & Hope and Making of the Masters.

One of the great off-the-cuff quotes of all time: “No, my dad was fun.” – PGA pro Phil Mickelson, when asked if his dad was like Tiger Woods’ father, Earl.