Golf is one of the world’s oldest sports. It developed during the 15th century in Scotland. Golf became so popular that King James II banned the sport in 1457 because it was distracting citizens from preparing for an Auld Enemy invasion. Scotland’s King James IV became the first ruling monarch to play golf in 1502, and the sport spread throughout Europe over the following century. Despite golf’s long, international history, it may surprise some to learn that the sport has featured at several modern Olympic competitions and may have a future at the Summer Olympic Games.
The United States Golf Association (USGA) was established in 1894, two years before the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece. Within a few years, the organization was managing hundreds of golf clubs throughout the country. Numerous commercial sponsors were interested in funding the sport, leading to America’s rapid evolution into the global hub for the international game. Unsurprisingly, US golfers have consistently performed well on the Olympic stage.
Golf did not feature at the first modern Olympic competition in 1896. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognizes the 1900 Paris Olympics as the sport’s Olympic debut. However, the competition was not viewed as part of the event at the time, and medals were retroactively added to Olympic medal counts. The golf competition was unique in that it featured tournaments for both men and women at a time when the vast majority of disciplines were limited to male athletes.
The event took place at the Compiegne Club, one of just 25 golf courses in France at the time. There were many events during the Olympic Games, but only the men’s and women’s individual stroke play competitions received IOC recognition. Amateur men contested 36 holes, while the women played nine holes. American Charles Sands of the St. Andrews Golf Club in Yonkers, New York, completed the event in 167 strokes, edging Scotland’s Walter Rutherford by a single stroke. David Robertson, also of Scotland, placed third.
The women’s event represents a historic moment in Olympic history. It is viewed as the first women’s Olympic event, and Margaret Abbott of the Chicago Golf Club is credited as the first woman to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games, although Abbott was unaware of this fact during her lifetime. Interestingly, Margaret competed against her mother, Mary Abbott, who placed seventh overall. They remain the only mother-daughter pair to compete in the same Olympic event at the same time.
Golf returned to the St. Louis Olympics in 1904. The women’s event was dropped in favor of a team competition, and the men’s individual tournament shifted to match play rules. Only the US and Canada competed, with America claiming gold in the team event and George Lyon of Canada winning the individual tournament. The 1908 and 1920 golf tournaments were planned but canceled shortly before the games took place.
During an IOC meeting in 2009, the IOC elected to reinstate golf as an Olympic sport ahead of the 2016 event in Brazil. Golf returned to the Olympics during the 2020 Tokyo Games and is scheduled for the Paris Olympics in 2024, 124 years after the sport first debuted in France.
