I have often wondered what we consider a true golf legend. Is it stellar play like Scottie Scheffler who rocketed to number one in the world in just 42 days that makes you a legend? Or is it a player like Sam Snead with a longevity of wins that makes you a legend? Or is it somewhere in between? To truly be a legend in a sport might be determined by the individual and not the collective.

After a bit of research, I found that most articles rate the best golfers of all time by their Major wins and prolific other wins. The best one I read outline the 50 best golfers (men and women combined) which pointed out Tiger Woods (3rd), Patty Berg (2nd) and Jack Nicklaus (1st) as the greatest of all time. Any player on that list would probably be considered a legend as few of them are still playing. One could conclude that these players are the legends of golf if we only considered their winning record.

I would suggest other contributors to golf could be considered legends, such as: Pete Dye, Karsten Solheim, Harry S. Colt, Bernard Darwin, or Dr Frank Barney Gorton Stableford. Each of these people have changed the face of golf and influenced its development and prosperity. The funny thing is that they are not really house hold names, yet their contributions cannot be overlooked.

The legends of golf are numerous and varied. My knowledge of the contributions to my favourite sport outside of players is more limited than thought. I think that it is time for me expand my knowledge of golf and see who were/are the influencers during times gone by. These individuals are just as important as the players and fly under the radar. As I find out more about these people, I think they would make a great article. What do you think?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!