Harry Vardon

Still, as a child he played very few actual rounds of golf, never had a lesson and at age 13 became an apprentice gardener. He played in a few tournaments into his late teens and didn’t decide to make it a career until he saw that his younger brother, Tom, had turned professional and was doing well in tournaments. But Vardon was made for golf. Although only 5’9″ inches and 155 pounds, he had enormous hands that melted perfectly around the club. He also possessed a sweet, peaceful temperament.

Most of all, Vardon had a swing that repeated monotonously. His swing was more upright and his ball flight higher than his contemporaries, giving Vardon’s approach shots the advantage of greater carry and softer landing. He took only the thinnest of divots.

Vardon played in knickers (the first professional to do so), fancy-topped stockings, a hard collar and tie and tightly buttoned jacket, but still there was a wonderful freedom to his movement. He allowed his left arm to bend as he reached the top of the backswing, and there was a lack of muscular stress or tension at any part of the swing. “Relaxation,” he said, “added to a few necessary fundamental principles, is the basis of this great game.”

Vardon won the Open Championship in 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911 and, at the age of 44, 1914. He was second on four other occasions.