Opinion & Analysis

The Grandfather of Golf: Old Tom Morris

Published

10 years ago

Jun 30, 2016

I don’t normally do requests, but a GolfWRX reader asked me to consider penning an article featuring Old Tom Morris.

I was lucky enough to be a member of the New Club in St. Andrews for a few years while I worked in Edinburgh in the 1990s. The club and the town hold fantastic memories for me, and I considered my time playing there to be a privilege. Just by being in St. Andrews you get a sense of history. Golf is in the blood; it is part of the fabric of the town. The game that is now played all around the world really stemmed from here, and we have Tom Morris to thank for that. He didn’t invent the game, but you would be hard pressed to find an individual who made such an impact. So I feel like I have a link to the town and the man, who spent a lot of his later life in the New Club.

Imagine working a 12-hour day, including some heavy laboring, digging out gorse, humping sand from the beach, mowing the greens, repairing clubs, making golf balls, giving lessons and then acting as starter for some foursome matches and allocating caddies. Sounds like a busy day, right? But then imagine playing three rounds of golf the very next day (12-hole rounds) to win The Open. Well that’s what Tom Morris did in the 1864, beating 15 other competitors at Prestwick in the fifth British Open. The prize then was £6, a good return when you considered the average annual wage was just twice that. But you can bet Old Tom was back at work the next day. In fact, that seemed like the norm for the average club professional back then. There was little glamour and a lot of hard work.

Thomas Mitchell Morris was born in 1821 in St. Andrews and he started caddying and playing golf from a young age. His father was a weaver, but that industry was in decline and unusually he was hired as an apprentice at age 14 to Allan Robertson, generally regarded as the world’s first professional golfer. He worked with Robertson for several years, making balls and clubs, caddying and playing as his partner in matches. The team became known as “The Invincibles,” and they were never formally beaten. By the time Morris was in his early 20s, he was the second-best player in St. Andrews. He eventually left St. Andrews after falling out with Robertson over golf ball technology (the feathery vs. the guttie), and took a job on the West coast of Scotland at Prestwick in 1851. He returned to St. Andrews in 1865 and took over as Keeper of the Links. He remained at St. Andrews until his death at 87 years old in 1908.

It seems a bit far-fetched but Tom and his peers really were the early pioneers of the professional game of golf. Up to that point, the game was only really for the well-heeled. The landed gentry played their own championships, but it was generally acknowledged that the hacks (the caddies) had much more talent for getting the ball around in fewer strokes. These players, though, were generally socially shunned for various reasons, including raggedy appearance and alcohol use. But over time, and supported by an appetite for gambling, the gentry supported the early advances of the professional game. They found sport backing their favorites to do battle in exhibition matches. Tens of thousands would turn up to watch these matches, with partisan crowds and lots of gambling. Tom was at the right place at the right time and had the perfect combination of talent, hard work and personality to make it happen.

As a golfer, Tom was at least the equal of any man living for a great number of years. Although the first few Opens were rather limited in entrants, his achievements still stand the test of time. For the record, Tom won the Open Championship four times: in 1861, 1862, 1864 and 1867. He still holds the record of the oldest winner at 46 in 1867. And with his son, Young Tom Morris, he holds the record as being part of the only father/son pair to finish as winner and runner up (in 1869).

Tom would have won a lot more if he’d been a better putter. He suffered terribly from the yips, and it seemed to have cost him dearly. Put him 12 feet from the hole and not a better holer-out could be named. But his Achilles heel was 18 inches to two feet. In later life, he improved, but at one point it was a heavy reputation he had to shoulder. Even his son and foursome partner Young Tom was quoted as saying, in jest, “Gin the hole was a yaird nearer him, my fawther wad be a guid putter.” And a practical joker in his day, Wolfe Murray once went so far as to address a letter to “The Misser of Short Putts, Prestwick,” which the postman took straight to the champion.

Not only was he the best player in his day, he was a visionary in terms of club design, course design and green keeping. His use of sand on the greens was discovered by accident. He was carrying sand from the beach to fill a bunker when the wheelbarrow broke and his load was spilled out over a green. He brushed most of it up and got on with his task, but in the following few weeks he discovered a lot of growth in the area where the sand was. Accidentally, he’d invented top dressing. And he also introduced the concept of actively managing hazards (in the past, bunkers and the like were largely left to their own devices, becoming truly “hazardous”).

It’s all too easy to refer to people these days as legends. That status is given very freely, especially in sport and it dilutes the really great ones. But Old Tom was truly one of the legends of the game.

If this story has whetted your appetite, I can recommend a great book: Tommy’s Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf’s Founding Father and Son by Kevin Cook. I hear they are making it into a movie, and I hope they do. It should be great.

Opinion & Analysis

5 Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

Published

2 weeks ago

May 15, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.

Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.

First, meet Min Woo Lee

Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.

Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter

The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.

Third, meet Martin Kaymer

Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.

Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler

Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.

Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger

Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!

Club Junkie

Club Junkie’s Titleist GTS driver fitting results!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.

I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.

To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.

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Club Junkie

Club Junkie WITB, week 16: New Titleist GTS woods!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.

Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s

5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto

Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour

Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag