With the golf season not just in full swing, but nearing the finish line, we figured we could brush up on the fundamentals of golf in this Fast Fact segment, sponsored by BMO Harris Bank.
Origin of “Golf”
- The word golf is derived from the Dutch word for club… which is “kolf.”
- The first golf balls were made of feathers and leather. Very different from today’s rubber core and patented honeycomb outer design.
Current State of Golf
- There are currently 34,000 golf courses worldwide.
- Illinois is home to nearly 400 registered golf courses.
Fun Golf Facts
- Apollo 14 astronaut Alan Shepard used a 6 iron to play golf on the moon.
- If you walk all 18 holes on a typical regulation size course, you’ll walk roughly four miles… maybe a little more if you find yourself searching high and low.
- The odds of making two holes-in-one in a single round is 1 in 67 million!
Local Golf Facts
- Naperville Country Club is home to the Annual Vern McGonagle Golf Tournament, which hosts local boys and girls high school programs.
- This year the club is celebrating its 100th year
- Naperville North Boys Golf is the only local program to bring home a state championship (1989/1994).
- Neuqua Valley Girls Golf was state runner up in 2000.
- There has been only one boys individual state championship winner – Waubonsie Valley’s Thomas O’Bryan in 2010.
- There have been two individual girls station champions – Neuqua Valley’s Jessica Yuen in 2013 and 2014 and Benet Academy’s Leauren Beaudreau in 2018.
Form more segments like the Fundamentals of Golf Fast Facts, feel free to check out our Naperville Sports Weekly page.