Harry Vardon

1870 - 1937

Harry Vardon was a champion golfer and member of the Great Triumvirate of the sport, together with J.H.Taylor and James Braid. During his career Vardon won 62 golf tournaments, including six British Open Championship titles, 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911 and 1914, and the U.S. Open in 1900. As well as being a professional golfer he was a golf course architect, designing several courses in Britain. Vardon was one of golf's first superstars in the era of hickory golf clubs and gutta percha golf balls. With his reputation and his tremendous golf skills, Vardon wrote several books on the game of golf including 'The Complete Golfer', 'How to Play Golf' and 'Progressive Golf'. Harry is also well known for the 'Vardon Grip', or overlapping grip, although he did not in fact invent the grip, he popularised it, and it is still the most popular grip amongst professional golfers today.

Henry William "Harry" Vardon was born in Grouville, Jersey, in the Channel Islands and he grew up with five brothers and two sisters. Harry did not play much golf as a youngster and never had a lesson. On leaving school he followed his father to work as a gardener. He played in a few tournaments into his late teens but didn't really decide to make a career in golf until he saw that his younger brother, Tom, already a successful golf professional in England, was doing well in tournaments. In the spring of 1890 Harry moved to England taking a job as greenkeeper

Harry Vardon was a champion golfer and member of the Great Triumvirate of the sport, together with J.H.Taylor and James Braid. During his career Vardon won 62 golf tournaments, including six British Open Championship titles, 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911 and 1914, and the U.S. Open in 1900. As well as being a professional golfer he was a golf course architect, designing several courses in Britain. Vardon was one of golf's first superstars in the era of hickory golf clubs and gutta percha golf balls. With his reputation and his tremendous golf skills, Vardon wrote several books on the game of golf including 'The Complete Golfer', 'How to Play Golf' and 'Progressive Golf'. Harry is also well known for the 'Vardon Grip', or overlapping grip, although he did not in fact invent the grip, he popularised it, and it is still the most popular grip amongst professional golfers today.

Henry William "Harry" Vardon was born in Grouville, Jersey, in the Channel Islands and he grew up with five brothers and two sisters. Harry did not play much golf as a youngster and never had a lesson. On leaving school he followed his father to work as a gardener. He played in a few tournaments into his late teens but didn't really decide to make a career in golf until he saw that his younger brother, Tom, already a successful golf professional in England, was doing well in tournaments. In the spring of 1890 Harry moved to England taking a job as greenkeeper

at Studley Royal Golf Club, Ripon, North Yorkshire. After some time in Ripon, he moved on to became club professional at Bury Golf Club and in 1896 the club professional at Ganton Golf Club, in Yorkshire. In 1900 he toured the United States with his sponsors, AG Spalding, introducing a new ball, "The Vardon Flyer". During his trip he was paid to endorse Spalding products with his tour taking nearly a year. He played many matches and exhibitions all over the country and it is said losing only two games. The tour ended with him winning the US Open at Wheaton, Illinois.

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