Youth Ambassadors tour World Golf Hall of Fame

Youth Ambassadors tour World Golf Hall of Fame

Emily Wilson, Youth Ambassador
St Augustine High School, Class of 2017
Special to Historic City News

The Youth Ambassadors recently met at the World Golf Hall of Fame. We toured the museum, looking at exhibits showcasing golfers who had been inducted into the Hall of Fame. We also learned stories about some of the golfers, facts about golf, and its origin.

One of the first things we did in the museum was look at the recent inductees, as well as the older inductees. While touring the museum, a volunteer told us a story about a golfer named Nancy Lopez. When she was young, her father wanted her to practice golf and prepare for the New Mexico Women’s Amateur golf competition. Instead, she wanted to play with her Barbie dolls. So her father promised her that if she won the upcoming competition, he would buy her a brand new Barbie. Nancy was able to win the New Mexico Women’s Amateur golf competition at the young age of 12. That very Barbie doll sits in her locker at the Hall of Fame Museum.

While touring the museum, the Youth Ambassadors learned about the origin of golf, and also learned some fun facts about golf. One interesting fact we learned was how bunkers became part of golf courses. In Scotland, golf was played on courses they called links. Links are natural Scottish landscapes that typically contain grasslands, rivers, and sandy areas. During the early years of golf the links were utilized by sheep and cattle. These animals dug sandpits to protect them from the wind and elements. Early golfers decided it was easier to incorporate the sand pits than try to fill them. These became hazards for it was not financially viable to remove the many sand pits littering the links course. Over the years as golf grew, these sand pits were groomed and shaped into what we know as the common day sand trap or bunker.

The Youth Ambassadors also toured the tower which has a glass chandelier that is shaped to resemble what is believed to be the perfect golf swing. There are also many expensive trophies located in the tower of the museum. The most expensive trophy is worth approximately two million dollars.

While at the museum, we also were able to take a swing on a golf simulator. Most everyone tried to hit a drive on the simulator, including me. It doesn’t appear that we have a Tiger Woods in the Youth Ambassador group, unfortunately. But we all had fun!