Harry Vardon: Golf’s First International Celebrity

Posted on April 30, 2018

Golf has seen many great players who have helped shape and redefine how the game is played. One such golfer is “The Stylist” Harry Vardon, who stands alone in the record books with his 6 Open Championships. Along with being a major champion record holder, Vardon was influential in spreading the popularity of golf in England and the United States. Through both victory and defeat, his impact on the game is everlasting.

Harry Vardon was born on May 9, 1870 in Grouville, Jersey, part of the Channel Islands which are located between England and France. During his childhood a new golf course was constructed in his hometown, the Royal Jersey Golf Club, as golf’s influence began to spread beyond Scotland. However, Vardon didn’t begin golfing regularly until his teenage years when he became a caddie. From the start of his playing days it became obvious he had natural talent. His younger brother Tom Vardon shared an interest in golf and moved to England in pursuit of a golf career. Upon hearing of Tom’s success Harry soon followed suit. In 1890, Harry Vardon became the greenskeeper at Studley Royal Golf Club in Yorks, England.

By age 20, Vardon turned professional and developed an ambitious and demanding practice program for himself. His stature was smaller than his contemporaries, so in order to maintain a competitive edge he developed an upright swing. Vardon’s new swing was unique to the time as most golfers of the era used a slapshot style swing to keep the ball low in the windy conditions of St. Andrews. The swing was known as the “Saint Andrews Swing.” Vardon however created a swing which made his ball fly higher, which gave his ball more carry and created a softer landing. His unique swing was the first to include an upright balanced finish, resembling what we see nowadays, instead of the Saint Andrews Swing where most would finish off balance.

His upright swing wasn’t the only thing unique about Vardon. Vardon was the first golfer to play in knickerbockers. A style which quickly became adopted by many golfers of the era. Along with knickers, Vardon would don a dress shirt, tie and buttoned suit jacket, which became his signature look. Vardon debuted his look during his first major win at the 1896 Open Championship. Always the gamesman, Vardon would strategically have the inner lining of his suit jackets removed to increase his range of motion. Vardon went on to win the Open Championship five more times in 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, and finally in 1914. Vardon still holds the record for most Open Championships with an unprecedented 6 Claret Jugs.

Along with changing the overall swing, Vardon popularized the overlapping grip, which became known as the Vardon Grip. The Vardon Grip is where the pinky finger of the dominant hand overlaps the index finger of the non-dominant hand on the golf club. The Vardon Grip is still used by a majority of professional golfers.

During the prime of Vardon’s career he was part of a famed rivalry between James Braid and J.H. Taylor, the three together formed the “Great Triumvirate”. The Great Triumvirate dominated the world’s golf scene from the mid-1890s to the mid-1910s. While Vardon stands alone with his 6 Open Championships, Braid and Taylor each claimed 5 Claret Jugs of their own during the trio’s supremacy. The rivalry grew the public’s interest in golf and helped Vardon became golf’s first international celebrity. In 1900, Vardon and Taylor toured the United States and Canada performing exhibition matches. During the tour, Vardon was promoting his Vardon Flyer golf ball, a Spalding gutta-percha golf ball. He was one of the earliest golfers to receive equipment endorsements. Vardon ended the exhibition tour with a win at the 1900 U.S. Open Championship at the Chicago Golf Club, with Taylor placing second.

Vardon would return to compete in the U.S. Open Championship again in 1913. This time however, Vardon finished second after a playoff with a relatively unknown amateur, Francis Ouimet. Ouimet was a caddie who grew up across from The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, which hosted that year’s tournament. The 1913 U.S. Open was determined by an 18-hole playoff between Ouimet, Vardon and fellow Englishman Ted Ray. The match would later become known as “The Greatest Game Ever Played” (turned into a novel & movie). Ouimet’s underdog victory ignited the United States’ interest in professional golf. Vardon and Ouimet would face each other again the following year at the 1914 Open Championship when Ouimet made the trip to Prestwick in Scotland with the help of funding from friends. During that meeting Vardon emerged victorious, winning the last of his record 6 Open Championships, and finishing 26 strokes better than Ouimet.

Prior to his famed duel with Ouimet, in 1903 Vardon won his fourth Open Championship with his second wire-to-wire victory. Later that year, Vardon was struck with tuberculosis. His game never returned to 100% after that, but he was able to recover well enough to win his fifth and sixth Open Championships in 1911 and 1914. World War I interrupted Vardon’s chances of earning even more Open Championships with the tournament being suspended from 1915 through 1919. By 1920, Vardon was out of his prime as he entered his 50’s. He did a final exhibition tour in the United States and competed in the 1920 U.S. Open Championship where he tied for second place. After Vardon retired from competitive golf he took up course design in England and wrote instructional books on golf. His book The Gist of Golf and The Complete Golfer are considered classics.

On March 20, 1937 Vardon passed away in London. He left a legacy consisting of 49 professional wins, including seven major championships, the Vardon Grip, an evolution of the golf swing, and an impact on the game that helped popularize golf in England and the United States. Following his passing the PGA of America created the “Vardon Trophy” which is awarded annually to the professional with the lowest stroke average on the PGA Tour. Similarly the European Tour awards the “Harry Vardon Trophy” to the winner of the Race to Dubai. Harry Vardon was a member of the inaugural inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.

Categories: Legends of Golf