The Dominance of Golf’s Most Accomplished Players

Over the years, the world of golf has seen some of the greatest athletes of all time dominate the sport. Not merely dominating in one or two tournaments, but rather, players who were so good that everyone else was simply vying for second place. Here are eight of the greatest players to ever pick up an iron.

Jack Nicklaus

Arguably the great player of all time, there is barely anything that Jack Nicklaus hasn’t done or achieved. The Ohio native began his pro career in 1961 and was the man to beat every time he stepped foot onto a course. 

If Online Sports Betting were around back when he played, betting on him to win would be a sure thing 95% of the time. With 73 tour wins, 18 major wins, and many other achievements, Nicklaus was, and will forever be, one of the faces of golf. 

Tiger Woods

If Jack Nicklaus was the King of Golf in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, then Tiger Woods was the king of the course in the 90s and 2000s. Very few players have done what Tiger has done, Jacl and another great Sam Snead being two. 

Woods is tied for first with the most tour wins on 82 and 15 majors, including going back-to-back twice in the PGA Championship in 1999 and 2000 and 2006 and 2007. He has been the PGA Player of the Year 11 times and was inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame in 2021. 

Sam Snead

Many people tend to forget that there was the great Sam Snead before Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Turning pro in 1934, Snead was seen as the first “Greatest Of All Time,” or G.O.A.T, of golf in many people’s eyes. 

Snead won 82 PGA Tour tournaments, and while he only won seven majors, that was an astounding accomplishment for the time. 

Ben Hogan

Ben Hogan is a player slightly below Nicklaus, Snead, and Woods but no less influential. Going pro in 1930, Hogan would reach his peak in the mid-40s and 50s, racking up win after win, with seemingly no one to challenge him. 

Hogan won 64 PGA Tour titles, putting him 4th in the all-time list behind the abovementioned players. He also won seven majors. 

Arnold Palmer

Arnold Palmer was another player who paved the way for modern-day golfers. Starting in 1954, Palmer would win 62 PGA Tour titles and seven majors, finishing his career with 95 professional wins. 

While many younger fans won’t quite understand just how huge Palmer was in his heyday, he has left a lasting impact with his technique, prowess with a club in hand, personality, and how he handled himself on the course. Not to mention, he has a delicious drink named after him. 

Walter Hagen

A very tiny portion of people are alive today who would have seen Walter Hagen play, but that doesn’t mean his legacy hasn’t lived on. Hagen turned pro in 1912 and is widely credited as one of the players that led to the creation of professional golf. 

When he wasn’t pushing the sport forward off the course, he was dominating it. Hagen had 52 professional wins in his career, a staggering number considering he was playing when pro golf was in its infancy. He also won 11 majors, bagging nine in the 20s alone. 

Bobby Jones

Bobby Jones is another name that almost any golf lover, or even mild fan, has undoubtedly heard of. Not only is he one of the greatest sportsmen of all time, but his work off the course cemented his legendary status. 

In 1930, Jones stunned the world. He became the first player to win the “pre-Masters Grand Slam,” winning the British Amateur, the U.S. Amateur, the Open Championship, and U.S Open. Jones famously also bet on himself to achieve this feat before the first tournament; at 50-1, he picked up a cool $60,000. 

In addition to his multiple feats on the course, Jones was an incredibly talented innovator. In 1932, he designed the very first set of matched clubs for Spalding and founded Augusta National Golf Club and Peachtree Golf Club. 

Gary Player

South Africa has produced some incredible golfers, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, to name a few. However, when you think of South African golfing powerhouses, you don’t need to look further than the great Gary Player. 

With 158 professional wins and 9 Majors to his name, Gary Player is easily the most dominant and successful player to come out of the continent of Africa, not to mention the tremendous work he has done for the sport and developing young players worldwide. 

These eight players were the ones that set the standard when they were playing, they were the ones that their competitors feared, and they were the ones that had to try very hard to lose. When it comes to dominant players, it can’t get any better than this.