GOLF’s 60th anniversary: A look back at the events that made the 1960s

From the inaugural April 1959 issue to the latest one that’s been delivered to your home, we’ve covered every moment, invention and trend in golf — a smart, independent voice for the game we love. We’ve made a bunch of aces (and a few double-bogeys) over the past 700-plus issues. Here, we celebrate some of the most memorable of them.

Let’s enjoy a trip back in time to GOLF in the 1960s.

Remember when…

-Kennedy elected President
-America enters Vietnam
-Armstrong walks on the moon
-Woodstock
-Arnold Palmer wins six of his seven majors

Player of the Decade: Arnold Palmer

During this time, we have been privileged to witness the rise of Arnold Palmer, who has provided us and millions more with thrills and excitement unmatched in the game’s history. Just as Jones shared the spotlight with Hagen and Sarazen, and Hogan and Snead and Nelson, Palmer has had his with Nicklaus, Player, Casper and Boros. It is not to their discredit that the decade will go down as the Age of Palmer. —“The Age of Palmer” (Dec. 1969)

A Story We Got Right (Oct. 1968)

“Golf Still Has a Long Way to Go to Achieve Racial Equality”

The Birth of Stretchwear

“What is stretch? It’s a fabric’s ability to return to its original shape after being extended. Stretch sportswear is designed to give you freedon of movement.” (Apr. 1965)

You’re Damn Right It Will! (Letters, April 1959)

I am delighted to know that you are projecting a first-class magazine devoted entirely to golf. With the growth of the game already evidenced in the past decade or so and the prospective for the future, I think you have reason to hope for good success. Certainly, a golf magazine of high quality should do much for the game. —Bob Jones

Ball of the Decade: The Spalding Dot

GOLF’s Battle of the Sexes

“I Say, Ban Women Golfers!”
By Oscar Fraley (Oct. 1964)

“I’m a rather normal American male, with normal American male instincts, and I honor the notion, with or without music, that there is nothing like a dame. But why do they have to foul up a great game like golf?”

“The Women Strike Back”
By Joan Donofrio (Dec. 1964)

“Fraley, you’re the kind of man the game and the nation could do without. Vain, jealous, petty, cowardly, stupid, cruel, fatuous, platitudinous, spiteful, nasty, shallow, self-important and just plain silly.”

Peace, Love and FootJoys!

Kick-ins (1959-1969)

STRANGEST CELEBRITY FEATURE

Phyllis Diller: “The Subtle Way to Better Golf” (Feb. 1968)

GOLF’S HIGHBROW WRITER OF THE DECADE

Gay Talese: “Architect of the Fairways” (June 1959)

A HEADLINE WE GOT RIGHT

“The Myrtle Beach Area Is Blossoming Into a Year-Round Golf Haven” (Sept. 1968)

YOU ASKED FOR IT!

“Pro Golf Needs a ‘Minor League’ Tour” by Fred Corcoran (Aug. 1964)

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