The 2024 Ultimate Guide To Golf

The world of golf has undergone seismic shifts over the last two years which has left most fans head spinning. If you were new to golf, how the hell would you have any idea what’s going on?

In The 2024 Ultimate Guide To Golf, our experts here at Caddyshanks attempt to tell you everything to know, from the golfers who play the game, to the leagues they compete in, to the world of golf gambling, to the rulemakers, the media, and more.

Whether you are a longtime golf junkie or new to the sport, this guide is for you. We’ve left no stone unturned.

Chapter 1: The Best Golfers On Earth

It seemed only natural to begin here. While NFL, MLB, and NBA stars are typically household names in America, golf isn’t quite as big and the names aren’t always as well known, except for Tiger Woods of course.

Ranking Systems: OWGR

The Top 50 

List of currently active major champions 

Chapter 2: The Modern Golf Landscape

How the hell does professional golf work? Who are the players involved?

The PGA Tour

Headquarters: Ponte Vedra, Florida, USA

CEO: Jay Monahan

Formed in 1968, The PGA Tour is the big man on campus. The largest professional golf league in the world. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, as well as the PGA Tour Champions (age 50 and older) and the Korn Ferry Tour (for professional players who have not yet qualified to play on the PGA Tour), as well as the PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour Latinoamérica.

The PGA Tour does not own golfs four major championships; The Masters, The US Open, The Open, and The PGA Championship.

The PGA Tours most highly regarded event is The Players Championship, which is held at TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course every March. It is known as the “unofficial 5th major” to many golf fans.

LIV Golf

The Four Majors

The Masters: 

The U.S. Open: 

The Open: 

The PGA Championship: 

The PGA of America

The PGA Tour actually broke off from The PGA of America in 1968. Without the tour players, the PGA of America became primarily an association of club professionals, but retained control of two significant events; the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup.

The R&A and USGA (they make rules)

The Rollback Debate

Chapter 2: The Media Landscape

Who’s covering golf?

Big Media: Golf Channel, Golf.com, Golf Digest, ESPN, Sports Illustrated

Independent Media: NLU, TFE, Barstool, Caddyshanks, Datagolf, Hypegolf

Social Media: Paige Spiranac, BDS, CCA,

Chapter 3: The Companies

Who are the major manufacturers? What’s their market share? How often do they release new stuff?

Titleist (Acushnet)

Callaway

TaylorMade

PXG

Ping

Cleveland/Srixon

Mizuno

Cobra

Who are the brands to watch?

Malbon

Chapter 4: Gambling on Golf

How To Gamble On The Pros

How To Gamble with Your Buddies