In golf, there is something known as the “grand slam.”
This is a term used to describe when a player achieves all four of the major championships in one year.
It is considered to be the ultimate accomplishment in golf.
In this blog post, we will discuss what the grand slam is and how you can achieve it!
Here's What We'll Cover
How did the Grand Slam begin?
The idea of what is now known as a grand slam in golf originated with Bobby Jones, who won what was then considered to be the four majors in 1930.
He did this by winning both the U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, British Open, and British Amateur championships.
While these aren’t the majors of today’s game, they were considered to be the most prestigious tournaments at that time.
The PGA Championship started in 1916, while The Masters started in 1934.
Which tournaments are in the grand slam?
The four majors in golf are currently considered to be the U.S. Open, The Open Championship, the PGA Championship, and The Masters.
Although the PGA Championship started in 1916 and The Masters started in 1934, the U.S. Amateur and British Amateur were considered majors until 1960.
This happened when Arnold Palmer won the first two majors of the year and was chasing the grand slam, which is why he entered the British Open for the first time.
He went on to place second in the British Open and tied for seventh in the PGA Championship, failing to get the grand slam.
Has anyone achieved the grand slam?
No golfer has achieved the modern-day grand slam, which would be winning all four majors in one year.
There have only been two golfers who have won three majors in the same year:
- Ben Hogan (1953): He won The Masters, U.S. Open, and British Open but was unable to play in the PGA Championship due to an overlap in dates. People reference this achievement as his “Triple Crown.”
- Tiger Woods (2000): After losing the first major of the year (The Masters), Woods went on have three of the best major performances you’ll ever see, breaking multiple records during the year.
What’s the career grand slam in golf?
Similar to the grand slam in golf, the career grand slam is winning each of the four majors during your career.
As we’ve covered, this includes The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA Championship.
Has anyone achieved the career grand slam?
While Bobby Jones is the only golfer to win the original grand slam, there have been a few golfers to win the modern career grand slam:
- Jack Nicklaus (3x)
- Tiger Woods (3x)
- Ben Hogan (1x)
- Gene Sarazen (1x)
They’re among the golfers with the most majors, so it makes sense.
Are there any other types of grand slams?
There is only one other variation of the grand slam you should know about.
After winning the last three major events of 2000, Tiger Woods went on to win The Masters to start off 2001, which means he held all four major titles at the same time.
It’s something no other golfer had done, and it’s been called “The Tiger Slam” since that day.
To this day, no other golfer has accomplished this feat.
Final thoughts
While the grand slam is one of the most difficult feats to achieve, it’s what every PGA golfer strives for in their career.
Whether they’re trying to achieve it in one year or over the course of their career, the grand slam is a rare and incredible accomplishment only the best of the best can achieve.
That’s everything you need to know about the grand slam in golf, how you can achieve it, and the history of it!
