By 19th Hole Staff
The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland is hosting an exhibition highlighting all aspects of the game of golf in honor of the sport’s return to Olympic competition next summer in Rio de Janeiro. “Swing!—Golf Returns to the Games” will be previewed at the museum from December 9 until January 31, before the exhibition moves to Rio de Janeiro, where it will be presented in the fan zone at the game’s golf venue. Golf has not been played as an Olympic sport since the 1904 US Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri, and prior to that had only been played in the Games during the 1900 Olympics in Paris, France.
The 1900 Olympics featured 12 men and 10 women competitors, with Charles Sands of the U.S. taking the Gold, and Walter Rutherford and David Robertson of Great Britain taking Silver and Bronze, in the men’s competition. Margaret Abbott, Pauline Whittier and Daria Pratt, all from the U.S., took Gold, Silver and Bronze respectively. The 1904 Olympics featured 77 golfers, all men, who competed both in men’s individual and men’s team competition. With all 77 golfers hailing from North America, teams from the U.S. swept the medals in team competition, while Canadian George Lyon took Gold in the men’s individual competition. Chandler Egan, of the U.S., took Silver, while Burt McKinnie and Francis Newton, also from the U.S., tied for Bronze.
The exhibition, with several “holes,” offers a “walk through the course” experience, enabling visitors to discover everything about the sport, such as equipment, rules, course and golfing icons. The six-hole exhibition design covers six themes, including”Golf Today,” “The Equipment,” “The Game,” “Golf’s Main Courses,” “Golf and its Champions,” and “Golf at the Olympic Games.”
The exhibition was created by the Olympic Museum in partnership with the International Golf Federation, and with assistance from the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum (USA), the R&A, USGA Museum and Golf Canada.
No “green fee” is required as the exhibition is free of charge.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION GO TO: WWW.OLYMPIC.ORG/MUSEUM
