Modern professional golf began its rise to popularity with the emergence of Arnold Palmer in 1955. The son of a club professional from Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Palmer learned the game as a child. He won the United States Golf Association Amateur Championship in 1954, before entering the professional ranks and dominating in the early 1960s. He won the Masters four times (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964), the British Open back to back in 1961 and 1962, and the U.S. Open in 1960. Palmer won the Seniors Championship, his first event on the Seniors tour, in 1980 and won the U.S. Seniors Open in 1981. Palmer was one of the earliest golfers to use his success on the golf course to create lucrative endorsement and business deals. Legions of fans, known as "Arnie's Army" followed Palmer weekly on the professional tour, and he was responsible for introducing the game to millions.

Further Reading:

McCormack, Mark. Arnie: The Evolution of a Legend. New York, Simon and Schuster, 1967.

Palmer, Arnold, and William Barry Furlong. Go for Broke: My Philosophy of Winning Golf. New York, Simon and Schuster, 1973.