Harry Vardon
A golfer who dominated with six Open Championships and a graceful, powerful swing that defined the modern game and its first superstar.
1870–1937 (age 67)·Jersey professional golfer·Birthday: May 9·The Gilded Age
Biography
Harry Vardon rose from a humble background as a gardener's assistant on the island of Jersey to become the figure who shaped professional golf's early image. His signature was the 'Vardon Grip,' the overlapping style that became the standard, and a powerful, rhythmic swing that earned him the nickname 'The Stylist.' Alongside John Henry Taylor and James Braid, he formed the 'Great Triumvirate' that dominated British golf for two decades, with Vardon setting the gold standard by winning a record six Open Championships. His 1900 trip to America, where he won the U.S. Open while showcasing his elegant game on a barnstorming exhibition tour, was pivotal; it transatlanticized the sport's appeal and raised the status of the professional player from hired hand to attraction. Even a late-life battle with tuberculosis couldn't fully dim his competitive fire, and his name endures not just on trophies but on the grip used by nearly every great player who followed.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Harry was born in 1870, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Harry Was Born
The biggest hits of 1870
Harry's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1870Born
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1875Started school
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1883Became a teenager
President: Chester A. Arthur
1886Could drive
Statue of Liberty dedicated in New York Harbor
President: Grover Cleveland
1888Could vote
President: Grover Cleveland
1891Turned 21
President: Benjamin Harrison
1900Turned 30
Boxer Rebellion in China
President: William McKinley
1910Turned 40
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1920Turned 50
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1930Turned 60
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1937Died at 67
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
Key Achievements
- Won The Open Championship a record six times (1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, 1914).
- Captured the 1900 U.S. Open during a groundbreaking exhibition tour of America that popularized golf there.
- His total of seven major championship wins (six Opens, one U.S. Open) remains the most for any golfer from Great Britain and Ireland.
- Popularized the 'Vardon Grip' (the overlapping grip), which became the standard technique for holding a golf club.
Did You Know?
He did not take up golf until age 7, and initially worked as a caddie and garden assistant.
Vardon suffered from tuberculosis in his forties, which significantly impacted his playing career for a period.
The PGA Tour's annual award for the player with the lowest scoring average is named the Vardon Trophy.
He was known for his distinctive and meticulous dress on the course, often wearing a stiff collar, tie, and buttoned jacket.
“Keep your head still and let the club do the work.”
