Did Golf Ignite America's Thirst for Scotch?

So here's what we know about golf's history in the United States: Golf was introduced at the end of the 18th-century and it took nearly 100 years to really catch-on here in America. In the mid-1890's, golf courses began springing up and the USGA (known at the time as the Amateur Golf Association of the United States) was created.

But, there's a part of golf's U.S. history that is rather intriguing; as golf became popular here in the States, so did, coincidentally, the consumption of Scotch Whisky. This parallel was first introduced to me through a book I'm currently reading called "And a Bottle of Rum." While the book's main focus is on rum's history in the New World, there's a point where the author writes the following:

"Scotch, brought into fashion by the golf craze that swept the nation in the 1890's, began its decades-long fling with popularity."

That statement immediately had me searching the internet for answers. I wanted to learn more about golf's influence on Scotch drinking in the U.S. Unfortunately, there's not much to be had about that on the information super highway.

I was able to find the following excerpt from a book published in 1902:

"Some say that it [Scotch Whisky] came into fashion with golf, others that the increase is due to the recommendations of doctors, or that the habit was introduced by travelers from the United Kingdom."

Interestingly, the book the previous excerpt came from was a 1901 British consular report on trade and commerce for San Francisco, but says nothing more regarding golf's influence on Scotch here in America.

Oh, there are plenty of things on the net about Scotch and golf (like this piece on pgatour.com and this from the Travelstart Blog). And there's even mention of golf being a "gentleman's game" and Scotch being a "gentleman's drink." In fact, here's a quote from a site called The Gentleman Blog where they recommend taking a moment at the end of your swing to enjoy what golf has to offer:

"...a good follow through is needed so that you can have that solitary moment where you take in the beauty of the course and the serenity that comes with golf (this is before you get angry at how terribly you sliced the ball). It�s this moment that makes golf worthwhile. It�s the moment where you are at one with the club, the course and that hip-flask of Scotch in your breast pocket."

So sure, golf and Scotch seem to go hand-in-hand. But as for answers on how Scotch became all the rage in the United States, I found very little. Perhaps the author of "And a Bottle of Rum" got his information from the 1901 British consular report? It's all a bit of a mystery. Of course, it probably doesn't really matter. All that matters is what we do know:

"We borrowed golf from Scotland as we borrowed whiskey. Not because it is Scottish, but because it is good." - Horace Hutchinson; English golfer, sportsman, and writer.

Enjoy.

Posted in: and a bottle of rum,gentleman blog,golf,golf stinks,golfstinks,pgatour.com,scotch,whiskey,whisky