Gene Sarazen · Players · The Clubhouse

Player

Gene Sarazen

First player to complete the career Grand Slam; hit the 'shot heard round the world,' a double eagle on the 15th at the 1935 Masters.

high confidence

Caddie's note

"Every time a member blades one out of the trap, I tell them to thank Sarazen — before him, bunkers were basically a penalty stroke with no good tool to escape."

What you can steal

If a shot you need doesn't exist, invent it — Sarazen literally built a new club (the sand wedge) because he couldn't get out of bunkers reliably.

Details

Era: 1920-1930s (born 1902, died 1999)
Tour: historical
Swing Type: compact, powerful, self-taught from a caddie's grip-it-and-rip-it background
Nationality: American
Notable Wins: 7 majors (U.S. Open 1922 & 1932, PGA Championship 1922, 1923 & 1933, Open Championship 1932, Masters 1935)
Equipment Notes: Played hickory shafts early, transitioned to steel; invented the modern sand wedge in 1932 by soldering a flange onto the back of a niblick, debuting it in secret at the 1932 Open Championship, which he won.

Source: web verified · high confidence