1970
Bill Burke, with a 57 at Normandie C.C., sets the all-time official record for low 18-hole score.
Thad Doker of Durham, N.C., records a record two-under par 70 in the World One Club Championship at Lochmere CC.
1971
Laura Baugh wins the US Amateur at 16 years 2 months of age.
Alan Shepard hits a six-iron at “Fra Mauro Country Club” on the moon.
1972
Carolyn Gidone wins the US Senior Women’s Amateur for a record fifth consecutive time.
Dick Kimbrough completes 364 holes in 24 hours at the 6,068 North Platte CC in Nebraska.
Tom Doty records 10-under-par in four holes at Brookwood CC, Illinois. His streak includes a double-eagle, two holes-in-one, and an eagle.
Spalding introduces the first two-piece ball, the Top-Flite.
Jack Nicklaus completes the first two legs of the modern Grand Slam winning the Masters and the US Open (at Pebble Beach), but like Arnold Palmer in 1960, falters in the British Open by finishing second (to Lee Trevino).
1973
Ben Crenshaw wins the NCAA title for a record 3rd consecutive time. Later in the year, after earning his PGA TOUR card, he wins the first event he plays as a PGA TOUR member, the San Antonio Open.
Johnny Miller fires a record 63 in the final round to win the US Open at Oakmont.
The graphite shaft is invented.
The classic golf book Golf in the Kingdom, by Michael Murphy, is published.
Jack Nicklaus wins the PGA Championship and breaks Bobby Jones’ record for most major victories with his 14th.
1974
Deane Beman is elected as the second PGA TOUR commissioner.
Roberto DeVicenzo scores six birdies, an eagle, and three more birdies for a record 11-under par for ten holes, at Valla Allende GC, Argentina.
The World Golf Hall of Fame is opened in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Mike Austin hits a 515-yard drive at the 1974 National Seniors Open in Las Vegas, Nev., the longest drive ever recorded in competition.
Jack Nicklaus’ Golf My Way is published.
Tom Weiskopf strikes a 420-yard drive in the greenside bunker on the 10th hole at Augusta National-the longest drive in Masters history.
Muirfield Village Golf Club opens from a Desmond Muirhead/Jack Nicklaus design.
The Tournament Players Championship is inaugurated.
1975
Lee Elder becomes the first black golfer to play in the Masters.
Lee Trevino, Jerry Heard and Bobby Nichols are struck by lightning during the 1975 Western Open. The incident prompts new safety standards in weather preparedness at PGA events, but four spectators are killed when struck by lightning during the 1991 U.S. Open at Hazeltine National.
1976
Judy Rankin becomes the first LPGA professional to earn more than $100,000 in a season.
Richard Stanwood sets the record for fewest putts in one round — 15 — at Riverside GC in Pocatello, ID.
The USGA institutes the Overall Distance Standard — golf balls that fly more than 280 yards during a standard test are banned.
1977
Al Geiberger shoots 59 at Colonial CC in the second round of the Memphis Classic, to set a new PGA TOUR 18-hole record.
Bing Crosby dies after completing a round of golf in Spain. His Bing Crosby National Pro-Am continues for several years, but after relations sour between the PGA TOUR and the Crosby family, AT&T takes over sponsorship of the event.
The “sudden-death” playoff is used for the first time in a major championship, when Lanny Wadkins defeats Gene Littler for the PGA Championship played at Pebble Beach G.L.
In what has been described as the most exciting tournament in history, Tom Watson defeats Jack Nicklaus by one stroke in the British Open, at Turnberry. They were tied after the second and third rounds, and were paired with each other during the final 36 holes.
1978
The Legends of Golf is inaugurated at Onion Creek C.C. in Austin, Texas. Its popularity leads to the formation of the Senior TOUR two years later.
1979
The Ryder Cup is reformatted to add European continent players to the British-Scottish-Irish side, making the event far more competitive.
Taylor Made introduces the first metal woods.
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