Timeline of golf on UK television facts for kids

Have you ever wondered when golf first appeared on TV in the UK? This article is a timeline showing how golf has been shown on British television over the years. You'll learn about the different TV channels that have broadcast major golf tournaments, from the early days to today.

Early Days: Golf on UK TV (1950s-1960s)

1955: First Golf Broadcast

• 1955
  • The BBC showed The Open Championship on TV for the very first time. This was a big step for golf fans in the UK!

The 1970s: New Channels and Challenges

1972: ITV Joins the Green

• 1972
  • ITV started showing the Scottish Open. They covered the tournament in 1972 and 1973. However, the event was cancelled in 1974 because TV coverage couldn't be arranged.

1973: Ryder Cup Moves to ITV

• 1973
  • From September 20-22, coverage of the Ryder Cup moved from the BBC to ITV. ITV also showed the 1975 and 1977 Ryder Cup events.

1977: ITV's Last Ryder Cup

• 1977
  • ITV televised the Ryder Cup for the last time.

1979: A Strike Affects Golf

• 1979
  • A big strike at ITV in 1979 meant that the 1979 Ryder Cup was not shown on TV in the UK at all.

The 1980s: Return and New Channels

1981: BBC Gets Ryder Cup Back

• 1981
  • The BBC got the rights to show the Ryder Cup again.

1983: Channel 4's Golf Debut

• 1983
  • From June 18-19, Channel 4 showed live coverage of the final two rounds of the US Open Golf Championship. Later that summer, Channel 4 also aired the final two rounds of the US PGA Championship. They continued to cover these events in 1984.

1986: Masters Tournament on BBC

• 1986
  • From April 12-13, the BBC showed live coverage of the Masters for the first time. They broadcast the final two rounds of this famous tournament.

1987: More Golf Channels Emerge

• 1987
  • On April 9, Screensport began broadcasting live coverage of the US Masters from Augusta. This channel also started showing regular coverage of PGA Tour events.
  • From July 9-12, the BBC showed live coverage of the Scottish Open for the first time. They continued to show this event live until 1993.

The 1990s: Sky Sports Takes Over

1993: Sky Sports Enters Golf

• 1993
  • Sky Sports started providing live coverage of the PGA Tour and the PGA European Tour. This was a big change for golf on TV.
  • From September 24-26, the BBC showed live coverage of the Ryder Cup for the final time.

1994: Sky Sports Covers Scottish Open

• 1994
  • From July 6-9, Sky Sports covered the Scottish Open for the first time. The BBC had previously shown this event live.

1995: Sky Sports Gets Exclusive Ryder Cup Rights

• 1995
  • From September 22-24, Sky Sports became the only channel to broadcast the Ryder Cup live. They have shown the event exclusively live ever since. This meant the event was no longer available on free-to-air TV.

1996: Women's Golf on Sky Sports

• 1996
  • Sky Sports showed women’s golf for the first time, bringing more of the sport to viewers.

1997: Ryder Cup Highlights on BBC

• 1997
  • From September 26-28, coverage of the Ryder Cup returned to free-to-air TV. The BBC started showing highlights of the event. The BBC has continued to show highlights of the Ryder Cup ever since.

1999: World Golf Championships Debut

• 1999
  • From November 4-7, Sky Sports broadcast live coverage of the first World Golf Championships. Sky has been the main broadcaster of this tournament ever since, except for one event in 2001 which was on the BBC.

The 2000s: New Channels and Changes

2006: Setanta Sports Takes PGA Tour

• 2006
  • In December, Sky's 13 years of covering golf's PGA Tour ended. Setanta Sports won the rights to show the tour starting in 2007.

2007: Dedicated Golf Channels Launch and Close

• 2007
  • On January 11, Setanta Sports launched a special golf channel called Setanta Golf. This happened after they bought the rights to the PGA Tour.
  • On December 31, The Golf Channel UK closed down. It didn't have enough live tournaments to attract many viewers.

2009: Setanta Sports Closes, Eurosport Steps In

• 2009
  • On June 23, Setanta Sports stopped broadcasting in the UK because of financial problems. This meant Setanta Golf also stopped.
  • On June 25, Eurosport picked up the TV rights to golf's PGA Tour for the rest of the 2009 season. However, this coverage only lasted six months. The rights returned to Sky Sports in early 2010.

The 2010s: Sky Sports Dominates Golf Coverage

2010: Sky Sports Regains PGA Tour

• 2010
  • In January, Sky Sports got the rights to golf's PGA Tour back.

2011: Masters Tournament on Sky Sports

• 2011
  • From April 7-10, Sky Sports showed coverage of golf's Masters Tournament for the first time. They showed the first two rounds live and shared coverage of rounds 3 and 4 with the BBC.
  • In November, ESPN showed two golf tournaments from Australia.

2012: BBC Loses More Golf Rights

• 2012
  • The BBC lost the rights to show the Scottish Open and the BMW PGA Championship live. Sky Sports gained these rights. The BBC did keep the rights to show highlights of both events.

2014: Sky Sports Ryder Cup Channel

• 2014
  • From September 18 to October 2, Sky Sports 4 was temporarily renamed Sky Sports Ryder Cup. This was to show its live coverage of the 2014 Ryder Cup from Gleneagles. This special channel was repeated for the 2016 and 2018 Ryder Cups.

2015: BBC's Last Live Open Championship

• 2015
  • From July 17-20, after 60 years, the BBC showed live coverage of The Open Championship for the final time. From the next year, live coverage of this event moved to Sky Sports. The BBC continued to show two hours of highlights each day.

2016: Sky Sports The Open Channel

• 2016
  • From July 11-18, during its first live broadcast of golf's Open Championship, Sky Sports 1 was temporarily renamed Sky Sports The Open. This special channel has appeared each year during the week of The Open.

2017: Sky Sports Revamp and Golf Channel Launch

• 2017
  • From May 18-14, Sky renamed Sky Sports 4 as Sky Sports The Players. This channel was dedicated to covering the 2017 Players Championship. This special channel has been used for this competition in later years too.
  • On July 18, Sky Sports changed its channels. The numbered channels were replaced by channels for specific sports. One of these new channels was completely dedicated to golf and is called Sky Sports Golf.
  • From August 3-6, Sky Sports replaced the BBC as the live broadcaster of the Women's British Open.

2018: Streaming Major Golf Events

• 2018
  • From June 11-19, Sky renamed Sky Sports Golf as Sky Sports US Open. This channel was dedicated to covering the 2018 US Open.
  • From August 9-12, Eleven Sports broadcast the 2018 PGA Championship. This was the first time a major golf event in the UK was only available on a streaming service. However, the event returned to Sky Sports the following year.

2019: End of Live Golf on BBC

• 2019
  • From April 12-13, the BBC showed live coverage of the Masters for the final time. They aired live coverage of the final two rounds. After this, all live coverage of the event moved to Sky Sports. This marked the end of all live golf coverage on the BBC.
  • From May 16-19, the US PGA Championship returned to Sky Sports.

The 2020s

• No major new events to report in this timeline yet.