Golf is an increasingly popular sport, even today. It even has its own TV station, The Golf Channel. And the history of this cable TV phenomenon is quite fascinating, actually. Was its inception a stroke of luck or a stroke of genius? Both may very well be the case.

It all started as a result of Joseph Gibbs, a cable and cellular entrepreneur who offered to host a professional golfer during the 1990 PGA Championship. He was ecstatic when he learned that his boarders would be none other than Arnold and Winnie Palmer, who would be staying with him for a full week through the duration of the tournament. Needless to say, an instant connection and a friendship were forged. Their conversations spanned the range of golfing activity, leading up to the idea of a 24-hour cable network devoted entirely to their favorite sport.

A Gallup survey was then conducted to poll the public's opinion on the idea.Would Americans tune in to a golfing network? Turns out, the results were favorable for Joe Gibbs. Results showed a strong yearning for a new golf channel, and both Gibbs and Palmer were convinced that a new Golf Channel would be highly successful.

By the year 1995, over $80 million had been raised to launch the new station. During its debut, it had less than 1,000 cable subscribers. Here's another fun factoid to tell your golf friends: The very first live televised event on The Golf Channel was the Dubai Desert Classic, which aired on January 19, 1995.

It took four years for the network to reach "break-even" financial status, but ever since its debut year, The Golf Channel has steadily grown among its viewers in ratings and popularity. Many cable and satellite TV providers now offer this station as a regular part of their lineup, not part of a special subscription package. The Golf Channel is also regularly broadcast in Canada and Japan.

Current programming on The Golf Channel has further solidified the station's status as a golf Mecca. Programs include a daily golf news show called "Golf Central" as well as "College Central," which focuses solely on collegiate golfing. The station also airs highlight reels of famous tournaments, in case viewers don't have the time to watch the entire event. And there are several programs that feature PGA professionals eager to hand out golf tips and advice to help improve the viewer's golf game.

In recent years, The Golf Channel has also jumped on the reality TV bandwagon with "The Big Break," a successful program designed to help amateur golfers gain exemptions into PGA and LPGA events.

Another noteworthy programming event occurred in 2005 with "Big Stakes Golf," a special match play event in which teams of two paid a hefty entry fee of $100,000 to participate in a multimillion-dollar tournament. The winning team shared the pot of $3 million, which at that time was the largest prize award in golf history. The winners were mini-tour professionals Garth Mulroy and David Ping.

In the end, the brainchild of one entrepreneur and one recognizable golf pro turned into one of the best "dream-come-true" success stories. Their inspirational history can teach all of us to reach for the skies and follow our dreams, no matter how lofty -- because dreams can often become realities.