Golf Auctions are Alive and Well

Believed to be shot by St. Andrews photographer Thomas Rodger in 1870, the photo was taken after Young Tom’s third consecutive victory, giving him sole possession of the belt.

“That is a good result all things considered,” Ellis said. “There are always some things that go for more than you expect as well as less than you expect. That's the nature of an auction. The overall prices were solid, however.”

The star of the show was the Maryland Cup that Francis Ouimet won at the 1915 Baltimore Open Invitational Tournament at Baltimore Country Club.

“The price realized by the Ouimet trophy was very strong, but then again, the bidders had focused in on that item for its strong personal connection with Ouimet,” Ellis sad. “He kept that trophy on the mantel in his home and the picture of him next to it tells a strong personal story about Ouimet’s appreciation of that trophy.”

Another big seller was part of Harry B. Wood’s collection of 53 original golf balls.

Wood, a collector extraordinaire and author of books on collecting, died in 1913 and passed the ownership of the collection to his son, but the collection was displayed at the North Manchester Golf Club.

Once Wood’s son died in 1940, the ownership of the collection transferred to the club.

In 1985, the collection was broken up and eventually made its way to this auction.

The balls go as far back as the 1860’s and are considered one of the significant collections.