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Most
golf books relating to Ireland were printed from the 1950s
onwards but the rarer and more sought after books pre-date
this. A few like the Irish Golfers Guides from 1909-1916,
Greenore and the Ulster Golf Links 1906
and The Golfers and Sportsmans Holiday
Guide to Ireland represent the more illusive
titles for a Golf Collector. Other titles which have Irish
content are considered essential for any Golf Library the
main one being Bernard Darwins 1910 classic 'Golf Courses
of the British Isles' which is valued at c.Stg£600 without
the original dustcover. This book in it's original state
(dustcover, publishers box etc.) would be valued at Stg£3,500-Stg£4,000.
A recent auction saw the hammer drop at $5,750 for a mint
copy of this book in it's original near mint condition.
It contains some of Harry Rowntree's classic paintings ['Portmarnock
: Coming Home']. The 1925 revised edition of this book does
not contain any of the Irish golf courses.
Joseph
Murdoch was a founding member of the Golf Collectors Society
in America and probably had one of the most extensive golf
libraries of any private collector (with the possible exception
of Alastair Johnston) all of which came under the hammer
in June 1998 at the Pacific Book Auction House in California.
Included in the lots for sale was the Irish Golfers Guide
1910 which sold for $1,495.
At
a Philips auction in 1994 James Hendersons 'The Irish
Golfing Guide for 1915' sold for Stg£1,300 after bidding
far exceeded the initial guide price of Stg200-Stg300.
May
Hezlet's, Ladies Golf, sold for Stg£435 at auction recently
which is normal for this book which is usually one of the
more sought after titles in Ladies Golf. At the same auction
a booklet entitled 'Golfing in Ulster' [1949] by George
C. Nash eventually sold for Stg£165 it is an uncommon title
which rarely appears on the market and along with it's later
title 'Golfing in Northern Ireland' which some believe to
be an even rarer title will prove allusive for many collectors.
Another
rare book was sold at the auction of Murdoch's golf books
and that was 'Six Golf Stories' By Marietta (Pseudoym) published
by Hodges Figgis in 1905. These tales of humour and irony
from Ireland fetched $862.
Other
books that have significant interest for the Irish golf
collector are two very rare booklets on Ladies Championship
Golf both of which were auctioned in 2003. The first Thomas
Glover's Ladies Open Golf Championship May 1902 a privately
printed book sold for Stg£945. This championship was
held at Deal Golf Course but was won by Miss May Hezlet.
The other book is The Ladies Golf Championships A History
FROM 1893-1932 sold for Stg£850 its significance to
Irish Golf being that nine of these 35 championships were
held in Ireland and some of those not held in Ireland were
won by Miss May Hezlet or Ms Rhona Adair.
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