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Why Collect Golf Balls?
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Articles on Golf Ball Collecting from Our Publications
Here are a few relevant articles on ball collecting from our archives (in The Golf and The GHS Bulletin).
Having a Ball Collecting Golf Balls
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A Short History of Golf Ball Dimples and Patterns
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Why/How to Collect Golf Balls
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Eras of Golf Ball Collecting
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Featheries Pre-1848 Era
Gutta Percha 1848-1902 Era
Early Rubber Core – 1900-1920 Era
Rubber Core 1920-1940 Era
1940s-Current Era
Golf Ball collecting Resources
Video Resources
Collecting Playlist
FEATURED GOLF BALL COLLECTIBLE
Johnny Bulla
Autographed Ball
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Golf Ball collecting Resources
From Our Blog
Our blog has a constant stream of valuable articles on golf’s rich heritage.
Bob Zokoe American Golf Museum, Florida
Robert Zokoe is a “Lifetime Member” of the Golf Heritage Society. He admits he might be a little crazy, having spent 30 years creating the American Golf Musuem in Brooksville, Fl (an hour north of Tampa) which he believes is the largest collection of golf memorabilia on the planet, a claim he hopes that Guinness Book of World Records might verify someday. While many members of the GHS have a collecting passion with a specific focus, Bob has created a wonderland of golf artifacts that revisit and preserve a century of golf in America. A Golf Magazine article describes him as – Spry at 75, with a sun-ruddied face and a shock
2024 GHS National Convention in Pinehurst hit all the right notes
Golf Passion and Pine Straw By Taba Dale and Jim Davis The Golf Heritage Society chose Pinehurst, N.C., for our National Convention this year, and was I, Taba, ever glad for this decision. I had not been back to the “American Cradle of Golf” for several years. Most of us golf geeks would know that Pinehurst was established in 1895 when a Boston businessman, James Walker Tufts, purchased 5,500 acres and opened the Holly Inn. It was not a golf destination then, as the first golf course was laid out in 1897-98. The most famous course was designed by Donald Ross and it opened in 1907, at the dawn of the Golden Age of
Sam Parks and the 1935 U.S. Open at Oakmont (including details of the Oakmont’s creation and challenges)
Sam Parks and the 1935 Open By John Fischer © 2022 Ben Hogan once said the secret to golf “is in the dirt,” referring to hitting golf balls daily for hours from the dirt of the practice tee. Sam Parks, the winner of the 1935 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club outside Pittsburgh, also believed the secret to good golf lay in the dirt, but in a much different way: study the dirt that comprised the course. Parks was born in 1909 near Pittsburgh, and had a father, after whom he was named, who was very interested in golf. Father Sam was a single digit handicap, at one time as low as four, a
A Smattering of Women’s U.S. Open History
The following article on Women’s U.S. Open Golf History is reprinted with permission. Rick Woelfel is an accomplished golf journalist and author whose blog on women’s golf can be found by clicking here. The 2025 U.S. Women’s Open will be played May 29-June 1 at the Erin Hills Golf Course in Erin, Wisc. The course is one of many designed by world-class architect Dr. Michael Hurdzan, whom the GHS is proud to claim as a much valued member. By Rick Woelfel This year marks the 90th playing of the United States Women’s Open Championship, the most significant event in women’s golf. The championship has evolved significantly in that amount of time, as has the
Old Tom Morris Signed Photo and Letter (GHS Virtual Museum)
Signed photographs of Tom Morris Sr. are rare and highly sought. This J. Rogers of St. Mary’s Studio, St. Andes example (which has been reprinted in several books and posters since) has been signed “Tom Morris 1901”. He signed it on the reverse as well. Any signed letter by Old Tom is exceptionally rare. In fact, reports state that only a single letter has been discovered that is both fully written and signed by Tom. Due to his illiteracy, the few signed examples have the content written by his son or daughter to which Tom added his signature. This letter was written for the daughter of a wealthy American businessman as they
The life and times of golf course architect William Diddel
In this article, golf historian Curt Fredrixon explores the life and work of William H. Diddel, a founding member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, and one of the country’s most prolific golf course designers. After reading Curt’s article, you may come to agree that Diddel is one of the country’s top architects that you never heard of. Previously published in the Summer 2022 edition of The Golf. By Curt Fredrixon On Dec. 5, 1947, an iconic photo that many have seen was taken. It was on the occasion of the first annual meeting of the American Society of Golf Course Architects at Pinehurst, N.C. Pinehurst, of course, was the winter base
Golf Ball collecting Resources
Recommended Reading Resources
- 500 Years of Golf Balls, by John F. Hotchkiss, 1997, Antique Trader Books
- The Essential Guide to Collecting Golf Balls, by Colin Palmer, 2010, Riley Dunn & Wilson Ltd.
- Antique Golf Collectibles, 3rd Edition, by Chuck Furjanic, 2004, Krause Publications
- Golf in the Making, by Ian Henderson and David Stirk, 1979, Henderson & Stirk Ltd.
- The Encyclopedia of Golf Collectibles, by John Ohlman and Morton Ohlman, 1985, Books Americanna
- Antique Golf Collectibles, Identification and Value Guide, by Pete Georgiady, 2006, Collector Books
- The Story of the Golf Ball, by Kevin W McGimpsey, 2003, Philip Wilson, London (winner of the 2004 Murdock Medal presented by the British Golf Collectors Society)
- The Collectible Golf Ball Directory, Folio I, ‘Gutta-Percha’ golf balls 1845-1903, by Kevin W McGimpsey, 2021
- The Collectible Golf Ball Directory, Folio II, ‘Rubber-Cored’ golf balls 1901-1919, by Kevin W McGimpsey, 2022
- The Collectible Golf Ball Directory, Folio III, ‘Rubber-Cored’ golf balls, A-K 1920-1945, by Kevin W McGimpsey, 2023 [November]