A golf ball dating back to 1840 could fetch a very high price. It is part of a collection of 75 objects and balls on sale until September 18 on the Jeff Ellis website. On the ball we can read the stamp of Allan Robertson, emblematic ball manufacturer and who was the mentor of the famous Old Tom Morris.
This ball made of “feathers”, has never been used, and bears the name of Robertson written by his hand, as well as the number 29 in reference to its size and weight. The auction, open to all, started at $2500 but it has already reached almost double the starting price: $4800.
You can visit the online auction site to follow the evolution of prices, bid yourself or simply take a look at the treasures of this exceptional sale. In the lot there is also a “gutta percha” A ball that was at the time a point of disagreement between Robertson and Morris.
The ball in question is in such good condition that the latter’s stamp is clearly visible, indicating that he hammered the pattern himself. At the time of the Romans a similar game was already in vogue, which could be considered its ancestor: it was called “Paganica”, it was played in the countryside (the pagus, in fact) with sticks and balls and was also widely practiced by legionaries in the lands border of the empire.
Golf, history
Commonly, however, it is believed that golf originated in Scotland, from where it spread to the British Isles and from there to the rest of the world. Some enthusiasts and historians cite, on the other hand, the existence of written Dutch documents whose evidence appears incontrovertible: Steven van Hengel, historian, testifies to the practice of a game called golf in the Netherlands as early as 1297.
In the Netherlands there was then another game, called “kolven”, where it was necessary to hit, with a stick just a little bigger than those used today, a ball weighing about a kilo to make it reach, as quickly as possible, two pegs stuck to the ground.
Now, it is difficult to settle the dispute between Scotland and the Netherlands; what is certain is that the game played by the Dutch is well documented, both by city edicts, which granted land for golf courses, and by court rulings, which punished with fines ante litteram golfers, who had caused damage and disturbed the quiet, coming to play within the city walls.
However, it must be said that, at the end of the 13th century, literacy was not widespread in Europe and in particular in Scotland. This could explain the absence of written documents, as it is possible that no one thought it necessary to transcribe references to a pastime practiced by a few.
The controversy over who invented golf has existed and will always exist. Some accuse the Scots of deliberately distorting the origin of the sport in their own favor, for reasons of patriotism. Distinguished historians have claimed that golf was invented after the founding of the University of St Andrews, in 1413, but to support this claim, they brought no evidence [without source] while there is evidence that at that time golf was practiced in Scotland for more than a century.
In short, what can certainly be documented is that in the fourteenth century the commercial traffic between Holland and the east coast of Scotland was widespread and flourishing, so if a slightly extravagant game had taken hold in Scotland as in Holland, the news would take very little time to spread in both directions across the North Sea.
Another certain fact was the importation into Scotland of balls from Holland and the trafficking in the opposite direction of Scottish cleeks. In conclusion it can be said that there is a high probability that golf originated in the Netherlands.
It is also documented that when golf spread to Scotland, the game was no longer played in the Netherlands. The first rules of golf were codified by the heads of the Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. In Italy golf was introduced in the eighteenth century, by the Count of Albany, in Rome, at Villa Borghese, while later a course was opened, also in Rome, at Villa Doria Pamphili.
The first “modern” golf course, however, was the Florence Golf Club, founded in Florence by its strong English community in 1889. The practice of golf in Italy is governed by the Italian Golf Federation (FIG), founded in Milan in 1927 and now framed among the sports federations of CONI, which is based in Rome and governs the activity of its affiliates. The official national championships began in 1929.