Reminiscences of Golf on St. Andrews Links
David Douglas, 1887.
First edition. Original publisher's red wrappers printed in black. Some wear to the spine, with a little loss to the spine ends, but otherwise crisp and clean throughout. Overall an exceptional copy of a book almost unobtainable in an unrepaired state. Housed in a custom made clamshell cloth case.
This book has long been regarded as one of the great rarities of golf literature. Murdoch refers to it as "one of the rarest of all golf items". It charts the development of golf in St Andrews, the architectural development of the Old Course during Balfour's forty-five years playing there, and the great development in equipment over this period. Perhaps chief among the changes that Balfour records, and disapproves of, is the introduction of dual-greens and wider fairways in order to better accommodate games playing their second nine as the popularity of the sport soared in the mid-eighteenth century.
Balfour was one of the noted golfers of his age and member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, where he won the Club's gold medal three times between 1853 and 1861. His son, Leslie won the British Amateur Championship in 1895.
Murdoch 30
Stock ID: 37094
£4,500.00
