Gaming Set - Historic Scottish Golf

Displayed on this case is a magnificent portrait of Old Tom Morris from his days at St. Andrews.

Tom Morris was born in 1821 and was apprenticed to Allan Robertson (the famous Club and ball maker) from the age of 14 and worked with him for 9 years. In his late teens he often played in challenge matches against other pairs of players for money.

Over time Tom was to become a most successful player in his own right winning the Open 4 times in 1861/62 /64 and the last time in 1867 he was and still is the oldest man ever to win the open championship aged 46.

In his career he was the Keeper of the Green at Prestwick golf club (The keeper of the green was not the ‘green keeper’) at that time but the most important man in the golf club). In 1865 he was invited back to St. Andrews to take up the position of Keeper of the Green on a salary of £50 a year which was a fortune at that time.

In 1875 he moved the teeing off area away from the hole and created a new 'teeing ground'. Here golfers could use damp sand from a sand box to create miniature pyramids to place the ball before striking it towards the next hole. This had a dramatic effect in speeding up play.

He later became known as a leading course designer working in Carnoustie, Kinghorn and Prestwick he also changed the look of courses by introducing the cutting of the green with mechanical mowers and most important the forming of hazards or as we know today bunkers.

You can keep this wonderful presentation case to retain your packs of iconic cards or by removing the contents from the box you can simply lift out the insert thus creating a wonderful heirloom Gentlemen’s catch all box.