Houston's heirloom is no Mickey Mouse programme

An e-mail from Alison Houston about her copy - signed by Bobby Locke - of the 1951 British Open programme has Gary Moranintrigued

REASONS WE have heard for the relative scarcity of programmes from the 1951 British Open range from the weather during the event being so bad that most people who bought them were left with nothing but a soggy mess of paper to there not being many printed in the first place. What is certain is that it was the first and so far only Open to be staged in Ireland so perhaps the RA felt unsure at printing time of the buying habits of the likely spectators.

For golf collectors today the reason is not of utmost importance. The fact is that the programme is hard to come by and as we pointed out a fortnight ago, it is highly prized particularly by Irish collectors.

So when Alison Houston e-mailed us to say that she had spent many summer holidays in Portrush and has a copy of the 1951 programme in excellent condition and signed on the front cover by three-time Open champion Bobby Locke, we were intrigued.

It turns out that Houston's late father Roy was a member at Royal Portrush and had played there with the 1947 champion Fred Daly. Alison herself is now what Portrush classify as a "Republic of Ireland" member and also plays in Kilmashogue in Dublin.

According to Paul Garvey of irishgolfarchive.com: "You could put Mickey Mouse's name on a Portrush programme in reasonable condition and it wouldn't sell for less than €900."

Among golf collectors, Locke's signature is more sought after than Mouse's so Houston could certainly expect over €1,000 if she decided to part with her copy.

There is no record of a programme being printed for the 1928 Irish Open at Royal County Down but Houston does have an autograph book that belonged to a late great-aunt who collected signatures at the tournament. They include the winner Ernest Whitcombe and also Henry Cotton but not Walter Hagen who was a notable absentee.

Hagen played the previous week in an exhibition to mark the opening of the new 18 holes at Clontarf where the fourball included long-time Castle professional and renowned clubmaker Willie Holley and his Portmarnock counterpart Willie Nolan.

Hagen may then have skipped the Irish Open due to a lack of appearance money.

Nolan served at Portmarnock from 1925-1939 and was the Irish champion in 1934, a year after he broke the course record on his way to leading the qualifiers for the British Open at St Andrews. The record-breaking card is among the most treasured pieces of memorabilia held by Portmarnock.

Going back to the '51 Open, Sotheby's listed Max Faulkner's winner's medal for sale in 1995 but it was withdrawn with a stunning guide price of €30,000 to €45,000. When Locke's collection was sold off by Christie's in 1993 one of the lots contained his 1938 Irish Open Championship medal which eventually sold for €3,000. The silver trophy from the same year inscribed "Course Record 69 Portmarnock Golf Club AD Locke Irish Open Champion 21.7.38" fetched €450. A silver salver won by Locke for low amateur at the 1936 Irish Open sold for €1,500.

Of course money can't buy you everything and often not the best things. When Tom Watson was captain of Ballybunion in 2000, he offered a truly unique prize for the winner which surely any golfer would treasure. Mounted in a simple mahogany frame and with a green baize background, Watson gave the sand wedge that he used for one of the most famous chip shots in the history of the game. It was the club with which he holed out from ankle deep rough on the penultimate hole of the 1982 US Open. The shot prompted a memorable celebration and propelled Watson to the title ahead of Jack Nicklaus.

With over 700 entries there were several qualifying competitions for Watson's captain's prize. On the big day itself, publican Gerard O'Sullivan went round the old links in 69 gross for 40 points and a one-shot victory. Watson played the same day off the same tees and shot 77. So not only did O'Sullivan outscore an eight-time major winner, he won a beautiful item of golfing memorabilia which he now has on display in the Castle Bar in Rock Street, Tralee. Priceless.

This column welcomes e-mails from readers concerning golf memorabilia and collectibles but cannot guarantee to provide valuations. If you have an interesting story or item, e-mail collectgolf@gmail.com