The SOCIETY #120

The Auction That Carried History Forward

There are moments when a community proves exactly what it stands for.

The Third Annual Society of Golf Historians Auction was one of them. Thank you for helping keep history alive!

Because of your participation, your enthusiasm, and your belief in preserving the game’s past, we have officially raised enough funding to support Stephen Proctor’s next work on Bernard Darwin.

That is no small achievement.

Darwin remains the gold standard in golf writing. His words shaped how generations came to understand the game not just as sport, but as art, landscape, and culture. Supporting new research into his life and work ensures that the foundation of golf’s storytelling tradition is not only preserved, but expanded.

Quite simply, this is exactly why the Society exists.

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A Return to Where It All Started

Before the Society had events, before the gatherings, before the growth, there were the auctions on Twitter.

Simple. Direct. And fueled by a shared love of the game.

As a nod to those early days, we are bringing it back.

A bonus auction, held exclusively on X, featuring a small number of highly curated opportunities. No platforms, no intermediaries. Just the Society and those who have been part of the journey.

Four opportunities. Each one rooted in architecture, history, and experience.

Our Bonus Twitter/X Auction will begin in one week. Here is a preview of the offerings and hopefully to make up for those of you who missed out online auction.

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The Bonus Auction Lots

The MacKenzie Course at 21 Golf Club

A threesome to join me at the MacKenzie Course at 21 Golf Club.

A course born from a lost design of Alister MacKenzie, where shared greens and strategic freedom create something rare in modern golf. Built on sand, with minimalism at its core, it is both a study in architecture and a throwback to the game’s most imaginative era.

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Belleair Country Club

A threesome to join me at Belleair Country Club.

The oldest golf course in Florida, reimagined through the lens of Donald Ross. Perched along the Gulf, Belleair is where history and restoration meet, offering a walk through time on one of the most storied grounds in American golf.

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Lookout Mountain Club

A threesome at Lookout Mountain Club.

One of Seth Raynor’s most visually striking works. Set atop the mountain, the course blends Raynor’s geometric brilliance with dramatic elevation and sweeping views. Template holes meet terrain in a way few places can replicate.

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Mystery Pennsylvania Course

A twosome to join me and a member at a certain historic club in Pennsylvania.

We’ll keep this one just vague enough to be fun.

You’ll find no water hazards to bail you out. Just firm, unforgiving ground.

Fairways that ask for precision. Greens that demand absolute conviction.

And hazards that have humbled the best in the world.

It has hosted more than its share of national championships.

And when the game’s greatest players leave, they tend to remember one thing above all else:

How exacting golf can truly be.

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More Than an Auction

This is how preservation happens. Not through institutions alone, but through people who care enough to participate.

You didn’t just bid on rounds of golf.

You invested in the continuation of golf’s written history.

And now, as we return to our roots with this final Twitter auction, we do so with momentum and purpose.

The story of the game is still being written.

And because of you, it will be written well.

SOCIETY OF GOLF HISTORIANS SUMMER MEETING

If you are interested in joining us this June at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, NY please reach out for more details. We will only have 24 spots open with members of the Society of Golf Historians getting the first option to join up.

Shoot me an email at: [email protected]

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR SUPPORTING GOLF HISTORY!!!