The SOCIETY Newsletter #60

The King of Clubs

Allan Robertson (1815–1859) was one of the most influential early figures in golf history. He was a Scottish professional golfer from St Andrews and is often regarded as the first legendary professional of the sport.

Early Life and Career

Born in St Andrews, Robertson was raised in a golfing family. His family for generations were known as feathery ballmakers and young Allan followed in his family’s footsteps, becoming skilled at making feathery golf balls—handcrafted leather balls stuffed with feathers, which were the standard before the gutta-percha ball was introduced in the late 1840s.

Robertson was known throughout the golfing world as the best golfer of his time. While the story of Allan Robertson never losing a match in his life is a bit overstated, it is true that he never lost a Challenge Match, a match with heavy wagers on the outcome- a match that determined who was the Champion Golfer. Allan Robertson did what no golfer has done before or since, he held the moniker of Champion Golfer for 24 years!

The First Break Between Tradition and Innovation

Robertson was a staunch defender of the featherie ball, as his livelihood depended on making them as did his ancestors before him. However, the introduction of the gutta-percha ball (or “gutty”) in the 1840s revolutionized the game. The gutty was cheaper, more durable, and easier to produce than the feathery. Robertson resisted the change, fearing it would ruin his business. When Allan caught his protege Tom Morris using a borrowed gutty, it started a chain of events that led to Tom Morris leaving Allan’s shop and moving to Prestwick.

Impact on Golf and Legacy

Robertson played a significant role in shaping modern golf. Before The Open was established in 1860, he was considered the de facto world champion due to his unmatched skill.

In 1858, Robertson was the first golfer to break 80 on the Old Course at St Andrews. Sadly, he died the next year in 1859 at the age of 44. His death marked the end of an era in golf, but his influence lived on through players like Old Tom Morris who went on to shape the game like none other had done before and one might argue since.

Today, Allan Robertson should be remembered as the Champion Golfer, the original mold for the Open’s Champion Golfer of the Year.

I strongly encourage you to purchase Roger McStravick’s book on Allan Roberston. If you live in the states you can acquire them through:

https://www.auldgreytoungolf.com

Here is a link to the TalkinGolf History Podcast on the History of Allan Robertson with Golf Historian and Author, Roger McStravick

Society Golf Auction Update

The Society of Golf Historians Twitter Auction is underway. The auction ends this upcoming Friday starting at 7PM Eastern.

42 GOLF CLUBS

10 Donald Ross Courses

2 Perry Maxwell Courses

2 AW Tillinghast Courses

2 Alister Mackenzie Courses (one Reno)

1 Willie Park Course

1 Walter Travis Course

2 Tom Doak Courses

1 Jack Nicklaus Course

1 Cooke & Crenshaw Course

1 Robert Trent Jones/Bobby Jones Course

4 Macdonald/Raynor Courses

1 Herbert Fowler Course and more…

How to bid???

Admittedly the auction is a bit archaic and hopefully this is the last Society Golf Twitter Auction- we are hoping to build an auction page into the new Society of Golf Historians website for just this occasion.

To bid on any of the 42 courses you must find the tweet with the course you are interested in bidding on and submit your bid in that thread. The highest number by the time the auction closes will be the winner.

Auction proceeds will help fund youth sports in the Tampa Region and will be used to build a dedicated Society of Golf Historians website. For more details on the website and the future of the Society please stay tuned to future newsletters.

Thank you for taking the time to read the SOCIETY Newsletter. If you enjoyed it please forward to your friends and family and encourage them to subscribe.

Until next time.

Yours in Golf History,

Connor T. Lewis