The SOCIETY Newsletter #97

1889: The End of an Era

There are moments in golf history when the game itself seems to pause—when a single championship becomes a bookend for an entire age.

The 1889 Open Championship, held at Musselburgh Links, was one of those moments.

For nearly two decades, Musselburgh had been at the heart of the professional game. Its compact, nine-hole layout had witnessed the rivalry of the great Scottish families: the Parks of Musselburgh and the Morris Family of St Andrews. The galleries that lined its narrow fairways were as passionate as they were partisan—locals jostling for sightlines, wagering on favorites, shouting advice or ridicule in equal measure.

The Last Great Contest at Musselburgh

The 1889 Open would be the last ever held there. The game was evolving, and Musselburgh—hemmed in by the town’s racetrack and cottages—could no longer contain it. Newer courses like Prestwick and Muirfield offered room for the booming drives of the next generation and a stage fit for golf’s growing stature.

Willie Park Jr., an Open Champion by then, entered the 1889 contest as one of the last great figures of the old guard. His father, Willie Park Sr., had won the very first Open in 1860; together, they represented the game’s early professional lineage—craftsmen, clubmakers, and competitors rolled into one. But the younger Park faced a new kind of opponent: golfers who no longer relied solely on muscle and guile, but on a studied rhythm and precision that heralded the modern era.

The title that year went to Willie Park Jr., his second and final Open victory. Yet in triumph, there was a touch of melancholy. The win felt less like a crowning achievement and more like a curtain call. Though they didn’t know it at the time, Park’s victory closed the chapter on Musselburgh as an Open venue and symbolically marked the end of golf’s first professional dynasty.

The Passing of the Torch

By the following decade, the scene had shifted dramatically. The Open would migrate to St Andrews, Muirfield, and Royal St George’s—venues that reflected the expansion of golf beyond its Scottish heartlands.

The new heroes—Vardon, Taylor, and Braid—would emerge not from the workshops of clubmakers, but from the organized clubs and societies that shaped golf’s Edwardian identity.

For Musselburgh, the 1889 championship was its swan song. The murmuring crowds, the echo of the gutta-percha ball on frozen turf, and the cries of “Well played, Willie!” faded into legend.

Today, Musselburgh Links remains a museum piece of living turf—what some argue as the world’s oldest surviving golf course still in use. But 1889 stands as the moment its story shifted from the present to the past.

And with that final strike from Willie Park Jr., golf itself stepped into a new century—leaving behind the intimate chaos of the links where it all began.

The 1889 Open concluded on November 11, 1889, little did they know then that it was the bookend of a career and the slide of one of the grand pilllars of the game of golf.

Why share this story? Well for one, every golfer on this planet needs to know the story of the Ancient Links of Musselburgh - and from time to time we must all realize that our time in the sun is fleeting- sooner or later the sun sets on us all. This was true of Park as it was for Palmer, Nicklaus and now Woods.

The only thing in this game that stands a chance of life eternal is the ground on which it is played. Cherish the time we have, cherish the golfers who play it and cherish those courses that stand as a time capsule that connect us to the likes of Palmer, Hogan, Hagen, Jones, Vardon, Morris and Park. You may not love golf history but you are a part of it.

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We are only 10 days out from the Launch of Antiquity Golf Co.

I will be absolutely honest with you - I am a bit terrified. I have put a lot into this idea- this concept- this business. Some days I wake up and think it’s an amazing idea and other I wake up and worry it will fail miserably. I suppose everyone who starts a business shares these feelings. What I can tell you is that whatever madness this business creates it will be fun. This evening (November 11th for the record) I was talking to my friend Tony Dear and I said something out loud that maybe only existed in the deep recesses of my brain. I am going to create some things that I know will fail - some things that will lose me money because I believe they matter. It’s not a strong business argument, but I am putting faith that people will like many of the things I create and in doing so that will give me the freedom to create things I need to create. It must be late because this feels like rambling and many of you likely don’t care.

I will sum up my idea for Antiquity Golf Co.

It will be a melting pot of all the things I love about golf- it will offer up golf antiquities and if they are out of your price range that is completely ok because I hope to share the history of some of these artifacts much like you might read about in a museum. I am also a deep admirer of golf art and our company will offer up some really beautiful pieces for sale. Finally it will sell apparel and atleast one accessory. I would categorize our apparel offerings as wearable golf art- it will be different and more often than not each piece will have its own story to tell.

If you are a collector and have high end golf antiquities that you are considering moving on from - consider consigning to Antiquity.

THE TALKINGOLF HISTORY PODCAST: The History of William Flynn, Part 2

Our latest podcast was released on Monday morning and dives into the fascinating history of William Flynn and his work at Shinnecock Hills, the Country Club and Indian Creek. Flynn Historian, Wayne Morrison dives deep into the man and his wonderful gift to the game of golf.

THANK YOU

Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. If you haven’t done so already, consider joining the Society of Golf Historians and coming to our first annual meeting at Belleair Country Club on January 19, 2026.