PBA Galleries

With: The Centenary Golf Championship, 1960, Played over the Old Course at St. Andrews, 70 pp.; The Open Championship, 1967, Played over the Links of the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, Cheshire, 56 pp.; The Open Golf Championship, 1968, Played over the Links of Carnoustie, 64 pp.; The Open Golf Championship, [1969], Played over the Links of Royal Lytham and St. Annes, 64 pp. (with original tear-out tickets for a drawing still tipped-in and intact as issued); The Open Golf Championship, [1970, Played over the Links of the Old Course St. Andrews], 76 pp.; The 100th Open Golf Championship, [1971], Played over the links of Royal Birkdale, 88 pp. Together, 6 official programs. Illustrated throughout from photographs, ads, drawings, course maps (some in color), etc. 9½x6, original color pictorial wrappers (1960 issue lacks covers), bound together in period purple cloth with orange cloth spine label.

A nice collection of these rare and fairly early Open Championship official programs issued by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. Individual copies of the 1960 to 1970 era, currently seen offered with prices ranging from $400 to $700 a piece. Includes several fine articles on top golfers of the time, including Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, etc., as well as legends of the past, accompanied with numerous illustrations of portraits, action shots from the Championships and elsewhere and more. The 1967 issue with Bobby Jones on the front cover. British golf author / legend, Peter Dobereiner's copy, with his bookplate on the front inside cover. Dobereiner, who passed away in 1997, was one of the most distinguished golf writers, columnists and commentators of the post-war era. Jack Nicklaus is quoted of having said: "Peter was a great friend to me and a wonderful ambassador for the game of golf. He had a legendary sense of humor. I feel fortunate to have been his friend."