A visit to Golf museums is no less than a pilgrimage for golf admirers. Museums with golf relics and memorabilia on display offer a rare opportunity to delve into the history, to explore the heritage and measure the popularity of golf. Here is a glimpse of some of the best golf museum experiences in the world:
The British Golf Museum in Fife, Scotland is where you can collect the story of golf from the Middle Ages to the present day. It has a huge collection of pictures portraying the history of the Royal and Ancient Gold Club of St Andrews. You would also find the display of golf items that belonged to golf celebrities like Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros and Laura Davies in the museum.
Supported by 26 organizations from across the world and located in St. Augustine, Florida, the World Golf Hall of Fame is a favorite haunt for golf celebrities. A glance at golf amenities and accessories on a permanent display in the museum would leave you awestruck. The museum features a spectacular exhibition of golf’s history and heritage, rules and techniques. Golf players and golf enthusiasts would derive great inspiration from the display of rare historic golf artifacts.
At the annual dinner held in 1938 by the Veteran Ladies’s Golfing Association, a speaker urged for the set up of a museum to meet the needs of women golfers. The purpose of exhibiting the objects that relate to the origin and growth of women’s golf was the driving force behind the establishment of Women Golfers’ Museum. Located in the Lady Golfers Club, 3 Whitehall Court, the museum is a repertoire of information on women’s golf. The first female golf journalist Aunty Mabel is the founder of the Girl’s Golfing Society and the Veteran Ladies’ Golf Association.
The James River Country Club has the oldest golf museum in the world to the best of my recollection. In 1931, Mr. Archer Milton Huntington the principal owner of Newport News Shipyard proposed the need of a golf museum to the officials of the James River Country Club. He aptly named it Golf Museum. He then sent Mr. John Campbell, his plant engineer to collect golf relics from different parts of Europe.
Recently, in 2002 the Nicklaus Museum opened its door to the golf lovers from across the globe. The museum would take you on a journey through the life and career of Jack Nicklaus – the great golf celebrity.
