Golf: A Royal and Ancient Game

Golf: A Royal and Ancient Game

Edited by Robert Clark FRSE, FSA Scotland

(1875, reprinted 1893 Macmillan and 1975 by EP Publishing)

(322 pages A5)

77CannongateRobert Clark was a book publisher and well known golfer of his day. He collected what was known about golf history in 1875, when golf was gaining popularity. First editions are valuable and even the 1975 reprint of the 1893 edition changes hands for several pounds. Clark was meticulous and reprinted much original documentation on 'the golf' in 43 chapters.

The most interesting parts are the extracts of the minutes of the first hundred years of the five oldest Scottish golf clubs

  • Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers
  • Royal Burgess Golfing Society
  • Royal & Ancient Golfing Club of St Andrews
  • Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society
  • Royal Musselburgh Golfing Club

The book also contains the 1743 heroic-comical poem 'The Goff' featuring famous golfers of Leith. There is also an historical account of golf and a large collection of golf related articles from contemporary magazines of the late 19th Century.

For more details on how to obtain this book see Oldest Golf Histories.