Golf is a unique sport in that millions of people participate in the sport and most of those that play golf also watch the sport. This provides millions of people with a deep connection with the sport, which creates a pretty unique market for its memorabilia.
Of course, to play the sport consistently, you need to have the money to pay for it. So, the fans of the sport tend to be ones with more disposable income that can be spent on things such as sports memorabilia.
This memorabilia is not just golf balls or gloves. Golf fans have a wide range of tastes and interests, which leads to a wide range of items that become collectible.
For example, tournament pin flags have become pretty popular. They can be purchased at any tournament for a rather affordable price and they usually include the tournament’s logo right on them. If you can get one signed by the winner of a prestigious tournament, such as a major, the value of it can skyrocket.
For instance, Tiger Woods won the 1999 PGA Championship. A flag from that tournament that was signed by him was sold for $4,260.75 in January 2012, according to “Golf Digest.”
Golf Has Many Unique Items That Can Become Collectible
Many golf items are collectible because they are unique. Most tournaments will give out items to the golfers that were made just for them. For example, tournaments will often give out player pins or badges. These will have the golfer’s name and the name of the tournament, so it is instantly recognizable as a collectible. This is because it is unique. Only one golfer could have had that pin and it could only have been his for one specific tournament.
When an item is unique, there is no direct competition for it. You don’t have to worry about someone selling the same item you have on eBay for a lower price than you are asking.
For example, Mark O’Meara’s player pin from the 1990 British Open sold for $414 in 2012 on thegolfauction.com.
Other unique items from tournaments can include trophies or plaques given to the winners of tournaments. These will usually be engraved, which makes it easy to authenticate.
Golf is also older than even baseball. Anything from more than 100 years ago is very collectible. It doesn’t have to be from anyone famous. If you can prove that a ball or club is from the 19th Century, then it can be quite valuable. Of course, if it was used by a famous golfer from that era, then the value skyrockets.
For instance, a putter that was used by Old Tom Morris and his son, Young Tom Morris, was expected to sell for as much as $112,000, according to the Business Insider website.
The beauty of this is that so many people had relatives that liked to play in their youth, but then stored their golf clubs in their attics and forgot about them. Many people will try to sell old golf clubs at yard sales not realizing that they may have something quite valuable.
Even art can be collectible with golf enthusiasts. Golf was often a subject for artists because of the beauty of the setting on a golf course. “The Golf Course,” painted by Sir John Lavery, was expected to sell for between $320,000 to $480,000 at the same auction the Morris putter was being put up for bid.
Darin McGilvra has been a professional sports writer since 1997 and has been involved in youth baseball as a coach and parent since 2007. He has been published in The Californian, a newspaper covering Riverside County, and multiple websites.
Follow Darin on Twitter at @SoCalTwinsfan.
More from this author:
How to Organize a Youth Baseball Practice
Minnesota Twins’ Joe Mauer Is Still Very Good
Top Five Free-Agent Busts in Minnesota Twins Team History
