Old Golf Shop on Worth Avenue puts owner's passion for game and its history on display
Robert Hansen’s Old Golf Shop is a treasure trove of golf artifacts, antiques and memorabilia that illustrate the history of a game that dates to the Middle Ages.
Although, for historians, golf’s origins remain unclear, it is generally accepted that today’s game developed in Scotland.
The first rules of the modern game were established by the Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, or HCEG, in 1744. The Old Course at St. Andrews reduced the total holes from 22 to 18 in 1854, a format used the world over today. The course at St. Andrews and the R&A World Golf Museum are a golfer’s mecca.
The next best place for golf lovers might be Hansen’s Old Golf Shop. His collection pays homage to the history of a game he has loved since childhood.
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He started playing in Montclair, New Jersey, when he was 6 years old, using a set of adult clubs,
“Jack Beckett, a Scot and the club pro, was watching me,” said Hansen. "‘I like the way you swing, laddie,'" Beckett told him, Hansen said.
“In those days, golf professionals made their own clubs, and Beckett surprised me with a set of custom clubs.”
Hansen was a natural athlete who played other sports but always returned to golf. He loved everything about the game, from its early history to the spiritual side of walking courses and playing the game as intended.
“Golf builds character,” said Hansen. “You can see the beauty of the landscape, realize that the way you approach the game has its limitations, adapt your shots to the field and weather conditions, and when you play, you don’t need a group. In the end, you are always playing yourself.”
His passion for the game's history led Hansen to start collecting golf memorabilia for pleasure. But there was never going to be a business until the day he received a call from a friend in Switzerland.
The man was in his 80s. He had developed a passion for golf history and documented that passion with a selection of rare and important relics from golf’s deep past. He said that his children had no interest in the collection and asked if Hansen would help him sell it.
By 2014, Hansen opened the Old Golf Shop in Pinehurst, North Carolina, a place that some consider the home of American golf.
The Palm Beach shop began as a pop-up five years ago and is now a regular feature during season. Hansen’s demeanor, knowledge of the game and willingness to share his expertise has attracted a loyal following. The Palm Beach shop will be open daily until March 15.
Highlights from the Old Golf Shop Collection
A black-framed shadowbox featuring black-and-white photographs of the five Grand Slam winners; Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, plus mounted and autographed balls. ($12,000)
Rare, ancient golf balls, some more than 200 years, from gutta-percha to rubber-core and wrapped balls. ($5,000 to $35,000)
A Royal Doulton Burslem ware vase with a hand-painted scene of a woman golfer. ($24,000)
An early prototype by Garrard’s of London of a detailed scale-model silver trophy of the Augusta National Clubhouse weighing 28 pounds. ($495,000)
If you go:
Old Golf Shop
3 Via Parigi
Phone: 910-528-2323
In North Carolina:
27 Chinquapin Road, Pinehurst
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Old Golf Shop showcases owner's love of ancient game's history
