Harry Colt papers- A Remarkable Auction soon to end

[Neil Regan]

Check this out at

OldGolfAuctions.com

Maybe we should all get together to buy this for GCA.
The auction ends Sunday night.


14 testimonials from famous golfing personalities supporting
Harry S Colt's appplication for the post of R & A secretary, 1899[/color][/size]

Description
 
 
Harry S Colt was a founding member of Rye Golf Club (1894) and designer of its first course. He served as Secretary until 1898. A year later (1899), he applied for the post of Secretary to the Royal & Ancient Golf Club. In support of his application, he received 14 testimonials (all dated December 1899) from a number of notable friends, including Horace Hutchinson, Mure Fergusson, J Ogilvy Fairlie and Arthur James Balfour, the Prime Minister at the time whose letter is headed 10 Downing Street and dated December 13, 1899. Other testimonials were written by prominent Rye members such as F A Inderwick (the club's first President), Lennox Tindall, who with Colt and two others, founded the club, and William Carless (one of the original Committee members). When the R & A turned down his application, Colt took the post as the first Secretary at the new Sunningdale Golf Club in 1900 and, while there, started his architectural career, which led ultimately to the creation of the firm Colt, Alison and Morrison. Just think: if the R & A had given the secretary's job to Colt, they could have deprived us of 30 or so of the world’s greatest golf courses. We at Old Golf Auctions, and millions of other golfers, are indebted to the Royal & Ancient for their foresight! In the late 1980s, a large quantity of the firm's historical documents and operational archives were auctioned off or privately purchased. Until another noted golf course designer, Fred Hawtree, published his 1991 biography of Colt, very little was known about the architect's life and professional career. One of the well-hidden secrets was Colt's application for the post of R & A secretary, which first came to light when these 14 testimonials became public property. When Colt applied for the R & A position, he had already 'sounded out' Sunningdale as a back-up post, thus the need for discretion. Each testimonial is on a single 8" x 10" sheet. Including the title sheet, the stapled testimonial packet contains 15 pages. All are in excellent condition. These 100-year-old testimonials shed considerable light on Colt's work at Rye and his relationships in the golf world. A true golfing rarity!

[Neil Regan]

And how about

This picture:

[Paul_Turner]

That's amazing.  I never knew he went for The Big Job and got turned down!  Even with all those high power recommendations.

Lovely sketch too.

I wonder where all that stuff went in the 80's?

It's a bit pricey  

[Kelly Blake Moran]

Is the value of the papers diminished because they are not signed by their respective authors?  It is interesting that Colt commissioned a painting for a green design.  Who did it?

[Craig Disher]

This kind of material is held by many of the old UK clubs - as Paul probably is well aware. AJ Balfour was President of Littlestone between its founding in 1888 and 1930 and the club still has the records of every meeting including discussions on MacKenzie and Braid's work there. Some items have been framed and hang in the clubhouse- such as Colt's participation in an 1890s competition. The price does seem a bit high for what are almost unsigned form letters.

[Mike Nuzzo]

Looks like getting an artist to convey green contours has always been difficult.

[Paul_Turner]

So if he had got the job, what would that mean?

Could he still have started a career in GCA?  How long does the R&A chief post last?  

Would he have tweaked or even made larger changes to The Old Course like he did at Sunningdale?

Pine Valley would clearly be struggling to make the world Top 100 .  As it would be filled with ugly and wholly inappropriate "Mid Surrey Mounds".  And Tom Paul would have to argue with someone else (a Tillie fan no doubt).