Historic club to go under the hammer

A historic golf club belonging to the 4th Duke of Atholl is to go to auction next week.

John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl‘s(1755-1830) heavy iron club is due to be sold at Los Angeles’ Bonhams Auctioneers on Sunset Boulevard.

The club is part of the 130-piece Roberto Family Trust Golf Collection, and is thought to be one of the oldest golf collections in the world. The heavy iron from Perthshire’s Blair Castle dates from around 1780, weighs 24.1oz and still bears its original inscriptions and sheepskin grip.

The Californian auctioneer Kevin McGimpsey said:“The Roberto Family Trust’s collection of early golf clubs and other golf memorabilia ranks among the top five in the world.

“It represents a lifetime of enthusiasm and connoisseurship and provides an unrivalled opportunity to acquire pieces of great historic significance and rarity.”

The club’s current owner Will Roberto said:“Putting together this collection has been a wonderful, absorbing hobby which has given me decades of pleasure but the time has now come for a new generation of collectors to enjoy these fascinating objects.”

The Duke of Atholl’s club will be auctioned on Wednesday, March 29, and is estimated to fetch $20,000-$25,000.