World’s oldest golf shop re-opens
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The oldest golf shop in the world reopens tomorrow (Fri) at the birthplace of the game in
The Tom Morris Golf Shop was opened in
Tom Morris Ltd was acquired last year by St Andrews Links Trust, which manages the seven public courses at the Home of Golf. The shop was closed over the winter for renovation and reopened yesterday with a completely new look and feel. It will stock apparel and merchandise bearing an updated Tom Morris crest from the 1880s and the sign on the front of the building will once again be styled with the name ‘T. Morris’ as it was in his time.
Several artefacts belonging to Morris himself were discovered during the renovation including his original workbench in the shop window where he made golf clubs and balls, the fireplace where he heated and shaped gutta percha balls and what is believed to be his locker where he stored his clubs.
These items form part of a display area in the shop celebrating the achievements of Morris as a golf champion, a pioneering greenkeeper and course architect, a club and ball maker, a family man and a businessman.
Morris was a hugely influential figure in the development of golf, The Open Championship and the Old Course and St Andrews Links in particular. Morris’ high profile series of money matches against Willie Park in the 1860s to 1880s brought the game, through national newspaper coverage, to a wider audience and helped to establish golf as a popular sport.
He was employed by The Royal and Ancient as Keeper of the Green in
He also laid out the New Course which opened in 1895. He was the first to begin applying sand to the Old Course which is now a technique accepted as commonplace among greenkeepers around the world. Morris was also involved in creating the original layouts of some of
His son Tommy became the youngest Open champion in 1868 at the age of 17, beating his father into second place, the only time this has happened in the 150-year history of the championship and a feat unlikely to be repeated. Tommy won The Open three consecutive times and then again in 1872. He died tragically at the age of 24.
“When the previous owners approached us regarding the business we felt it was very important that Tom’s rich heritage was preserved and that ownership remained in
Sheila Walker, a direct descendant of Tom Morris who still lives above the shop, added, “Our family has always been tremendously proud of Tom’s life and work. He dedicated himself to his family and to golf and his legacy is all around us here in
“His workshop and business were extremely important to him and it is exciting to see some of his furniture being preserved and put on display in the shop. This will help to ensure that future generations continue to revere Tom Morris and his contribution to golf.”
A new website has been created about the Tom Morris Golf Shop at www.tommorris.com.