6 stamps, pen and ink, dark green on chocolate matting
The Scots were the originators of golf, becoming so popular that King James II encouraged the population to switch from golf to archery, a sport more important to defense. Disputes were settled by senior players until 1744 when the town council of Edinburgh provided a silver club to be competed for annually, with the winner of the club becoming the Captain of Golf, and the arbitrator of all disputes. The rules of golf now are decided by the Royal and Ancient Golf Cub of St. Andrews, Scotland (est. 1754) for most of the world, and by the USGA (est 1894) for the United States. The first national golf championship occurred in Scotland in 1860, becoming the British Open (1865) when it was declared "open" to all. The South Carolina Golf Club was formed by British planters in Charleston, SC in 1776, and appears to be the earliest gold in the United States, disappearing in 1812. Who can forget Ouimet and Zaharias? President Taft was the first golf addicted president, while Harding actually served on the board of the USGA. Ike and gold, are of course synonymous. A famous photo show that Roosevelt had a golf ball cigarette lighter on his White House desk as he signed the declaration of war. Few other sports are so totally intriguing and addictive as...Golf!!
