A SMALL FEATHER-FILLED GOLF BALL ‡
BY WILLIAM GOURLAY, CIRCA 1830
Auction: 15 July 2015 from 20:30 BST
Description
Stamped 'Wm Gourlay' and inscribed '26'
Footnote
Provenance: The Royal Perth Golfing Society, Christie's Scotland, July 1990.
Note: The Gourlay family are synonymous with early golf ball making. Although Douglas Gourlay is chronicled as arriving at Bruntsfield as a ballmaker circa 1780, there have been unchecked references to the family being connected with golfing in even earlier times and by their connection by marriage with the McEwan and Dunn families.
In the 19th century the family achieved an unrivalled reputation as feathery ball makers. They also moved down to Musselburgh in the 1840s when McEwans the club makers set up there. John (1815-1869) and William (1813-1844) were in partnership as J. & W. Gourlay until the latter died in 1844. Thereafter, John Gourlay accepted the arrival of the gutta ball and started making them with success.