Offered here is the most significant golf club to ever reach our auction block - or perhaps any auction block. This is Arnold Palmer's putter that he used to win a dozen golf tournaments, including the 1964 Masters Tournament.

The 1964 Masters Tournament was arguably the finest golf of Arnold Palmer's storied career. As Golf Digest recently reminisced "It wasn't a golf tournament, it was a one-horse race, Secretariat running away with the Belmont." Palmer won the 1964 Masters Tournament (his 4th green jacket, and 7th and final Major Championship) in dominating fashion. His -12 score was 6 strokes clear of the field.

This putter was a key contributor in Arnold Palmer's 1964 Masters Tournament victory. In 72 holes, Palmer only 3-putted one green. Surely every golfer is familiar with the final hole of the 1964 Masters - when Arnold Palmer used this putter to hole a 20 foot putt for victory - and then wildly swung the putter in a jubilant celebration.

This 35 3/4" Arnold Palmer Personal model putter shows exceptional use. This long-hoseled putter has a black painted head and unfinished chrome face. The well-used putter shows a great amount of tinkering, including two weight removal holes in the sole, teeth marks on the hosel, and marks on the hosel from a loft and lie machine. According to the accompanying letter from Arnold Palmer, this putter was not only used by him to win the 1964 Masters, but also another "12 or 13" tournaments in the mid-1960s.

The putter is accompanied with a Letter of Provenance from Arnold Palmer himself. The putter has been in the possession of New Plymouth Golf Club in New Zealand since Palmer gave it to them in 1980. It has been used as the winner's trophy for the club's annual junior tournament dubbed The Arnold Palmer Tournament. Now, with the ever-increasing value of this historic club, New Plymouth came to the realization that the club was becoming a potential liability. And like most other golf clubs in New Zealand, the club is facing financially challenging times. Funds earned from the putter's sale will help it maintain the championship status of its highly-regarded Ngamotu course. A replica Arnold Palmer putter is expected to be used for the Arnold Palmer Tournament that the club hosts each year.

Letter of Provenance from Arnold Palmer

**Update** Here is an article discussing the decision of New Plymouth Golf Club to auction its famous Arnold Palmer putter    Click Here