Francis Ouimet Collection

No single person has had a greater impact on the game of golf in America than Francis Ouimet. Though gaining in popularity, golf was still a fringe sport until a 20 year old Francis Ouimet shocked the world by winning the 1913 US Open. It was front page news throughout the country. Ten years after Ouimet’s surprise victory, the number of golfers in the United States had tripled, and hundreds of new courses had been built. 

All it took was a largely unknown caddie from Brookline, Massachusetts defeating the greatest golfers in the world. 

Ouimet’s collection of golf medals, trophies, and memorabilia was acquired by the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund after Ouimet’s death in 1967. The collection has remained in the Ouimet Fund’s possession ever since – some relics displayed, but many others simply sitting in storage for decades. Collectors often point to the dearth of quality Ouimet memorabilia in the collecting market. Well, that’s about to change...

Now, approximately 50 years after it first took possession, the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund has chosen to auction a few select pieces of memorabilia from its vast collection. Francis Ouimet himself often said “…of all the things I have accomplished, I am proudest of the establishment of the Ouimet Scholarship Fund.” Money raised by this sale will go towards the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund’s primary objective - providing scholarships so that deserving young men and women who have worked at golf courses can obtain a college education.

Since the Ouimet Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, a portion of each winning bid may be eligible for a tax write-off. So bid often and let’s raise money for the largest independent scholarship fund in New England.

Francis Ouimet’s Personal Hagen Wedge with Victory Notches

The practice of collecting tournament-used golf clubs from early Champions can be a frustrating endeavor. Few purported used clubs from the game’s early greats exist, and even fewer come with any reasonable amount of provenance. 

The offered club is one of the finest tournament-used golf clubs to ever reach the auction block. This is among the most cherished items in the entire Ouimet Fund collection - Francis Ouimet’s personal Hagen wedge. The most special aspect of the club are Ouimet’s “victory” notches on the shaft. This practice may’ve been borrowed from baseball, where contemporary stars like Babe Ruth would famously carve a notch in their bat after each home run used with said bat. Ouimet carved 5 notches  (possibly 6) on this circa 1930s wedge - likely signifying its use in 5 or 6 tournament victories.

Accompanying this piece is the original plaque mentioning the victory notches from when this wedge was displayed in the old Ouimet Museum in Weston, MA.

Letter of Provenance from the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund