Offered here is an extraordinary circa 1853 photograph from the Old Course at St Andrews. The handwritten caption reads "St. Andrews 1853" and "Mr. Chisholm who became the first Amateur Champion, playing out of Hell Bunker, Old Course, St. Andrews."

This photograph is well-documented as being one of the first golf photographs from the Old Course at St Andrews. The Scrapbook of Old Tom Morris by David Joy instead lists this photograph as 1856, and involving Mr. Robert Chambers. Regardless of which is accurate, it's a fine original example of one of the earliest golf photographs. We can say for certain that two of the other men featured in this early photograph are Sir Hugh Playfair (top hat, 2nd from right), and Daw Anderson (3rd from right), and that this photo features Hell Bunker in St Andrews. 

To put the rarity of this photograph into proper perspective, the invention of the camera only came to small town Scotland around 1850. And by the time this photograph was taken, there would've been but a couple cameras in the entire town, and they would've only been owned by professionals.

This photograph (visible) measures 3 1/4" x 2 1/2" in a small mat.