A Guide to Golf Memorabilia (That Won’t Cost More Than Your Round)
Golfers have a unique opportunity to play the same game they see the pros play on TV, and this can be a sacred experience. Whether its a chance to play a bucket list golf course or the thrill of an ace at your local muni, the game can lead to a pretty serious golf memorabilia collection. Keepsake items that remind us of the great rounds we’ve played (or even the bad rounds we’ve played at great courses) are a joy to discover in pro shops. But the price tags can be anything but delightful after greens fees and associated expenses. Plunking down extra cash for golf collectibles can be more stressful than a four foot putt for the win.
So here’s a list of collectible golf memorabilia you can take home for less than a $15 nassau, and some that won’t even cost you a dime!
Collectible Golf Logo Balls
This is a popular choice, and nearly every golf course worth its salt has them conveniently located right next to the cash register. My parents have been playing golf together for as long as I can remember, and the walls of their den is adorned with multiple golf ball display cases showing their collection from the courses they’ve played.
Rarely do logo balls cost much more than a buck or two, and they make for great conversation starters. As your collection begins to grow, you can have fun arranging them in attractive golf ball displays to rank the best courses you’ve played.
Collectible Golf Towels
Think about the towel that’s currently hanging from your golf bag. I’ll be it’s pretty dirty. Can you even remember the last time you cleaned it? Next time you play a course that you’re fond of, see if they sell towels. Adding another one or two of these to your collection can help motivate you to keep a clean one on the bag. It will also prevent a “dirt from great courses” collection in the trunk of your car while providing a useful ice breaker for your next round with new friends.
A (Group) Picture: Worth 1,000 Words
There’s perhaps no better way to remember an excellent golf round than with a picture of you and your playing partners! This is a completely free way to collect great golf memorabilia. You can make it a bit more involved if you keep some consistency in the photos. Maybe you prefer to take it on the 1st tee, or at the 19th hole. The 18th green isn’t a bad idea, but wherever you choose to shoot, make it snappy! The last thing you want to do is commit a breach of golf etiquette by holding up play while you capture your vain friend’s good side.
As you collect print worthy photos from all of your great golf adventures, you’ll eventually want some place to keep them safe. This golf scorecard and photo album can preserve both photos and scorecards, making it a great golf gift for family and friends.
Free Golf Memorabilia: Ball Markers & Tees
Finer courses put their logo on everything, all the way down to the plastic ball marks and tees. In these cases, they almost always offer them for free. Do what I do and grab a handful of tees and a ball marker or two to keep in your bag. Think about the mojo you’ll get from teeing it up on your home course with a tee from one of the great courses you’ve played. It’s all about the vibes! If you want to take this up a notch, see if the pro shop sells a higher end ball mark (usually in metal or copper, or even one of those poker chip varieties if you aren’t into flat marks). These can have quite intricate designs displaying the personality of the course, and make for an inexpensive golf keepsake.
The Collectible Golf Scorecard
So maybe there are some scores you’d rather not remember, even though the course you played is one you’ll never forget. This was my experience playing the Blue Course at Congressional. Awful round of golf, but one of the best walks of my life. A few years later when Rory was running away to his first major at that very track, I wished I had kept the scorecard (even with it’s miserable number) as a frame of reference for how I played the course and how it was set up for the pros.
That’s why I recommend to anyone playing a great golf course that they tuck an extra (unmarked) scorecard into their bag at the end of their round. Especially if you think there’s a chance you might be returning to that course as a spectator one day, or if the course is on the schedule to host a future major tournament. You might be able to get one of the players to autograph it for you, and if that player comes out on top, you’ll have yourself one heck of a keepsake!
Don’t Forget the Golf Pencil!
Of all the random chotskies in the golf memorabilia world, perhaps nothing is as charming and unique as the golf scoring pencil. Inhabitant of glove compartments and junk drawers everywhere, and useful in golf, putt-putt, and carpentry only, the sawed-off version of the old No. 2 can make an excellent addition to your golf memorabilia collection. While they’re all the same basic item, the colors and font stylings of each different course make golf scorecard pencils a collectors item unto themselves. And of course, they’re free!
Golfers we know love collecting them, and our golf pencil display cases are some of our top selling items and we’ve got 12 different styles, so there’s something for everyone!
So there you have it, six collectible golf items you can add to your collection, without spending all your money! And if you really love golf memorabilia, we’ve got a social media follow recommendation for you. The folks at Golf Junk Drawer update their feed regularly with user submitted content showing off impressive golf collections from courses far and wide. Did we miss something? Tell us what you collect in the comments.
This post may contain affiliate links and we may earn a small commission if you use them to purchase products, at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Affiliate, we help fund this blog with the earnings we make from qualifying purchases. Thank you for helping us support the Great Golf Blog!