1824 Thistle Golf Club Scorecard (One of World’s Oldest!)
This Thistle Golf Club Gold Medal score card, dated May 1, 1824, is one of the oldest remaining scorecards in the world. It was once owned by Colonel T.B.A. Evans-Lombe O.B.E., who kept it in a 'tin black box' that was auctioned off by Sotheby's after he passed away. This box contained historical golf documents having to do with the Thistle Club in Leith between 1816 and 1826.
The Thistle Golf Club Gold Medal competition in 1824 consisted of two rounds over the Leith Links 5-hole course. This card bears the name of Donald Smith who, armed with 200-year-old long nose clubs and feather balls, shot an 86 for the 10 holes. Needless to say but lest we forget, the game as played 200 years ago was quite different from the game today.
The scorecard offered here measures approximately 3" x 4 1/2" inches. The frame around the card measures approximately 10" x 12" inches. This card is in a beautiful museum-quality frame with UV Glass as labeled on its back.
When one stops to think about the bazillions of scorecards that have been printed across the past 200 years, this card, suffice it to say, is truly historic. It would be an outstanding addition to any collection—any museum—in the world.