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George Blossom Jr. conceived the idea for a golf museum in 1934. Artifacts and memorabilia were collected at the headquarters of the United States Golf Association (USGA), ruling body of American golf, in New York City. When the organization moved headquarters an hour away to rural Far Hills the museum also relocated.
Golf House is a three-story Georgian mansion created by John Russell Pope who also designed the Jefferson Memorial. The USGA museum sits in the heart of a 60-acre estate.
Inside the rooms have been converted into museum exhibits for the world's largest public collection of golf artifacts, many one-of-a-kind. The first room displays the evolution of the golf ball from the early feather-filled ball to the first gutta percha rubber ball to the modern ball in use today. Golf House boasts 10,000 golf balls in the collection, including a feather ball filled by Tom Morris, the Scottish golf pioneer, in mint condition.
In the 19th century golf clubs were crafted by skilled craftsmen who proudly engraved their names on each club. Many variations abound in Golf House as well as an exact replica of a clubmakerÕs bench and tools.
On the second floor the specially constructed club used by Astronaut Alan Shephard to hit a golf ball on the moon is on display. The club is a 6-iron head attached to a jointed astronaut tool used to scoop soil.
Also on the second floor of Golf House is a corner devoted to antique greenskeeping tools and a wall of golf cartoons, many featuring golf addict Snoopy. "Play Away Please" is a computer allowing the golfer to design his own golf hole or request videos on golf topics. Many exhibits are interactive including trivia games and rules contests.
Special rooms pay homage to golfing legends on a rotating basis, including the first U.S. Open winner Francis Ouimet and Byron Nelson who won a stunning 11 consecutive professional tournaments in 1945. A special shrine at Golf House is the Bobby Jones Room that chronicles the career of America's greatest amateur golfer. In this richly paneled room is a collection of the medals he won before retiring at the age of 28. Photographs, trophies and portraits are used to honor golf's great champions throughout the museum.
A short walk from the museum (stop and investigate the turf grass exhibit along the way) is America's most sophisticated golf equipment test facility. Here the USGA evaluates new and innovative equipment to insure compliance with the standards of the game. New clubs and balls are tested on a 325-yard outdoor range with a mechanical golfer known as "Iron Byron," whose swing is modeled after Byron Nelson. Each year some 400 golf clubs and 20,000 golf balls are put through their paces in the USGA testing facility. In addition to displays on golf ball and club construction the observation deck is open daily to visitors.
For those interested in research or have a question about golf, the USGA library in the office building is a rich depository of 13,000 volumes on golf and its history. You can also take away a piece of the game with a visit to the gift shop.
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