The Gate to Golf

Edgar, James Douglas

Published by Edgar & Co, St, Albans, England, 1920

About this Item

Illustrated. 61 pages. Original boxed first edition. James Douglas Edgar was an English Professional who moved to the United States in 1917 and in 1918 accepted the position of pro at the Druid Hills Club in Atlanta. He was an enigmatic character, a player who rarely practiced, at times would not even warm-up before playing, yet frequently played brilliantly. The following quotes are taken from a Golf Magazine article February 1960: "According to Bobby Jones, Edgar prepared for the 1919 Canadian Open, which Edgar won with a score of 278 strokes, a record that stood for more than 17 years, by hitting only six practice shots (!)." THIS SCORE 0F 278 WAS A WORLD-RECORD SCORE FOR FOUR ROUNDS OF COMPETITIVE GOLF, AN INCREDIBLE SIXTEEN SHOTS SEPARATED EDGAR FROM THE SECOND PLACE FINISHERS BOBBY JONES, JAMES BARNES, AND KARL KEFFER. Edgar successfully defended his Canadian Open title in 1920, returned home to capture the Southern Open, published The Gate to Golf instructional book, and then, this anomaly was killed. "J. Douglas Edgar, the Wizard of Druid Hills, died under mysterious circumstances in Atlanta in 1921 at the age of 35. Officially, his death was thought to have been caused by a hit-and-run driver, but there was strong reason to suspect he had been stabbed." In addition to his erratically brilliant play, "Edgar preached some of the most radical theories ever propounded about the game." Tommy Armour, who followed Edgar for five-month throughout the UK getting daily lessons, explains: "Douglas Edgar was the father---pioneer---of the present-day method of hitting the ball---called 'from the inside-out'. His book is built on that method of hitting. He is one of the many great players I took golf lessons from, but he was undoubtedly the greatest of them and taught me the most." This scarce boxed first edition is accompanied by a rubber "gate" and other pieces (all present), which when placed on the ground, aid in the understanding and subsequent practice of this "new" method of hitting a golf ball. Box corners reinforced with paper, hinge paper worn, cover illustration very good, inside clean and bright, original sealing and price labels still present. Book's blue cloth covers bright and unmarked, slight bow to book from being in the box, pastedown offset else clean, bright interior. No former owner names or bookplate. Covers protected in mylar. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Seller Inventory # 204788

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Gate to Golf

Publisher: Edgar & Co, St, Albans, England

Publication Date: 1920

Binding: Cloth

Condition: Very Good

Dust Jacket Condition: Boxed

Edition: First Edition.