This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/8/2013
Ty Cobb finally called it quits after 22-years as a Detroit Tiger in November of 1926. It is widely believed that the impetus behind the move was the threat of a gambling scandal involving Cobb and Tris Speaker. Nonetheless, before he headed home to Augusta, Georgia, he was feted by the Tigers and presented with several gifts. Among them was this golf club. The wooden shaft driver was made exclusively for Cobb by MacGregor and features several custom features. Among them is a stamp on the shaft reading, "Tyrus The Greatest". The club head features Cobb's facsimile signature on top, and "Ty Cobb Detroit Tigers, 1926" on the front. An additional "T.R.C." monogram appears on the bottom. A custom canvas and leather cover bears a baseball shaped brass hanging tag engraved "Ty Cobb" on one side and "Detroit Tigers" on the reverse. The club was originally obtained by an employee of Harrah's Casino in Lake Tahoe, California where he became acquainted with Cobb who was a regular patron there.
In his retirement years, Ty Cobb was a voracious golfer. He was a member of six golf clubs by the late 1930's, including the famed Olympic Club in San Francisco and Augusta National in his home state of Georgia. A frequent playing partner of golfing legend Bobby Jones, Cobb was a near scratch golfer who enjoyed the perks and attention that came with his golfing prowess.