MEMORABILIA COLLECTIBLESGeorge Houghton's light-hearted books about his golfing exploits are not worth a whole lot, but a signed caricature or cartoon could be a different proposition, says Gary Moran
"BEFORE VENTURING from our safe base in the south of England, I wrote this note to an Irish friend. 'My wife and I intend to visit Ireland to gather material for a humorous golf book. It is our first visit. Help!' After a longish pause, the reply came. 'Glad to see you. Will arrange a mixed foursome with The Rose of Tralee.'"
The safe base mentioned above belonged to George Houghton (1905-1993), a Scot who spent a decade in Paris working for the Daily Mail and attending art school before seeing action in World War II and finally settling in England. He had been introduced to golf as a youngster by the Scottish pro Joe Anderson, whose daughter Jessie later became a pioneer of the women's game and a pre-eminent player as Jessie Valentine.
It wasn't until 1952 that Houghton (pictured right in a self-caricature) penned his first golf book, Confessions of a Golf Addict, but it started a series that included more than 30 titles over 35 years.
According to Bob Labbance, former editor of the Golf Collectors Society Bulletin, Houghton is by a long way the most read golf author in history. Labbance estimated that Houghton easily outstripped all competitors with sales from the books and his annual calendar reaching close to half a million units.
Several of them involved Houghton travelling the world to eat, sleep, drink and play golf before recording his adventures in humorous style. He also illustrated his works with cartoons and his original artwork is now more valuable than the books which are a nice item to collect but not particularly rare or expensive.
It's a good job there's humour because much of the golf was forgettable. In a piece about himself, he once wrote: "If you saw inside my brain when I'm playing golf you would be seasick. The grey matter is swirling in a furore of don'ts and dos, images and inhibitions . . . "
Golf Addict among the Irish was published in 1965 and although he really did play Tralee, which was then a nine-hole course at Mounthawk, the proposed mixed foursome never came to pass. Not only was the golfing prowess of the reigning Rose unknown (the festival began in 1959), Houghton's own wife Kay, known in his writings as The Golf Widow, didn't play herself.
"She corrects my spelling, types the manuscripts, drives the car, carries my clubs, spots the ball and helps me to climb out of bunkers. She must have trudged a thousand golf courses without ever striking a ball."
Houghton and the Widow travelled two thousand miles around this island and visited 23 clubs. They ranged from Portmarnock and Portrush to Glengarriff and Kenmare and he encountered the likes of Joe Carr, Jimmy Bruen and Harry Bradshaw as well as countless more humble performers.
His conclusion was that "for any golfer to reach three score years without playing in Ireland is ridiculous. In my case it was scandalous. I had been gadding about for ages in many countries searching for light-hearted material for books and cartoons. Then, at my very elbow, I found the richest vein of pure golf humour".
In Golf Addict Visits the USA he played with another golf nut, General Eisenhower; he was invited to South America by Roberto de Vicenzo and penned Golf Addict in Gaucho Land; Golf Addict Goes East followed a trip to the Philippines and an encounter with President Marcos.
Many of the titles can be purchased second-hand on amazon.com for prices under €30, whereas some of his paintings can run closer to €1,000. His caricatures and cartoons were mostly done in charcoal and a signed original might go for €200, depending on the condition and the subject.
Houghton also produced an annual Golf Addicts Cartoon Calendar every year from 1952-1992. Bing Crosby used to pre-order 100 copies to send to his golfing friends around the world. We haven't come across any but if you have one, please let us know.
This column welcomes e-mails from readers concerning Houghton calendars and all other golf memorabilia and collectibles but cannot guarantee to provide valuations.
If you have an interesting story or item, e-mail collectgolf@gmail.com
