The Loop
Geiberger selling clubs he used in shooting 59
By John Strege
The clubs that Al Geiberger used when he became the first player in the history of the PGA Tour to shoot 59, at the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic in 1977, is part of a vast collection of memorabilia that Geiberger is auctioning off through Green Jacket Auctions.
"Rather than have my most important memorabilia from my golf career gather dust in storage," he wrote on his Facebook page, "I have decided to share it with the world. Green Jacket Auctions is now looking for bidders to find a cherished home for some of my most significant artifacts. A good home is important to me."
The clubs from the round of 59 include a Spalding Al Geiberger model driver, TopFlite 4 wood, TopFlite Legacy 2 and 3-irons, Spalding Al Geiberger 4 through 9 irons, a Wilson sand wedge, a TopFlite wedge and a Con-Sole wedge. Sold separately is the Ping Pal putter he ised in that round.
Geiberger also is auctioning the Wanamaker Trophy and the gold medal he received for winning the PGA Championship at Firestone Country Club in 1966. Nearly $16,000 already has been bid for his Wanamaker Trophy, while bids on his clubs from the round of 59 are approaching $4,000.
Also available at auction are the clubs with which he won the PGA Championship, the trophy from his victory in the Memphis Classic, the silver medal he received for finishing second in the U.S. Open in 1969, Masters eagles crystal, and his 1975 Ryder Cup money clip.
Representatives of Green Jacket Auctions, according its website, went to the Palm Springs, Calif., area in which Geiberger lives to film Geiberger for "the pilot episode of a new reality TV show based on Green Jacket Auctions. While we were there, Al Geiberger decided that rather than continuing to keep his collection packed away in a California storage facility, he felt that it was his duty to share his memorabilia with the world. Nothing was off limits to Green Jacket Auctions."
Geiberger, who played in the Demaret Division of the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in Savannah, Ga., on Tuesday, could not be reached for comment.