KING OF CLUBS

This is the story of Champion Golfer Allan Robertson (1815-1859).

Until now, Robertson’s role had been as a member of the supporting cast in the story of leading light Tom Morris. Between 1840 and 1859 the reality was Robertson shared centre stage. This biography puts Robertson in the spotlight and charts one of golf history’s great characters and most talented players. The press hailed Robertson as the King of Clubs and the King of Golf, such was his talent and success. Off the course, he worked closely with his second cousin Tom Morris after inviting him to join the business of producing featheries in the golf parlour in Sandyhill. The pair were also formidable playing partners, the invincibles. When the guttie ball arrived in the 1840s, Robertson thought his heritage and business was about to be ruined – and when Morris played with one, it was a betrayal that led to a temporary parting of ways.

They reunited to once again thrill crowds and dominate the sport, but in 1859, aged only 43 and at his sporting peak, Robertson died of jaundice. It was said to be the largest funeral ever seen in St Andrews. With new material about Robertson’s life, set against to the backdrop of an ever-evolving St Andrews, Royal and Ancient club and the links, this biography brings this engrossing life story to light.

He was to many who saw him play, the best golfer in the world and the true King of Clubs.

Roger McStravick is a double winner of the USGA’s Herbert Warren Wind Book Award (2015, 2020) and the British Golf Collectors Society (BGCS) Murdoch Medal. He is the author of several acclaimed books, and was editor of the BGCS magazine Through The Green. Roger has written for many global golf magazines and is frequently on-screen, including for The Golf Channel, and the films Loopers and The Greatest Golf Story Ever Told. An avid collector of rare books on St Andrews and Scotland, he lives locally with his wife and two children.

Bill Williams was an author, golfer and historian. As a sports fan, history fascinated him since his school days. He split his time between Florida, where he could play golf year-round, and the Kingdom of Fife, where he could also play golf all year round. He was a proud member of the British Golf Collectors Society, the Golf Heritage Society in the USA and the Leith Rules Golf Society. He was also a member of The St Andrews Golf Club. He died in 2019.