A golf ball once played by James Bond author Ian Fleming is expected to sell for £4,000.
The historic item is over 100-years-old and is considered the “first real golf ball”, according to auctioneers.
The small leather sack was filled with boiled goose feathers before being stitched up and painted.
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It was owned by Cyril Whiting, a club professional at Royal St George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent, from 1971 to 1989.
He played frequently with James Bond author Ian Fleming, who immortalised his golfing pal by naming a character – Cyril Blacking – after him, as reported by What’s The Jam.
Whiting’s prowess as a player was alluded to in Goldfinger during a golf match between the villain, Auric Goldfinger, and Bond.
The fictional venue, Royal St Mark’s, was based on Royal St George’s, where Fleming was a member.
Whiting confirmed that much of the golfing trivia in the book was based on fact.
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He died in 2020.
The ball itself was made by Scotsman Thomas Morris, otherwise known as Old Tom Morris or The Grand Old Man of Golf.
He is considered one of the pioneers of professional golf, and was the first young prodigy in golf history.
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He won four consecutive titles in the Open Championship by the age of 21.
A spokesperson for Canterbury Auction Galleries said: “The feathery golf ball is considered the first real golf ball and is basically a small leather sack filled with boiled goose feathers then stitched up and painted.
“They were expensive to make and easily damaged so only the privileged few could afford to use them.”
The precious ball dates from the 1800s and is estimated to fetch £4,000.
It is being sold in Canterbuty, Kent, in August.
