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John F. Kennedy Personal Golf Bag

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Historical Memorabilia Start Price:10,000.00 USD Estimated At:40,000.00 - 60,000.00 USD
John F. Kennedy Personal Golf Bag
<B>Important John F. Kennedy Personally Owned and Used Golf Bag, with Impeccable Provenance.</B></I> Few relics of this beloved president could have a more personal association than this wonderful item. Kennedy loved golf, and was quite good at it. In his book about presidential golfers, <I>First Off the Tee,</B></I> Don Van Natta Jr., writes: "Despite a bad back, Kennedy possessed a graceful, effortless swing, which allowed him to easily rank as the best player among the fourteen presidential golfers...(But) as he ran for president in 1960, Kennedy was actually aware that some Americans had become disenchanted with Dwight D. Eisenhower's methodical devotion to golf. Kennedy was almost maniacal about his refusal to allow photographers snap his picture while holding a putter or driver." <BR><BR>"Shortly before the 1960 Democratic Convention, Kennedy nearly shot a hole-in-one at a California golf course. While aide 'Red' Fay, Jr. yelled 'Go In! Go In!' the ball stopped six inches short of the hole. JFK looked stricken with terror! He yelled at Fay, 'You're yelling for that damn ball to go in and I'm watching a promising political career coming to an end. If that ball had gone into that hole, in less than an hour the word would be out to the nation that another golfer was trying to get into the White House.'" (<I>First Off the Tee,</B></I> New York: PublicAffairs, 2003, page 15). Van Natta goes on to write, "...no one looked more comfortable and relaxed on the course than John F. Kennedy. It was not an act; he was relaxed because he knew he could play. Kennedy glided from hole to hole, making impossible shots look easy, flashing that winning smile..." <BR><BR>"When he became president, he practiced in secret on the White House grounds during foggy early mornings, and White House security aide 'Muggsy' O'Leary shagged balls. When Kennedy could escape the photographers he would sneak off to indulge