Addendum (7/31/10:27 am). We have added the complete transcript of Marjorie Mize's letter to our lot description, as well as an image of the letter to our photo section.

Set of 1930s era left-handed golf clubs owned and used by Babe Ruth and then later presented to Johnny Mize, who was related to Ruth through Ruth's wife, Claire. These clubs have an amazing provenance and are accompanied by a one-page, notarized letter signed by Johnny Mize's second wife, Marjorie Mize. In her letter, she relates that Johnny Mize had always talked about a set of golf clubs that Ruth had given him many years earlier, but he could never remember where he stored them. In 1995, two years after Johnny Mize died, this set of clubs was discovered in Mize's barn by his two grandsons. Since this was the only set of vintage clubs found among Mize's possession, his wife concludes by writing that "to the best of my knowledge these are the clubs that he [Johnny Mize] referred to when speaking about receiving a personal set [of] Babe Ruth's golf clubs." It should also be noted that Mize, like Ruth, was left handed, so it was only natural for Ruth to pass on the clubs to a fellow southpaw. 

Lelands is very familiar with this set of clubs because they were first offered at auction by Lelands in its two-day "Major League" live auction held in New York City on November 17th and 18th in 1995. The clubs were consigned directly by Marjorie Mize at the time and purchased by our consignor at that sale. They have remained in our consignor's sole possession until now and in that respect are basically new to the hobby. 

The full text of Marjorie Mize's letter reads as follows:

During the course of our marriage Johnny Mize, my husband, made reference on several occasions that Babe Ruth had given him a set of his personal golf clubs many years ago. He knew the clubs existed but could never remember where he had placed them and really never made a conscious effort to locate them. Johnny passed away in the same house he was born in so the Baseball memorabilia he collected over the years was either inside the house or the barn adjacent to the house.

After Johnny passed away, my two grandsons helped me clean out the barn to recover anything they could use or take with them. After several hours they made their way to the upstairs level of the barn which was covered with numerous items that had been there for many years. After sifting through many of those items they came across a plastic bag in the back corner with a set of golf clubs in it. The bag had a zipper that was rusted shut, so they cut it open with a knife to take a look at the clubs. What they found was a full set hickory shafted clubs and the original golf bag. The shafts and models of the clubs were an indication that they were made sometime in the 1930s.

Being related to Babe Ruth, Johnny received gifts from him on various occasions. Although Johnny is no longer living, to the best of my knowledge these are the clubs he referred to when speaking about receiving a personal set of Babe Ruth’s clubs.

The late 1930s "Vic Ghezzi Grand Slam" model clubs, which were manufactured by H&B, consist of three woods, seven irons, a putter, and a "Gopher" putter. It should be noted that in the 1930s, the standard length of a driver was 43 inches, but two of the drivers in this set measure 45 inches and the other 44 inches. Ruth, who was an avid golfer, was known to use a longer 45" driver during his days on the links, so the extra length is what one would expect to find in Ruth's bag. The clubs are housed in a vintage leather Wright & Ditson golf bag. LOA from Marjorie Mize. Please note: the size and/or weight of this lot will necessitate an increased shipping charge.

Estimated domestic USA shipping cost only. Does not include handling or insurance: 35.02 Please feel free to contact us for a more accurate shipping cost.