President Ford’s personally-owned and -used personalized Titleist golf ball, embossed in black type on one side, “Gerald Ford.” It also bears manufacturer’s marks that read “Titleist,” “7,” and “Acushnet DT.” The ball exhibits general marks and a large crack, consistent with use by the president.
Includes a letter of provenance on a White House card from Raleigh DeGeer Amyx. In full: “This golf ball was presented to me on the 10th anniversary of President Gerald R. Ford becoming president of the United States. It was used and cut (while playing golf) by the president. He used this Titleist 7 ball inscribed with his name at the Congressional Country Club while president.” Ford was one of the most athletic presidents to ever take office, owing to his days as a star player on the University of Michigan football squad. On the golf course he had a wild yet powerful swing (this smashed golf ball surely proving the latter), but had difficulty controlling his drives—his reputation for hitting spectators was so well-known that that Bob Hope once joked, ‘It's not hard to find Jerry Ford on a golf course—you just follow the wounded.’
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