Lawson Little's Major Championship Winning Used Wright & Ditson Sand Iron
When golf historians banter about the greatest accomplishments in the game's Majors Bobby Jones "Slam in 1930 and the Tiger "Slam" over the 2000 and 2001 seasons come quickly off the tongue. Somewhat lost in the conversation but of equal merit was the Little "Slam" in 1934 and 1935. Over this two year stretch, Lawson Little won both the U.S. and British Amateur Championships in 1934 and returned in '35 to successfully defend each of his two Championships won the year before. After turning pro, Little would go on to win the 1940 U.S. Open title at Canterbury Country Club. The Hall of Famer who passed away in 1968.
Before you is his heavily used, aggressively lead-taped major winning Wright & Ditson sand iron. Billy Burke was the first major champion to employ a steel shaft at the 1931 US Open, with this used by Little three seasons later. The 'famed club tinkerer,' as Little is referred to, used to "stuff up to 26 clubs - sometimes with seven wedges - into his bag" until a USGA rule in which Lawson was made an example of limited him and the rest to 14 clubs total in 1938. “I think the fact he didn’t make it to the TV era like Snead, Sarazen and Hogan did contribute to not many folks remembering him,” Lawson's grandson Chris Little mentioned to 'The First Call' media outlet. This, along with limited close shots of his club head stamping proves difficult for photo matching despite the strong, known sourcing. This club hails from the esteemed Don Kepler Collection, an well-connected individual who preserved this historical Lawson Little major winning sand wedge and biography is detailed below. Please inspect the accompanying lot photos for a detailed condition report. A signed Letter of Provenance from Dave Pesacov will accompany this lot. 34 1/2"
The Don Kepler Collection
"Those who knew Don understood that golfing was his life’s passion, and he was involved in the sport his whole life," the Palm Beach County Golf Association said of Don Kepler. An eventual Jupiter, Florida resident and golf coach for both our consignor David Pesacov and PGA Tour major champion Mark Calcavecchia, Kepler attended Bowling Green State University where he was on the Men's Golfing and Swimming Teams. Excelling at everything he did, including serving for his country in the US Marine Corps during the Korean War, Kepler was inducted into the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame for both sports in 1972. In addition to instruction and his own golf career, he opened 'Kepler's Clubs' in the 1970's to become one of the best club repairmen in Palm Beach County. Don was a long time proud member of the National Golf Club Collectors Society, where his passion for the history of the game, and his connections with many of South Florida‘s most influential golfers allowed him to obtain many of these historical items. Without further ado, it is our distinct honor to offer Don Kepler's collection.
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