G. HAMMON (active early 20th century)

"Cobble Valley Golf Yarns and Other Sketches." Together, a group of cartoons from the original magazine version of the book of the same title by Albert Warren Tillinghast (Philadelphia Printing, 1915). Pen and ink on paper. Image sizes vary; matted and framed together to 21¼x25¼ inches. Each drawing signed or initialed by Hammon.Provenance: PBA Galleries, September 26, 2019, lot 87; thence to Dick McDonough. Lot contains a photocopy of a letter of provenance from Albert LeVino to Theodore Prussing LeVino: "The seven pen-n-inks enclosed were, Mr. Tillinghast told me last night (or so I understood him), to have been drawn to illustrate his "Cobble Valley" golf stories in their first appearance in magazine form."After its initial appearance in a magazine, a book was published containing nineteen short stories about golf by Tillinghast. In his introduction to the text, Tillinghast states: “Somewhere, nestled among the hills of Everywhere, is Homesburg, and there, too, is the golf course of Cobble Valley. The Links differ from others, just as they all do, but, after all, the people there are very like those of every other section. In the stories contained in this volume the author has attempted an analysis of human nature.”Tillinghast is considered one of the foremost figures in golf architecture, his course designs are among the best in the world. He designed more than 260 of them throughout his career and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015, becoming the sixth architect to be recognized in the Lifetime Achievement category.Not only an accomplished designer, "Tilly" was a prolific golf writer, penning a syndicated newspaper column and contributing regularly to magazines including The American Golfer, Golf Illustrated, The Professional Golfer of America, among others. His humorous Cobble Valley Golf Yarns and Other Sketches was followed with a sequel in 1925 entitled The Mutt...And Other Golf Yarns. In the mid-1930s, he worked for the PGA of America, traveling the country to advise member facilities on course changes and maintenance. He also produced several volumes of collected articles and essays.