When a visitor once walked into John Berg’s home and saw the hundreds of golf clubs he had around his home, she asked, “How do you live in here?”
Berg slyly replied, “Very carefully.”
And when she noticed Berg wasn’t married, he added, “No female would put up with this place.”
For about 25 years, Berg has collected putters, drivers and irons in Illinois, the Miami area, Lake Okeechobee, Florida, and now North Fort Myers, Florida. Between his double-wide trailer and warehouses, he figures he has about 5,000 clubs.
“I like to make a few bucks,” he said. “I enjoy the thrill of buying something, stopping in a place and finding something. I’m also glad to sell them.”
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Now in his late 70s, Berg no longer plays golf. While he’s had knee surgery and is bothered by a bad back, he admits he’s burned out on the game. That’s why he’d like to find a buyer for his entire collection.
“If the right person came along, I’d like to sell them,” he said.
Berg was an assistant golf pro, teacher and golf coach who also had rental properties, taught night school and was a caddie.
When he moved to Hollywood, Florida, in 1996, he started collecting clubs. Berg and a buddy would scour thrift shops and flea markets along the coast, looking for treasures. Over the years, he found a 1900 Slazenger putter, 1915-20 half-blade putter, a rare, no-name Wooden shaft putter, Jack Nicklaus/George Low putter (only about 3,000 produced) and a Bill Buckley putter designed for Karsten Solheim. Solheim, a golf club designer, founded Karsten Manufacturing – better known by the name of PING – and the Solheim Cup, the premier international team competition in women’s golf.
“There were only…
Source : yahoo
