Silver Service

The Claret Jug reaches its 150th anniversary in 2023, yet it was not the original prize for The Open champion…

While there was much to-do in 2022 as The Open was played for the 150th time, there is a more low-key 150th that might evade the radar this year: the 150th anniversary of the Claret Jug, or as the Open champ of 1989, Marc Calcavecchia, described it: “Clearly the coolest trophy in golf—no doubt.”

The original Claret Jug—or the Golf Champion Trophy as it is officially known—was crafted in Edinburgh in 1873, and was retired to the R&A clubhouse at St Andrews by the club’s protective officials in 1927. A replica of the Claret Jug was presented to the winner for the first time in 1928, one that is identical to the original Claret Jug in every way bar its hallmark.

The Open as a championship dates back to 1860, but its original prize was the Challenge Belt, which was made from red Moroccan leather with a silver buckle, and which was bought for what was a princely sum at the time of £25. The original deeds of the belt decreed that should a golfer win The Open three times consecutively, that he would keep the Challenge Belt permanently, and Young Tom Morris duly completed his “three-peat” in 1870.

Illustrating the haphazard organization of The Open at this time, without a trophy the championship was not played at all in 1871. It returned in 1872 (when Young Tom won for the fourth and final time), although the Claret Jug was not ready until the 1873 chapter of golf’s oldest major.

There is a strong sense of history and romance in the Challenge Belt, which has been expertly reimagined for contemporary use by the innovative Winner’s Award Group. This Florida-based company specializes in producing bespoke prizes and awards, particularly for golf and country clubs, and the company’s “Championship Belt” is its best seller. We can see why.

For more on the Championship Belt from Winner’s Award Group, see Gift Guide on page 156.

Pub Og might be the most perfect octagon you have ever seen. A concept born out of frustration at not being allowed to enjoy a pint in all of Ireland’s pubs in lockdown three years ago, Pub Og—with a compact diameter of only 10 feet—brings the Irish pub into your very own backyard. Fittingly, “Og” means “Son of” in Gaelic.

“The octagon is the optimum layout for this kind of space,” starts Richard Hill of The Deluxe Group, which builds each Pub Og at its headquarters in Portadown, Northern Ireland. “You can easily fit six people plus someone behind the bar. We have created a venue where people can tell their stories. An architect told us the octagon was the perfect shape to encourage conversation. Everybody has a drink and relaxes in a Pub Og—it brings down barriers.”

Hand-built to order, a Pub Og has a starting price of $80,000 and a turn-around time of 12 weeks, but getting through the waiting list might take a little longer. At the time of going to press, the first Pub Og in America is about to be installed at a private residence on Long Island, and while the plan is to produce up to 100 pubs a year, they might only reach 20 in 2023 as production processes are refined, and the company already has a list of sales leads of over 200. “We’re in no rush,” confirms Hill.

The transportable Pub Og oozes authenticity. A central, key feature of each Pub Og is the bar top, and the ones in current production come from a storm-felled chestnut tree that was planted in the 18th century on an Irish estate.

As for the personalization, Pub Og goes deep.

“We did some research into the Irish heritage of this particular family in Long Island,” adds Hill, “looking into their ancestry, so we could bring the coat of arms into a specially commissioned mirror to go behind the bar. The pub sign on the exterior is also personalized.”

Each pub features a display cabinet that can be dressed according to a customer’s personal preferences. Every Pub Og also comes with a secret compartment, hidden behind one of the pictures behind the bar, where the owner can keep a secret bottle for special guests.

Pub Og gives new meaning to “Cead Mile Failte!” Customers can have this inscribed above the door and it is Gaelic for “One hundred thousand welcomes!” pubog.com