Custom Made Golf Chess Set

Recently I saw this custom golf chess set by Jim Arnold and thought it would make a special gift for the chess playing golfer or golf fan who has everything.

The Golf Chess Set features a king (holding a driver at about 6″ tall), a caddie (on the bag) for the queen, flag sticks and balls for the bishops, the knights are the trophies for the US OPEN, THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP (i.e. the British Open), the PGA Championship, and the US Amateur Championship, and rooks are the Clubhouse at Augusta atop a brick pedestal.  The set is all carved by hand from solid maple and walnut and the board measures about 25″ square.

A couple years ago The Golf Channel commissioned Jim to make a set for the CEO of the PGA, Joe Steranka, for his birthday.

“I made a case for the pieces that was made from a Maple tree that was located on the Urbana Country Club course where the first ever PGA night-time event was held… I remember watching Lee Elder play in it.  They (the Golf Channel people) made me remove the Augusta clubhouse in favor of a bricked castle that had the logo for the Ryder Cup carved on it.”

Jim also has In the works a set that will feature actual golf balls that are carved with different faces on each that will be unlike anything anybody has ever seen.  It will be a huge chessboard measuring about 3′ square with kings about 10″ tall and pawns about 4″ tall (tournament sized golf balls on tees).

Typically it takes about a week to 10 days to completely finish a set.  Jim doesn’t use Dremels or machinery, the pieces are all carved with bench chisels and small detail chisels.

Jim Arnold resides in Independence, VA and specializes in hand-carving the most unique chess themes available anywhere.  He has sets available for sale at www.yessy.com/jimarnold or can custom make a set to meet your specific requirements.  CHECK (get it?) him out!

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