You couldn’t walk along Edinburgh's main thoroughfare in the late 1990s or early 2000s without catching a glimpse of the Golf Sale salesperson. Come rain or shine, it was a ubiquitous sight.
Clutching their distinctive placards, these hardy individuals would stand in all weathers on the corner of Princes Street and Hanover Street pointing potential golfing fanatics in the direction of the sale.
No other information was available on the placard - just the words ‘GOLF SALE’ in neon yellow, green or pink, accompanied by an arrow.
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And unless you were into your golf and had an aching desire to purchase low-cost woods, irons and putters, chances are you were left a little miffed as to where exactly the golf sale was and why no other businesses seemed to announce their sales in this manner.
It was all a bit of a mystery. Some locals are even convinced that the signs were part of an elaborate and long-standing prank - but this was not the case and there really was a shop selling cheap golfing equipment nearby.
The premises in question were accessible via a short flight of steps above the shops on Hanover Street.
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While it remains unclear how the Golf Sale phenomenon began, it’s said that the first signs began to appear in the centre of London in the 1990s, courtesy of a local golfing equipment proprietor named Andrew Wells.
Whatever the case, the ‘Golf Sale’ idea quickly spread to other town centres around the UK
The signs even caught the eye of funnyman Dom Joly, who had a sketch in his Trigger Happy TV series in which he’d stand next to the salesperson with an identical placard pointing in the opposite direction.
The golfing equipment at the Hanover Street shop, however, was not as cheap as you might expect, according to one local.
Recalling the ‘Golf Sale’ shop, Keith Turnbull says far better discounts were to be had at Nevada Bob’s in Seafield.
Writing on the Lost Edinburgh Facebook group, Keith said: “There was a ‘shop’ up a flight of stairs just past Salisbury’s in Hanover Street. I went up for a look one day and it was mostly budget stuff, Hippo clubs, knock-off Callaway look-alikes, rain gloves, etc.
“There were a few reasonably priced things, bulk bags of tees, wood covers, etc - but nothing cheaper than the likes of Nevada Bob at the time.”
The Golf Sale placards gradually vanished from Princes Street in the late 2000s, when the council decided to crack down on the garish advertising method.
