Joseph S.F. Murdoch

Joseph S.F. Murdoch (1920 – March 25, 2001) was an American golf bibliographer, author, and collector. He was a co-founder of the Golf Collectors Society (now the Golf Heritage Society) and a life member of the British Golf Collectors Society. His work in cataloging golf literature, particularly The Library of Golf and The Game of Golf and the Printed Word, 1566-1985 (1987), remains foundational in the field.

Early life and education Murdoch was born in Philadelphia in 1920 and graduated from Germantown High School in 1938. He served as a U.S. Army master sergeant during World War II before attending the Charles Morris Price School of Advertising and Journalism, where he graduated in 1947. and his 1987 collaboration with Richard E. Donovan, The Game of Golf and the Printed Word, 1566-1985, further solidified his reputation as a leading golf bibliographer. It has been described as "superb golf reference book, illustrated with some pictures."

Murdoch served on the U.S. Golf Association’s museum and library committees, contributing to the preservation of golf’s literary history.

Golf and club affiliations He grew up in Germantown (a neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA) and played golf in Oreland (a township in Montgomery County, PA). As an adolescent, Murdoch played at Sandy Run Country Club, originally chartered in 1923 as Edge Hill Golf Club. His father, A.J. Murdoch, was one of the club’s founding members, signing its charter (certificate of incorporation) as a member of the original board of governors.

J. Franklin Meehan, co-owner of a nursery in Germantown and son of the noted botanist Thomas Meehan, designed the club’s original 18-hole course, which was noted for its naturalistic layout over rolling terrain. The club’s Tillinghast-designed course was renamed "Wissahickon" in the 21st century to distinguish it from the club’s other two courses.

He was also a member of the St. Andrews Society.

Personal life and death Murdoch resided in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, for over 50 years before moving to Cathedral Village in Philadelphia. He was married to Elizabeth Gale Murdoch for 53 years and had two children, Alexander and Loraine Maguire.

He died on March 25, 2001, at the age of 81 after suffering a heart attack. A memorial service was held at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church.

Selected works The Library of Golf (1968) The Game of Golf and the Printed Word, 1566-1985 (with Richard E. Donovan, 1987)