The clubs from the 17th
and 18th century were not signed by the makers, but the names of several makers
can be found in royal archives. The earliest club makers were probably bow
and spear
makers that had the skill necessary to produce clubs. Most of the clubs were
long nose play clubs (see photo left under), usually with 5 or 6 different
lofts, irons were scarce in this period because they could easily damage the
very expensive feathery ball.
Most of the players would
only have one iron, initially a spur nose heavy iron and in later times a
track iron. (see photo above right) these irons very only used in situations
where playing with a wood was impossible.
In the late 18th and 19th centuries makers of golf clubs started to mark their
name onto clubs. Legendary names such as, Dickson, Cossar, Philps en McEwan
were among the first to be found. The heads of long nose clubs were made from
beech and the shaft from ash or hickory, the grip was usually made from soft
sheepskin.
The heads were long and slender and only with the arrival of the first rubber
ball the gutty (see photo belows right) in 1848 did the woods become was thicker
and stronger.
In round about 1890 the
shape of woods started to change tot hat of what we now think of as modern
woods, this club was called the bulger and the head was usually attached to
shaft with
a modern socket joint instead of the old scare joint.
After the arrival of the gutty (see photo above right), irons began to become
more and more popular. Local blacksmiths tried to make some extra money by
making a few irons, and when they were accepted the often turned to full time
cleek making. Anderson, Carrick (see photo), White and Gray are a few of the
earliest makers. These makers started to stamp their name on their clubs and
after a few years started using symbols (cleekmarks), today these symbols
are used to date old clubs.
In 1880 almost every club ever made was produced in Scotland (90% within 15km
van St Andrews); from 1890 a few company’s started to produce clubs
first in England and then also in America. Round the turn of the century some
of the most famous names in clubmaking were at their prime, (Condie Stewart,
Gibson en Gourlay).
The faces of clubs remained
smooth until 1905 and these clubs are today the most prized by collectors.
After 1905 manufacturers start punching dots on iron faces to create more
backspin, and after 1910 dots were often replaced by lines/ grooves (see Photo).
Hand forged irons were made of steel and were vulnerable to rusting, round
1920 manufactures started using stainless steel. With the arrival and eventual
legalization (1929) of steel shafts, the demand for hickory’s started
to diminish, by 1935 the production of hickory clubs had stopped.
In the past clubs had names instead of numbers. The names of the clubs often
found in a circa 1900 set (see photo) are listed here under.
Driver = 1 wood Mashie = 6 iron
Spoon = 3 wood Mashie Niblick = 8 iron
Cleek = 1 iron Niblick = pitching wedge
Mid iron = 4 iron Putter =putter
