Decades and decades before any golfer ever heard the acronym "COR," spring faces clubs were being produced. This Spalding spring face cleek uses six rivets to hold a corrugated steel face in place.  Spalding’s 1903 catalog states that spring face on these clubs was capable of delivering incredible distance AND that the ball will land “dead” when “approaching the green from a distance.“  That’s quite a combination, especially if it were true! 

In America, Spalding always advertised the spring face iron as having a hollow head.  In the UK the heads early on were sometimes advertised as being filled with gutta percha.

Spalding's spring face irons were produced for a number of years in America, between 1902 and 1919.  The example offered here looks like it was in use for most of those years.  It has lost its lettering on the back of the head and shows significant wear. It has also been reshafted with a slight tear to the metal at the top of the hosel.  Given all its use, it was obviously somebodies favorite, a true warrior club! 

For more information on this lively iron, see TCA2 Vol 2 p 415