Lot # 14: Forward Face Wood Mallet Putter

Starting Bid: $250.00

Bids: 3 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Fall 2021",
which ran from 11/4/2021 11:00 AM to
11/20/2021 8:00 PM



This is a great club! Putters with projecting faces are few and far between.  This one has an inlaid black alignment strip on the top of the head and an exceptionally thick white 5-screw insert that extends approximately 1/8th of an inch forward ahead of the heel and toe. The insert is old, showing great age, and uses 5 screws to attach it to the head.  The screws are also old, with an old patina.  They are untouched other than by the original scoring which remains in full on the face.  The "Fairway Club" stamping on the head is original, and still has its original paint, but the overall head has been cleaned, and nicely done at that.  So the question becomes this: Was this club originally made with a projecting face?

The answer is a clear "Yes, it was."  An examination of the outline of the sole and toe bring this fact into focus.  If the heel and toe of the wood face were originally made flush with the insert, then the existing perimeter of the sole would provide evidence of that fact.  Its lines would not run so gracefully across the front of the club to the sides of the insert. The edge of the toe would also give away any such alteration. It, too, would be out of whack.

Or think of it this way. Just imagine what the existing sole would look like if an eighth of an inch was filed off the existing heel and toe.  It would not only make the sole look entirely misshaped, it would also affect the geometry of the toe and heel along the leading edge of the club. In short, when the heel or toe is pushed back, the club looses its nice lines and perspectives. Both the top of the club and the sole of this club have wonderful lines and a very natural look. So the only other possibly way to conjure up a projecting-face putter after the fact would be to install a new insert that would extend out beyond the rest of the head. As already pointed out, this insert is clearly old and nothing about it shows a single sign of being an illegitimate replacement.   In short, this is a genuine and rare club. 

Five other projecting face putters are found in TCA2 v2 p548-551. The forward face Trublo putter offered as lot 13 in this auction is shown for perspective in one of the images included with this lot. Again, it is not part of this lot. 

 

Views: 389