Lot # 102: Unmarked Croquet-Style Putter

Category: Golf Clubs

Starting Bid: $300.00

Bids: 1 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Inaugural Auction",
which ran from 3/6/2019 12:00 PM to
3/23/2019 8:00 PM



Croquet-style putters often date before 1910, when the R&A but not the USGA banned center-shafted clubs. The relatively primitive nature of this unmarked example indicates a pre-1910 date.  The head itself is relatively small and a little on the light side despite being loaded with lead.  There is a lead plug at the toe and heel, and the sole has a layer of lead directly under a brass soleplate. The shaft angles just a little, so when using the putter, the golfer would position their hands directly above the heel. 

This putter was not produced by a large clubmaking concern.  Rather, it was hand made, and to a high standard of workmanship.  Everything on this head is original—the shaft, the finish, even the whipping where the shaft sockets into a small neck formed atop the center of the head. The grip was once loose at the top, but has been rewrapped and affixed into position.  The base of the grip appears unmoved, complete with its original whipping.   Because this club was hand-made, it's highly unlikely that another example made by the same maker exists.  Croquet putters were not popular to begin with.

Views: 1000