"As Hugh Philp was to St. Andrews, so was the firm of McEwan & Son to Edinburgh and Musselburgh." (Golf
25, Sept. 1895, p51). indeed, the McEwan family of clubmakers were
central to the world of clubmaking from 1770, when James McEwan opened
for business, to the end of the nineteenth century, when long nose clubs
were rendered obsolete. Across that 120 year span, five generations of
the McEwan family were producing long nose clubs of the highest quality.
TCA2 V1 p43-48
Offered here is a nice original c. 1880s McEwan putter that was not used much. The head measures 5 1/4” in length, 1 1/16” in face
depth, and 1 3/4” in width. The McEwan stamp is clear on the head of the club, and the original 36 3/4" shaft is also stamped "McEwan." The neck whipping and grip appear to be original.
A neat feature of this club is the metal disk on the top of the shaft imprinted with "H. Burton & Co - Glasgow." H Burton & Company was formed in 1847. It began by making shirts, pants, and gloves. By the 1860s,
it entered the colonial trade supplying lords and Army and Navy officers. Burton's shop located at 78 Buchanan Street was the retailer of this club. Here is a snippet from an 1888 account regarding H Burton & company, 78 & 111 Buchanan Street, Glasgow:
"The stocks held at each of the two establishments are very large and
valuable. That at 111, Buchanan Street, is almost entirely composed of hosiery,
in which an immense variety of first-class goods is shown.... At No. 78 the
assortment is more comprehensive, and embraces hats, umbrellas, macintoshes,
rugs, dressing bags and cases, portmanteaus, and a splendid range of walking
sticks and hunting whips.... Their establishment has become the resort of hunting
and sporting men from all over Scotland. They have also made a feature of golf
requisites, and the department has met with hearty recognition and support at
the hands of lovers of that interesting game. One of the noted lines is a good
variety Scotch tartan rugs and plaids. But beyond all this the firm are complete
gentlemen's outfitters, devoting particular attention to the making up of full
outfits for travel and residence abroad, and supplying everything in this
connection."