Shortly after Tom Morris moved to Prestwick, Scotland, in 1851, John Gray joined with Morris to become a founding member of the Prestwick Golf Club and the Prestwick Mechanics Club.  The creation of these two golf organizations prompted Gray, the local Blacksmith, to include cleekmaking into his business.  Gray made a name for himself.  The irons he forged were revered.

Made by John Gray, this circa 1870 iron is stamped "Gray" on the back of the head.  The "J." or "Jn" usually found before his last name is not there.  It is possible that the first name initials were worn off though the traditonal cleaning with emory paper. This could happen quite easily if the "J" or "Jn" was not struck as deep as the "Gray."   The club is also stamped with the initials of a former owner "JAC".

The shaft and grip are original. Only about half of the original grip remains, and it is loose. A tiny nail has been added in recent years to affix the bottom of the underlisting in place.

The head is a solid example of Gray's work.  The face is nicely dished and the hosel is long, at 4 7/8 inches in length, with nice nicking at the top (in a few places you can see where the tool used to make the nicking also slightly marked the shaft). A hand-made club by one of the most historic cleekmakers of the 19th century. This iron will fit in well with any collection of long nose or other clubs from the same period.