The St. Andrews Collection

A collection of five quarter-size miniature golf clubs in an English oak display case.

The five clubs, as described below, are faithful reproductions of clubs made by Scotland’s finest and most famous clubmakers.

The five clubs are (from left to right): 

Putter  A long-nose putter by Willie Park Snr.  c.1880

William Park Snr. was a talented golfer, winning the Open in 1860, 1863, 1866 and 1875. He was also an accomplished clubmaker, and from his workshops in Musselburgh, he produced many innovative club designs. His son, Willie Park Jnr., followed in his father’s footsteps, winning the Open in 1887 and 1889, and becoming a skilled clubmaker in his own right.

Long Spoon   A long-nose club by Robert Forgan, with dished face c.1860

Robert Forgan was nephew to Hugh Philp (regarded by many as the finest long-nose clubmaker), and took over his uncles clubmaking business in 1856. He succeeded in building a thriving company, with a skilled staff of 50 by 1895. His high standard of workmanship resulted in his appointment as clubmaker to the Prince of Wales in 1863, and thereafter the Prince of Wales’ crest was stamped on all his clubs.

Driver   A long-nose driver by Tom Morris Snr. with shallow face and little loft c.1865

Tom Morris is probably the most famous golfer of all time. After serving his apprenticeship to Allan Robertson (of the famous feather-ballmaking family), he became Keeper of the Green at Prestwick in 1851. He returned to St. Andrews in 1865 where he set up a club and ballmaking business. He was a great golfer, and was Open Champion in 1861, 1862, 1864 and 1867. His son ‘Young Tom’, surpassed this feat, to win the Championship five times.

Long Spoon A long-nose club by Douglas McEwan, with a lofted, well-hooked face c.1855

Douglas McEwan was born into an eminent family of clubmakers. His grandfather, James, was first recorded as clubmaker in Bruntsfield, Edinburgh in 1770. Douglas McEwan clubs are considered some of the finest long-nose woods ever produced.

Rutter  A blacksmith made rut iron, also known as a ‘rutter’  c.1850

The purpose of the rut iron was to extract the ball from difficult and awkward lies. Early links golf courses were situated on common land, which would be criss-crossed with cart tracks. The small, round head, of the ‘rutter’, with its strong, short, hosel, was particularly useful for playing from these ruts, where a wooden club head would likely damage or break.

All the clubs are entirely hand-made using the same traditional methods and materials employed by the first Scottish clubmakers. The beech wood heads are ‘spliced’ together with the wooden shaft using glue, and the joint bound with pitched twine. A piece of ram’s horn is inserted into the sole to protect the wood from splitting when striking the ground. The club is brought to the correct weight by pouring molten lead into a cavity carved in the back of the club head. All the shafts are gripped with fine calf skin and bound with pitched whipping. The display cabinet is craftsman-made in our workshops using selected English oak.

Oak Cabinet size:  Height 39.5 cm      Width: 33 cm     Depth: 10 cm