Antique Golf Clubs -
Do Old Golf Clubs Have Any Value?

People assume that old rusty clubs must be valuable. Unfortunately for a lot of old clubs that is not the case. However there are many clubs that do have great value and are keenly sort after by collectors.

The UK and in particular Scotland are the original source of wooden shafted golf clubs. No other country in the world has the same early beginnings to the game of golf and its history. Antique Golf Clubs -1920's Hickory Shaft Golf Clubs Golf developed on Scottish coastal links courses in the 15 th century and spread into England with the first course at Royal Blackheath, London in 1608. As you can imagine very few clubs have survived from this era. Those antique golf clubs that have are worth considerable sums of money and are usually to be found in public and private collections. They were produced by craftsmen. Usually these were bow makers or carpenters. The heads always made in wood usually from fruitwood or thornwood were long and elegant measuring up to 6" in length. In the sole or bottom of the head near to the face would be a thin insert of rams’ horn secured in place with 3 wooden dowels. To the rear of the head a 3" long lead weight would be inserted. The shaft fitted would be usually be made from ash. Find an antique golf club from this era and you are looking at £50,000.00 plus.

The game really took off from the early 1800’s. As it became more popular so there were more club makers producing clubs. The style of clubs altered very little for about 100 years. All wooden head clubs including putters bore the name of the maker. Clubs from the best early makers include Philp, McEwan and Morris. There are many examples of their work around today. These clubs are still in attics and in old bags in garden sheds. They can be worth £2,000 - £10,000 each. So get looking! Remember all have the same long head style a bit like a hockey stick. If you find a club of this type make sure you have it valued by an independent golf club expert or specialist Auction House. It needs specialist knowledge to classify the date of the club and its value. Many stories are related where valuable clubs were sold for peanuts. Make sure. If the head is long it’s early. If it’s an early club it has value.

Around 1890 onwards the style of woods altered. The heads became shorter and stouter. This was mainly to stop heads from breaking during play. It also heralded an era of ever changing design. Clubs were now being mass produced. Club makers were developing into companies employing workers to make and finish clubs. Each company was trying to innovate in design to stimulate sales. So from this period of golf’s history unusual shaped clubs hold good value. If you pick up a club and think, "how did they ever used a club shaped like that", it could have value.

The new golf ball invented just before 1900 called the rubber core changed the shape of woods even further. Up to this period the neck joint to secure the head to the shaft was a scare or splice. The new ball coincided with the change of joint to the socket, just as is used in today’s clubs. The head now had a hole drilled into it for the shaft to fit into. Clubs were produced in their thousands and for the collector as so many remain, they hold little value. Maybe between £15 - £50 each depending on make, condition and style.

All golf clubs were fitted with wooden shafts, now usually made from hickory until the discovery of steel shafts from 1925 onwards. The steel shaft signifies the end of the collectable era. Any club with a steel shaft generally has no value. With the exception of adjustable irons and a few models of early Ping putters, the rest are worthless. Just a few years ago there was a collectable interest in 1960’s Macgregor woods and irons and Ben Hogan clubs. But that has faded away now. They just do not have any real worth in auction. Don’t be convinced by others that they do. The club has to have a wooden shaft to have value.

Most of the article here has been about wooden head clubs. Some early iron head clubs do have good collecting value. Few Antique Golf Clubs - A selection of unusual irons irons were produced until 1890. If you find a club with a very small head designed to fit into cart tracks impressed in to the turf, called a track or rut iron, they can have a few hundred pounds of value. Big oversize heads made in the early 1900’s called Mammoth Niblicks, are also valuable. So are adjustable irons with a wooden shaft that has the name “Urquhart” stamped on the head, worth around £1000. Irons with a comb shape to the top of the head are very valuable £2,000 - £5,000. Others with holes in the face also command a good price. In fact any weird shape has the potential to be worth good money.

Antique Golf Clubs - old putters , face on Finally, putters have value. Particularly early heavy brass heads. After 1900 brass head putters have a thin light head and have only limited appeal. Also desirable and can fetch a premium are any weird looking patent putter, produced in a variety of materials including aluminium.