A WILLIAM ROSS PATENT SPRING-FACE IRON, CIRCA 1893
Details & Cataloguing
The Jeffery B. Ellis Antique Golf Club Collection
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New York
New York
A WILLIAM ROSS PATENT SPRING-FACE IRON, CIRCA 1893
Gunmetal head hollowed and fitted with a spring steel face held in place by three rivots
Back of blade stamped "Ross Patent"
Hickory shaft with sheepskin grip
Nottingham, England, 19th century
Literature
TGC p. 76; TCA p. 336; TCA 2 Vol. 2 p. 413
Catalogue Note
This club is the first spring face iron ever patented. Ross, a self-described engineering draftsman, stated in his 1893 patent that a spoon-like cavity formed behind the face plate created the elasticity needed to provide the spring effect and to increase length. Despite its attractive look and the bon mots in the July 1898 Golfers Magazine ("The club is now in actual use and has proved thoroughly effective. It is a nicely finished club and is non-corrosive"), the club was not well received and only five remain.
Suggested Lots
The Jeffery B. Ellis Antique Golf Club Collection
|
New York
New York
