Antique Golf Club, Shenectady Type Putter
Antique Golf Club, Shenectady Type Putter
Spalding Schenectady Aluminium Center Shafted Putter.
A good example of an aluminium Schenectady type putter by A.G Spalding Bros. The top of the alloy head is with an alignment ridge that is stamped 'A.G Spalding Bros. HN'. The club is in good condition with hickory shaft with polished leather grip. The club head with three extra lead weights in the rear of the head and with crosshatched, diamond face markings.
The measurements shown are the length of the whole club, the width of the face and depth of the head.
The original Schenectady putter was patented by Arthur F. Knight of Schenectady, New York. His US patent (No. 723,534) was applied for august 26th, 1902 and was granted on March 24th, 1903. His British patent (No. 7,507) was dated March 31st, 1903, the date of its application.
Knight, a General Electric engineer, found his putting to be inconsistent. Believing in his own ability he decided it was down to the available putters of the day and took things into his own hands to create a superior, more consistent putter. He spent the summer of 1902 in the workshop designing and constructing a center-shafted mallet putter with a crosshatched face, originally made from wood and lead. After a few rounds of testing, Knight was convinced this was just what was needed, refined his design to a full aluminium head mallet head. This became one of the most historic clubs after Walter Travis used a 'Schenectady' putter to defeat Edward Blackwell in 1904 and became not only the first American to win the British Amateur, but also the first person outside the UK.
William Mills of Sunderland, England, was the most prolific designer and manufacturer of early aluminium head golf clubs and his company produced more aluminium putters than any other club maker during the wooden shafted era. He created The Standard Golf Company (William Mills, Limited), a division of The Atlas Works, to produce his clubs, commonly referred to as 'Mills' clubs. While his metalwoods were eventually accepted by many golfers, it was his putters that were the most popular. Mills began experimenting with the construction of aluminium clubheads as early as 1892. They produced two basic types of aluminium putters, the long nose style and the mallet head. The putters all came in different weights and lies and although the long nose style putters were the first models made it was ultimately the mallet head putters that became the most popular. Mills continued to offer mallet putters well into the 1920s, long after the long nose style putters went out of production.
Dimensions:
1900-1949
Circa 1910
Aluminum & hickory
United Kingdom
A.G Spalding
Good clean original condition. Leather grip in good condition, needs re-gluing to the shaft.
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 was applied for august 26th, 1902 and was granted on March 24th, 1903. His British patent (No. 7,507) was dated March 31st, 1903, the date of its application. Knight, a General Electric engineer, found his putting to be inconsistent. Believing in his own ability he decided it was down to the available putters of the day and took things into his own hands to create a superior, more consistent putter. He spent the summer of 1902 in the workshop designing and constructing a center-shafted mallet putter with a crosshatched face, originally made from wood and lead. After a few rounds of testing, Knight was convinced this was just what was needed, refined his design to a full aluminium head mallet head. This became one of the most historic clubs after Walter Travis used a 'Schenectady' putter to defeat Edward Blackwell in 1904 and became not only the first American to win the British Amateur, but also the first person outside the UK.William Mills of Sunderland, England, was the most prolific designer and manufacturer of early aluminium head golf clubs and his company produced more aluminium putters than any other club maker during the wooden shafted era. He created The Standard Golf Company (William Mills, Limited), a division of The Atlas Works, to produce his clubs, commonly referred to as 'Mills' clubs. While his metalwoods were eventually accepted by many golfers, it was his putters that were the most popular. Mills began experimenting with the construction of aluminium clubheads as early as 1892. They produced two basic types of aluminium putters, the long nose style and the mallet head. The putters all came in different weights and lies and although the long nose style putters were the first models made it was ultimately the mallet head putters that became the most popular. Mills continued to offer mallet putters well into the 1920s, long after the long nose style putters went out of production.){kind=link}