Vintage putter up for grabs

A centre shafted putter dating from 1900 is to be offered at Bonhams Sporting and Golf Memorabilia sale at Chester on February 24. 

 

The club has an intriguing history. The maker is unknown and the putter is not recorded in The Club Maker’s Art – the Bible of golf clubs. It is stamped A.G.H. Askew but no-one of that name is recorded as a professional so the club was probably made either for, or by, an affluent amateur.

 

The putter’s head is in the shape of a two-faced hammer and has 17 holes in its base that reduce the weight of an already very heavy club.
It most likely fell foul of the banning of centre shafted putters which followed Walter Travis’ win in the 1904 Amateur, when the golfing authorities barred their use for a decade or so. The estimate is £1,800-2,200.

 

Also included in the sale is a painting of a game of golf at St Andrews by the doyen of golf painters, Arthur Weaver. The watercolour of 1961 dates from his golden period and his work is in high demand. It is estimated at £2,000-3,000.

 

An unusual momento of the 1979 Ryder Cup matches is for sale in the form of a copy of, “The Story of American Golf”, signed by both captains and all the players. The green leather bound book by Herbert W. Wind has the Ryder Cup trophy and flags on the front cover. 

The signatures were obtained by the original owner who travelled to the match venue, The Greenbrier, West Virginia, with the British Golf Supporters’ Association between 8 and 17 September 1979. The estimate is £500-800.