Circa 1905 Slazenger
Smooth-Face Niblick

Smooth-face golf clubs from the early 1900s like this one are often mistakenly considered “gutty” clubs, but this club was made after the gutty era was already over.

Made by Robert Condie for Slazenger New York around 1905, this niblick shows the transitional characteristics common to clubs made after the introduction of the livelier rubber-cored Haskell ball in 1898. While the face is still smooth like those of the gutty era, the head is larger and easier to use for a variety of shots that would have been much more difficult to accomplish with the small-headed “rut” niblicks of the gutty era. This club has much more in common with the modern wedge it would eventually become than the specific rescue club the rut niblick represented just a few years prior.

Condie was one of the most respected cleekmakers of his day. Originally trained by James Anderson of Anstruther and later by Robert White of St. Andrews, Condie set off on his own in 1890 and his heads were widely sought after by the larger club manufacturers of the day. Early clubs of his feature a fern mark while most of his clubs feature a rose, as this one does.

The “Slazenger - New York” name that appears on this club refers to the company that sold this club. Originally started in London as a manufacturer and distributor of tennis equipment, Slazenger began dealing and making golf clubs in the 1890s and eventually became a primary distributor for many famous cleekmakers, Condie among them.

A mysterious aspect of this particular club are the marks that look like Japanese katakana characters. While I haven’t been able to verify for sure, some have suggested that this club may have made it overseas at some point and marked for the Japanese market.

One more interesting note is the bent hosel, which gives this head an “anti-shank” characteristic. Simply put, the face is set ahead of the hosel in order to make it more difficult for a player to hit the ball off the hosel. This does make the club quite handy for short chip shots. In all, it’s a very interesting and playable club that would be suitable for a beginner gutty set or “modern” hickory set.

• 39 degrees of loft, E1 swingweight, 37-3/4 inches long

• Excellent as-found condition - original shaft and grip

• SOLD