424 $
Description
Here is a very rare, A. G. Spalding Bros. “Harry Vardon” fancy face hickory shafted splice neck wood, circa 1890’s to 1900. The head has fiber insert with five dowels, with a brass sole plate. The marking on the head are clear and visible. Its condition is good all original, and it shows very little ware and marks. The club was cleaned and the head was carefully hand-polished to remove the oxidation and years of neglect. Harry Vardon was one of the greatest players and most influential figures in the early history of golf. Date of birth: May 9, 1870
Place of birth: Grouville, Jersey (Channel Islands)
Date of death: March 20, 1937 Victories: Credited with 62 professional wins Major Championships: 7
• U.S. Open: 1900
• British Open: 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, 1914 Awards and Honors: Member, World Golf Hall of Fame Quote, Unquote: • Harry Vardon: "Don't play too much golf. Two rounds a day is plenty." • Golf writer Bernard Darwin on Harry Vardon: "I do not think anyone who saw him play in his prime will disagree as to this, that a greater genius is inconceivable." Trivia: • Harry Vardon is one-third of Britain's famed "Great Triumvirate " of golfers. The other two members are J.H. Taylor and James Braid . • Vardon is the only 6-time winner of the British Open . • Scoring leaders on both the U.S. and European PGA Tours are awarded the Harry Vardon Trophy. Harry Vardon was the first international golf celebrity, and easily one of the game's most influential players. What Is The Vardon Overlap Golf Grip? The grip he popularized is now known as the Vardon Grip (a k a, the overlapping grip); the "Vardon Flyer" golf ball may have represented the first equipment deal for a golfer; his instructional books continue, to this day, to influence golfers; he won majors with both the gutta-percha and Haskell golf balls. Vardon was born in the Channel Islands, that group of islands in the English Channel between England and France. He took up golf in his teens and, inspired by his brother Tom's success as a professional, decided to dedicate himself, as well, to the game. He turned pro at age 20. His first big win was the 1896 British Open , where he played in what would become his signature attire: knickers (reportedly the first golfer to play in knickers), dress shirt, tie and buttoned jacket. Despite the cumbersome jacket, Vardon was known for a smooth, free-swinging motion. The World Golf Hall of Fame described his swing thusly: "Vardon had a swing that repeated monotonously. His swing was more upright and his ball flight higher than his contemporaries, giving Vardon's approach shots the advantage of greater carry and softer landing. He took only the thinnest ofdivots ." His fame exploded in 1900 when he toured the United States, playing more than 80 exhibition matches - often against the better ball of two opponents - and winning more than 70 of them. He won the U.S. Open that year, his only victory in the event, but as late as 20 years later - in 1920 at the age of 50 - he was runner-up in the tournament. At the 1913 U.S. Open , it was a Vardon loss that spurred growth in the game. Unheralded American amateur Francis Ouimet defeated Vardon and fellow Englishman Ted Ray in a playoff, an outcome credited with popularizing golf in the U.S. Vardon was struck by tuberculosis late in 1903. His game was never as sound, but he recovered to win the British Open again in 1911 and 1914. He won the Open Championship six times total. A G Spalding and Bros Albert Goodwill Spalding first made a name for himself playing baseball in his home town of Rockford, Illinois. A stunning performance as a schoolboy pitching against Washington's National Baseball Club resulted in offers to turn professional. Mother Spalding disapproved and so "Al" entered employment with a series of companies which proceeded to go bankrupt through no fault of his. When a Boston insurance company became the seventh employer to meet this fate, Spalding was finally persuaded by George Wright (one of the Washington Nationals he had sorted out in Rockford, and later the founder of Wright and Ditson) to turn professional and join Wright's brother's team, the Boston Red Stockings. Here he won four consecutive national championships. In 1876, unhappy with the then state of professional baseball, he moved to New York as one of the prime movers behind the establishment of the National Baseball League. Shortly after, he moved again, to Chicago to join the White Stockings with whom he shared the first championship of the new league. At the same time he set up A G Spalding & Bro, with his brother J Walter Spalding, to deal in sports equipment. Not surprisingly this company produced the National Baseball League's official ball and Al's pitching of it proved a great marketing tool. The first year's turnover of $12,000 soon grew and the Bro became Bros with the addition of William Brown, a brother-in-law and banker. The Spalding empire moved eastwards, taking over other sporting goods companies, and establishing its headquarters at Chicopee, Ma.
The head measures a lengthy 2.5 inches and the club face in 1.5 inch deep. The club is approximately 41 inches long.
The shaft appears to be the original hickory shaft with a Harry Vardon stamp. The grip appears to be the original with normal wear and tear, see pics. The head is tight to the hosel with no movement when twisted, there are no cracks that are visible. This club would make a great addition to anyone’s Collection.
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