Antique W. Tucker, England, Hickory Lofted Brassie Style Wood

Here is a rare W. Tucker of England, lofted brassie style hickory wood. This club has a lined scored face pattern with a brass sole plate. The loft on this club is 23 degrees. Its condition appears to be original, it does have an ole shaft repair. The marking on the head is clear and visible. The club was lightly cleaned and the head was carefully hand-polished to remove the oxidation and years of neglect.    William Henry "Willie" Tucker, Sr. (15 August 1872 – 6 October 1954) was an American professional golfer and golf course architect of English birth. Tucker placed seventh in the 1896 U.S. Open, held 18 July at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York. Although a fine golfer, the bulk of his career would not be spent as a tournament player but rather as a golf course architect.   At first he moved to , France, where he worked for Willie Dunn. He didn't stay there long and soon returned to London where he worked as a club maker for Slazenger. He emigrated to the United States in 1895 and went to work with his brother  who was the professional at St. Andrew's Golf Club in Yonkers, New York. The brothers manufactured hand-made golf clubs that they marketed under the name "Defiance".While at St. Andrew’s, Willie helped with the design of St. Andrew’s Mount Hope course. Later he designed such courses as the original North Hills in  and built the present 27-hole course in Paramus, New Jersey, for A. W. Tillinghast. 1896 U.S. Open[] The  was the second , held July 18 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in . Tucker finished in seventh place with rounds of 78-82=160 and won $5. His brother  had played in the  and finished in the ninth position.  won the tournament, his only , finishing three strokes ahead of runner-up , the defending champion. Like the first Open, it was a sideshow to the more established and better known . However, there were 35 entrants and 28 finished the 36 holes. Golf course architecture[] Tucker designed the St. Martin's course at the . It is named "St. Martin's" after the adjacent episcopal church, St. Martin's in the Fields. The club originally opened a 9-hole course in 1895, which was quickly replaced by the 18-hole St. Martin's course in 1898, designed by Willie Tucker. This course hosted the  championships in  and , won by  and , respectively. Today, this course has been reduced to a 9-hole layout. Despite the reduction, the 7th, 8th, and 9th holes are the same layout as they were played during the 1907 and 1910  championship. Tucker was one of the early pioneers in American golf course architecture. He designed at least four courses in the , area – including Douglaston Golf Club and Clearview Golf Club – and in the American midwest at , and courses as far west as  state. He built a golf course at the  and designed the Preakness Hills Country Club in , the latter completed in 1926. The head measures a lengthy 3.25 inches and it is 1.5 inches deep. The club is 41.5 inches long.   The shaft appears to be the original with the shaft repair that I mentioned, and the grip appears to be the original under listing (I can put a grip on the club from the same era if requested), see photo. The head is tight to the shaft with no wobble. This club would make a goof player if the shaft was replaced, or a great addition to a collection. Thanks and check out our other Antique/Vintage golf collectibles that are for sale on eBay