During the 1920s, steel shafts reinvented the game. Wood had been the only shaft material known to the game for centuries, except for a few failed attempts to incorporate metal into shaft construction.

Offered here is a Spalding Olympic "O" model putter with a square steel shaft and an unusual blade shape. The back of the head is stamped with the club's name and a variety of Spalding's markings. Produced under a US patent issued in 1916 to Edwin Hamilton Winkworth Scott, the Spalding "O" putter is among the earliest steel shaft clubs that a collector has a reasonable chance to obtain. It was initially offered in Spalding's 1915 catalog.

Straight as the day it was made, the 34 1/2" shaft is square across its entire length, and the grip is original. The head and shaft retain their original chromium plating, with only a tiny area of the plating missing under the grip. This is a very cool example, as usually they don't have such nice chromium plating.

Scott also received a British Patent for his club in 1912 and 1913, long before the USGA's 1924 resolution legalizing metal shafts under USGA rules. It was not until 1929 that the R&A changed their rules to allow metal shafts.

For more information, see TCA2 V2 p656-657.