Hugh Philp was born in 1783 and died in 1856.  In 1819 he was appointed the official clubmaker to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. He became a legend during his lifetime, his meticulous craftmanship was known far and wide..  

Decades after his death, Golf Illustrated acknowledged Philp's continuing reputation as the finest clubmaker the game had ever seen: "The Prince of putter makers, by common consent, was Hugh Philp, who flourished at St. Andrews more than 50 years ago. This genius made such beautiful and perfect wooden putters that he has come to be regarded as the Amati or Stradivarius of Golf, and a genuine 'Philp' to-day is worth untold gold. The long narrow faces of these clubs and their perfect balance are well known to connoisseurs." (Golf Illustrated, Oct. 6, 1900)

The 44 ½” Hugh Philp play club offered here appears to have its original shaft with replacement whipping. The shaft has an exceedingly thin taper towards the neck, which is also quite thin. This combination gives the club a large amount of flex near the clubhead and a sleek look. 

The underlisting visible on the end of the shaft is built up and appears to be original to the shaft.  The grip is a newer sueded leather grip that matches up well to the grips from Philp’s era.  The head measure 5 5/8” in length, 2” in width, and 15/16” in face depth. While the finish has been reworked, the head shape has not been altered and has great lines.  

There is a repair to crown—a wooden dowel just over ½” in diameter is located on the toe above the name stamp.  I believe a shallow hole was drilled and plugged to remove a blemish to the wood, and this happened after the club was originally constructed.  I am unable to determine if this repair is old or relatively new.  I suspect it is old as the dowel fits the hole quite well in all regards.  Rubbing a finger tip  across the crown reveals nothing.  Everything feels smooth, like the dowel is not there. 

The name stamp is still there, and all the letters are readable despite being somewhat faint. I have no question that this is a genuine Philp that has been repaired and cleaned up.  The lines of the head and slender neck are exceedingly elegant. The face has a graceful hook and is undamaged. The horn and lead backweight are original as are the three lead buttons on the sole. If looking for a perfect example, this is not it. If looking to obtain what is still an attractive, meaningful example of Philp’s work at a discount, this would be a worthy choice.