I first saw this club back in 1976, when I visited John Mross in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. John was in his late 70s then, I believe, but he had worked as clubmaker for many years during the wood shaft era. He knew Chick Evans and would often speak of their association. John loved collecting, and he had collected this very club. I was struck by the length of the club head and exceedingly slender neck when I saw it during one of my visits back then, and remain amazed when I see it now. Forgan’s earliest pre-Prince of Wales putters were never this long, nor were those that followed. This club is a dramatic exception!
I don't know if John did the restoration work on this head. I believe whoever it was redid the finish, cleaned up the Forgan name, filled it with a little gold paint, and repaired the damaged areas on the face with the gray filler material there now. When the work was done on this club, antique club collecting was far from sophisticated. Even so, the repair work on this club is reasonably discreet and the club maintains an exceptionally handsome look. The original horn is much thicker than the horn found on a typical Forgan long nose club, so this putter was likely made early in Forgan's career.
While not perfect, the long head of this club gives it a visual presence unlike any other long nose.
The head measures 6" in length, 1 7/8" in width, 1 1/16 in face depth. The 37” shaft and sheepskin grip are original. It's the exceedingly slender neck that helps give this clubhead such an elongated look.
Robert Forgan, who learned the craft while working for Hugh Philp, was one of the greatest names in 19th century clubmaking.