Ever wonder what a long nose club would look like if somebody decided to make one with a square toe? This unique square toe driver patented in 1892 provides the answer.
The crown is marked “HGH Patent Nose Club 14997” in a circle. The actual British patent number that covered this club is 14,897 and was issued to Horatio Gordon Hutchison. Horace Hutchison won the British Amateur in 1886 and 1887. He finished in the top 10 in the Open Championship three times. He was a fine player but is remembered just as much, if not more, for the books he authored, especially the Badminton Library-Golf first published in 1890.
This is the only club Hutchison patented, and this is the only one of these the auctioneer has seen. According to his patent, Hutchison formed the toe square so it would be square with the face, something he thought might help the golfer with their alignment.
The club is in original condition. The face has a leather insert and a screw in the face at the toe. Screws were used in wood head clubs quite a bit during the 19th century. If it would help hold things together, a screw was installed and the club went back into circulation. In the 1899 picture of Young Tom Morris’s locker when it was opened for the first time in 25 years, after his death, one of the clubs has a large screw in the toe of the face just like it is on this club. A screw in the face can give the club yet more character as long as the rest of the club is still in good shape. And this HGH square nose driver certainly is. Nice original finish and the original 43” shaft still has its original leather-wrapped grip.