Heavy irons from the feather-ball era were anything but cookie-cutter productions. There was nothing delicate about them. They were stout, weighty instruments, designed to bludgeon the ball out of the worst lies: high grass, sand, rocky terrain, or any other situation that might damage a wooden club. They were not intended for use on short grass; doing so was once considered reprehensible, as these big irons could tear up the green.

In his 1887 book, The Art of Golf, Walter Simpson described feather-ball-era heavy irons:

“Old-fashioned irons look like the missing link between a meat cleaver and a kitchen spoon. They all originally belonged to somebody's grandfather and are only now to be found in glass cases or in the sets of very bad players, who, according to whether they had a golfing grandfather or not, expiscate or purchase them. The player, when getting his instrument from his caddy, does not ask for an iron in the usual way. He says ‘Give me my heavy iron,’ in a tone which causes the inexperienced adversary to despair. In reality, using an old-fashioned iron is the last expedient of those who cannot loft a ball with anything else. Even this expedient often fails, but defeat is at least avenged by the destruction of the green.”

The circa 1790–1810 heavy iron offered here is substantial and rugged, yet, unlike a "meat cleaver," it is also remarkably handsome. Thanks to their rough-hewn, hand-made nature, all heavy irons possess a unique appearance and presence; this one is especially distinctive. Its blade is not only concave but also well hooked, with a top line much shorter than the sole, giving the rounded toe a pleasing flair. The hosel is uneven along its length and angles back toward the golfer halfway up. Stoutly constructed, the hosel measures 1 inch at its widest point.

Evidence of the hosel weld is still visible low on the hosel and onto the back of the blade. The blacksmith who made this club was good, as the hosel weld is relatively discreet. 

The 40½-inch ash shaft is pinned front to back, a hallmark of very early irons. The existing nail used to pin the shaft was possibly used to replace the original nail back in the day, in order to try and tighten the shaft. While the head of the nail is raised, its patina matches that of the hosel, with no evidence of modern alteration. The ash shaft is 13/16 inch thick above the hosel, maintaining a substantial diameter along its entire length. This burly shaft is a superb feature, as such thick shafts are typically found on the oldest irons. The club retains its original underlisting, including remnants of the original sheepskin grip.

The accompanying “three iron” image shows this heavy iron alongside the iron niblick also in this auction and a Carrick cleek (not included in this auction). The Carrick cleek, circa 1870 with a 5" hosel, illustrates the dramatic downsizing of irons over the intervening decades. Such a large difference between the thickness of the hosel and shaft of the heavy iron and the cleek is evidence that the heavy iron was crafted nearly a century earlier.

This heavy iron and the accompanying companion iron niblick also offered in this auction are truly outstanding. Because there were so few golfers during the featherball era, the clubs they used remain in exceedingly small numbers.  Either of these irons would be a premier item in any museum or private collection.

(Lot inspected and description written by JE)