Bobby Jones' Personal Spade Mashie

            The presented club is virtually unrivaled in the collecting community. Of the approximately 30 Bobby Jones golf clubs from his competitive days known to exist, only a few reside in private collections. The bulk of Bobby's clubs are owned by museums and private golf clubs, including Augusta National Golf Club (12 clubs), the British Golf Museum/R&A (1), USGA's Golf House (2), Atlanta Athletic Club (5), and Gullane Golf Club (1).

            In addition to these institutionally-owned golf clubs, a very small number of Jones' personal clubs reside in private collections, including one of his Calamity Jane putters (private collection in U.S., valued at $100,000) and a Run-Up club (sold for $41,825 at Heritage Auctions, August 4, 2011).

            The golf club offered here is one of Bobby Jones' personal Spade Mashie's (approximately a modern 6-iron), which was handmade for Jones by famed St. Andrews clubmaker Tom Stewart. Only two of Bobby Jones' personal Spade Mashie's are known to exist, and only one (the one offered here) by Tom Stewart. The other - the Spade Mashie used by Jones during his Grand Slam in 1930 - was made by Spalding, not Tom Stewart, and is part of Augusta National's permanent collection. Without question, this club pre-dates 1930 and likely dates somewhere to the mid-1920's (Jones was using Stewart's clubs beginning in 1923). All of this club's markings - including the Robt. T. Jones, Jr. stamp - are an exact match to the aforementioned Run-Up Club, which was once owned by Jones' friend and confidant O.B. Keeler, and were almost certainly made at the same time.

            This exact club was featured and pictured in Ralph Livingston's definitive biography on Tom Stewart, who created most of Jones' clubs throughout his career. The club bears all of Tom Stewart's hallmarks, including the trademark stamp and his famous pipe insignia, but also the single "punch dot" which signifies that Tom Stewart himself (and not one of his employees) finished this club. A copy of Ralph Livingston's book picturing this club is also included in this auction.