Mills Schenectady style hickory putter

Rare aluminum Mills Schenectady-style center-shafted putter. Made by A.H. Toogood, Chinford (West Essex) in circa 1910. On the putter are the initials MS, possibly the owner. Both the head and the hickory wooden shaft and the leather grip are in good and original condition. A special object for collectors and enthusiasts of antique golf clubs or for hickory golfers who want to play with it.

The original Schenectady putter was patented in 1903 by Arthur Knight from New York. The putter has grown into one of the most historic golf clubs, after Walter Travis won the British Amateur Championship with it in 1904 and thereby not only became the first American to win it, but also the first person from outside the United Kingdom. In 1911 this type of putter was banned by the British golf association R&A, and this ban was lifted only in 1951.

Another clubmaker associated with this type of putter is William Mills (Standard Golf Company, Sunderland). He was a pioneer in aluminum golf clubs and made his own very popular variants of these putters, which were banned in the United Kingdom. Production of these mallet putters continued into the 1920s.

The photos are part of the description.