R Forgan & Son

Description

A dash faced mid iron made by R Forgan & Son of St Andrews, marked Special and Scotia on head, original hickory shaft stamped R Forgan & Son / St Andrews, polished leather grip.

A solid, tight, club, circa 1912.

‘One of the best known names in the clubmaking trade is that of Forgan of St Andrews. Wherever golf is played and that is all the world over, Forgan’s clubs have won their way. The history of the firm has been one of uniform success, and it would be strange if that were not so, for the firm has ever aimed at turning out good material.’ [The Golfer 1896]. Robert Forgan began as an apprentice at his uncle’s (by marriage) shop owned by Hugh Philp. When the latter died in 1856 Forgan took over the business and started trading in his own name, bringing in his brother James soon after. In 1863, the Prince of Wales was elected Captain of the R&A and he ordered a set of clubs from the Forgans, and in about 1883 there followed permission to use the royal warrant. This allowed Forgan to stamp his clubs with the royal crest of three plumed ostrich feathers. In 1901 when the prince ascended the throne, the stamp changed to a crown, and Forgan clubs displayed this symbol from 1901 to 1910. Robert and his brother were sticklers for selecting the most appropriate wood for their clubs, in particular the shafts, and this is why many of their shafts have the word Selected stamped on them. In 1881 Robert’s youngest son Thomas joined the business which then became R Forgan & Son. Robert had four other sons , two of whom were ministers in the Free Kirk. The other two were bank executives in Chicago where they were prominent in local golf. One of the clerical sons, Rev Robert Forgan, compiled the 1881 Golfer’s Handbook which ran to many editions. As business increased so did the size of the company. By 1895 there were 40 employees and by 1900 the Forgans ran the largest equipment making premises in St Andrews. They were also one of the largest assembly and repair shops, many shafts stamped ‘R Forgan & Son’ were attached to clubheads bearing someone else’s name. Some of these clubs were reshafted by Forgan while others were new clubs assembled or shafted for another seller. In 1959 the Forgan name came to an end when the company was sold to AG Spalding. At its peak Forgan was producing 600-800 clubs a week with a staff of over 50 men and their name still resonates today.