Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland: Clubmakers

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Clubmakers

Campbell & Co
Aberdeen

The company was started by George Campbell and William Achnach as Campbell Achnach & Co in Glasgow in 1879 and opened a new branch in Aberdeen in 1879. Initially they advertised waterproofs and fishing equipment (fishing rods being the start for many Aberdeen clubmakers and sellers).

In November 1885 the partnership was dissolved and Robert Thompson in the Aberdeen office took over the waterproof and india-rubber business, its core activity, changing the company name to Campbell & Co.

They may have sold golf clubs before but they started to advertise them in the early 1890s. The advertisement is from a brochure for the Highland Show, Scotland’s largest agricultural exhibition, which used to be in different places every year, this being the 1894 one in Aberdeen. In addition to clubs they featured items such as the Argyle Rubber Co’s new patent rubber foot grip, ‘used for golf etc’. They were pushing golfing items as ideal Chrismas presents via advertorial in the local press in 1904.

By the middle of the First World War they had a dedicated sports section in the shop, advertising as “The Golfers’ Emporium” offering ‘special terms to the clubs’ but also selling a wide range of other sports’ goods.

The company continued through the 1920s and, at least until, the mid 1930s in manufacture providing waterproof clothing to police and fire services not just in Aberdeen but also to Elgin and to Fife. The emphasis on sporting goods may have diminished but even during WWII they were advertising (Feb 1940), ‘'Steel shafted golf clubs from 8/8; golfers overtrousers 5/11; golf balls to clear at 5d'

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