Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland: Clubmakers

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Clubmakers

J C Smith & Son
Monifieth

James Clark Smith started this business in 1870 although making clubs had started as a spare time activity for him, his real job being in the local foundry. Entirely self-taught, the local paper looking back at his life pointed out that there were not enough golfers in Monifieth to support a clubmaker. There were two clubs, Panmure and Monifieth, the latter’s membership being drawn entirely from the workforce of John F Low & Co where Smith worked, neither of which had a membership above 50. The Advertiser club, then the Broughty, followed and as the number of players grew so did Smith’s business.

His reputation as a clubmaker spread and the local connection with jute ensured a healthy export trade to Calcutta.

His son, R D Smith, assumed into the partnership in 1897, took over the running of the business sometime in the late 1890s and, as the 1899 advertisement shows, it became a full golf retailing operation.

The firm was appointed clubmakers to the Forfar Golf Club in 1904. J C Smith died in February 1907 at the age of 75.

It continued as a family firm until 1933 (although R D Smith also made clubs under his own name). In 1933 Bob Smith retired and the business, which continued under the same name, was sold to George E Smith, of Lossiemouth (certainly not a close relation but perhaps a distant one). It was run by his assistant in Lossiemouth, John Campbell, until he became professional at Balnagasjk in 1936.

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