Auchterlonie D&W (St Andrews)

圣安德鲁斯的Auchterlonie D&W兄弟David 和Willie在1896年开始了他们成功的高尔夫球杆制作生意。Auchterlonie家族当时由于他们打球的技术已经非常出名。Willie 在1893年赢得了公开赛，他的表兄弟Laurence于1902年赢得了美国公开赛。这家公司的高尔夫球杆制作持续到1955年。他们在圣安德鲁斯的店铺至今仍然存在。

'Auchterlonie', 'Hand-Made Clubs' by Peter Georgiady is the story of two golf firms and six brothers from the halcyon days of St. Andrews, and is the story of the clubs they made. It makes fascinating reading.

The Auchterlonies had been established in St. Andrews for nearly a hundred years when David Auchterlonie, married his wife Margaret. David, like most St. Andreans, was almost certainly a keen golfer - his uncle David had been a founder member of the St. Andrews Mechanics Golf Club - but surely at the time of their marriage no one could have foreseen that the couple would produce one of the most famous of all St. Andrews golfing families. One of their sons, Willie, would become Open Champion; another, Lawrence, the US Open Champion; and four of them would go on to become among the finest clubmakers St. Andrews has produced.

David Auchterlonie

The later 1800's were auspicious for golfers and clubmakers. Golf was transforming itself from an exclusively Scottish sport to the world wide game it has become; and clubmaking was changing from a trade carried on by a few craftsmen making bespoke clubs to larger concerns producing clubs for the masses. All clubs were still hand-finished, but the more famous club makers now employed dozens or scores of artisans, and the industry was growing by leaps and bounds.

It is therefore not surprising that, while the eldest son James carried on his fathers trade of plumbing and the second, Joe, became a plasterer, the third son David should become apprenticed to that most famous of club makers, Robert Forgan. His brother Willie, the fifth son, joined him at Forgans a few years later in 1887. The fourth son Lawrence - the future US Open Champion - also worked as a club maker but we do not know where he learned his trade. He was presumably apprenticed to one of the other fine club makers around St. Andrews. Baby of the family Tom, some 15 years younger than David was apprenticed to his elder brothers firm in 1896 (more of this later), and worked in the firm for some 23 years.

The year 1893 was an auspicious year for the Auchterlonies. David, together with another Forgan clubmaker Andrew Crosthwaite left Robert Forgan's shop to set up in business on their own, and Willie won the Open Championship at Prestwick on his third attempt. The firm was an immediate success. Not only did they hire one of St. Andrews' premier club makers George Lorimer, but the publicity accorded Willie's Open win gave the firm immediate recognition. However the firm of Auchterlonie and Crosthwaite would only last a couple of years. Presumably Willie, not unnaturally as his Open win was responsible for much of the good publicity for the firm, wanted a full partnership, and when Crosthwaite balked, they went their separate ways. Crosthwaite went into business with Lorimer as Crosthwaite and Lorimer, and the Auchterlonie brothers formed D & W Auchterlonie, an establisment that was to survive in one form or another until 1987.

Willie Auchterlonie

In 1896 young Tom joined the family business to learn the art of club making. Over the years he became more and more involved with the business, not only from the club making aspect but he also became highly involved in the business side of the firm and ended by virtually running the company. All this time he remained an employee. After 23 years Tom felt he had paid his dues and sought a partnership in the firm. For whatever reason this was refused by his elder brothers, and the refusal brought about not only a schism in the firm, but also lead to a family feud that extended over two generations. From 1919 onwards there were two firms of Auchterlonie in St. Andrews.

Tom Auchterlonie

Tom's business acumen and hard work led to the success of the new enterprise - Tom Auchterlonie. He immediately started producing innovative and interesting designs, rationalized the manufacturing processes and took other measures to establish the success of the firm. In 1926 Tom Auchterlonie produced what is widely regarded as the first modern iron clubs, the ITZIT series. This set of irons incorporated all the modern design principles that are still in use till today. Times were certainly changing with new designs, production and marketing methods and, of course, across the Atlantic steel shafts were being introduced. Firms that foresaw these changes survived, those that did not went under. D & W Auchterlonie was one of the firms that failed to move with the times, and in 1933 they filed for bankruptcy. The loss of Tom's business acumen certainly cannot have helped the firms fortunes. The author details all these changes with great care and sensitivity, and what results is not only a feel for an unfortunate family feud, but also a feeling of how the golf industry evolved in the 30's 40's and 50's.

What of the other brothers and of their lives away from the firms?

Laurie Auchterlonie

Lawrence left for the United states in 1899. Most remarlably on the same boat there were three future U.S. Open champions: Lawrence himself; Fred Herd; and Willie Smith! Lawrence did not stay in the states but returned home in 1911 finally passing on in 1947 aged 80. While living he remained a fine golfer and regularly partnered his brother Joe round the Old Course. Indeed in 1935 he equaled the professional record for the Old Course set by George Duncan, with a fine 68. Joe gave up plastering and became a club maker, but was content to remain in the employ of his brothers all his life. Doubtless after the schism he had to step a fine line. James the eldest son remained a fine and steady golfer, but remained a plumber all his life. He also became bandmaster of the towns band. After the bankruptcy Willie became Honorary Professional to the R & A, the third professional they had had after Old Tom and Andra' Kirkaldy and continued in that position until his death. He was succeeded by his son Laurie in this position.

Pete Georgiady faced a difficult task in writing this book. The writer of primary historical sources does not have the luxury of glossing over detail that a later writer has, he must carefully annotate his research and jot every 'i' and cross every 't'. To do this and make the book readable requires rare skill. That the author accomplishes this task is to his great credit. He does this by mixing in anecdote with the hard facts, and also quotes freely from his primary source - Tom's grandson Eric. He is also able to add his own personal observations from his time at Dundee University and his many visits to St. Andrews. Not only does he tell a fascinating historical story well, but he excels, as is to be expected, in the field for which he is so well known, the description of the various clubs, their relevance and their markings. Your reviewer, although having some pretense to being a historian, does not possess the collectors gene in his makeup and normally finds the detailed description of marks and club minutia intensely boring. However Peter describes these details so well, the markings of Tom Stewart and Condie, and the finishing details of wooden clubs, that the reviewer found himself becoming fascinated in spite of himself. Georgiady has really done a magnificent job here.

Here are two of my favorite anecdotes from the book both involving Tom Morris.

As a young lad Tom Auchterlonie was given the head of an old lofting iron which he proceeded to have shafted. From the area around Forgans shot he would practice hitting balls over the wall on to the 18th green of the Old Course (can you imagine doing this today!!), and most of his balls landed near the pin. This got the attention of Old Tom who made him an offer for the club! 'I canna sir, it's a present' young Tom must have replied. Admiringly Old Tom told him, "You're a great wee laddie, Good luck to you. And may you always hae such good principles".

The second involved Willie, just before he left for Prestwick to win his Open championship. He was involved in a fierce tussle for the St. Andrews Clubmaker's Medal finally loosing to a young upstart - Old Tom Morris himself, then 76 years young!