What's a "Sammy"?

[HBspark]

I've got a hickory deep faced mashie that is also labeled "Sammy". I've seen other hickory irons with that name. Anyone know where it comes from?

[stixman]

The Sammy was a round backed cleek designed to have a higher CoG than a regular cleek to maximise run, particularly in the wind, mainly for use on links courses. It was invented by Jack Fulford, pro and master clubmaker at Moortown Golf Club in Leeds around 1909. Moortown GC. I was a member there for 25 years, venue for the 1929 Ryder Cup. Gibson's of Kinghorn, Scotland sold a lot of them.

[HBspark]

I knew you'd have the answer! Thanks for the detail.

[scott middlekauff]

I'm trying to find out why a "sammy" is called a "sammy" ?? I read the part about Jack Fulford inventing it, but why is it called a "sammy"?? Thanks!

[The Aspidistra in the Hall]

5 hours ago, scott middlekauff said:

I'm trying to find out why a "sammy" is called a "sammy" ?? I read the part about Jack Fulford inventing it, but why is it called a "sammy"?? Thanks!

Dunno. We could have a seance and try to ask him.

[Hickory4ever]

I don’t know where the name came from, but I love using mine.

[The Aspidistra in the Hall]

5 hours ago, Hickory4ever said:

I don’t know where the name came from, but I love using mine.

In good company, Ralph Livingstone 111 (of Stewart fame) had one and was his 'go to' club.

[The Aspidistra in the Hall]

11 hours ago, The Aspidistra in the Hall said:

Dunno. We could have a seance and try to ask him.

Sorry if that sounded a bit flip.

 

I do know that Bronty Golf, who operated only 10 miles from Moortown and were very close to Jack Fulford's birthplace, their biggest seller was a club called 'The Chipmaster'.

Now it's true and I know this for a fact, that Bert (co-owner of BG) named the club after his Cocker Spaniel which was called Chippy. He was named Chippy after the local fish and chip shop and this Spaniel would eagerly devour any chips left over on a Friday night.

The dog became overweight and to give it exercise Bert used to hit shots with the prototype for Chippy to chase after and return the golfballs to his Master.

So you can see how ChipMaster came into being. Being almost accidentally a really good chipping club the ChipMaster Models 1,2 and 3, became instant best sellers both here and in Saudi Arabia.

You might well question how Saudi Arabia comes into this.

Well, this was before golf became the national export that it is today and the early oil workers played on browns for greens, used mats on the designated fairway areas and off the fairway areas of desert scrub the ChipMasters broad sole and it's weight came into it's own and worked like a modern rescue club. Hence it's use in early desert golf was de rigeur and legendary.

 

Anyway, I digress. I hope you are still with me.

Now, as I said some time ago now that Pudsey, home of Bronty Golf, was very close to Moortown in Leeds. Also,in terms of time Jack Fulford was at Moortown in 1914 and Bronty Golf started up only 50 years later. It's entirely possible that Bert and Jack were known to each other and Bert's story about Chippy was directly derived from Jack talking in the pub about his prototype Sammy and explaining how his Golden Retriever called Sam used fetch balls hit with his prototype club and called for the balls to retrieved and returned to 'Me'.

Hence he called his new club a Sam Me, or Sammy as it is now known. Hope that explains things and puts everything into it's proper context.

Thank you staying with me this long, it is August and a bit of tail wagging never goes amiss with a shaggy dog story.

[Hickory4ever]

2 hours ago, The Aspidistra in the Hall said:

Sorry if that sounded a bit flip.

 

I do know that Bronty Golf, who operated only 10 miles from Moortown and were very close to Jack Fulford's birthplace, their biggest seller was a club called 'The Chipmaster'.

Now it's true and I know this for a fact, that Bert (co-owner of BG) named the club after his Cocker Spaniel which was called Chippy. He was named Chippy after the local fish and chip shop and this Spaniel would eagerly devour any chips left over on a Friday night.

The dog became overweight and to give it exercise Bert used to hit shots with the prototype for Chippy to chase after and return the golfballs to his Master.

So you can see how ChipMaster came into being. Being almost accidentally a really good chipping club the ChipMaster Models 1,2 and 3, became instant best sellers both here and in Saudi Arabia.

You might well question how Saudi Arabia comes into this.

Well, this was before golf became the national export that it is today and the early oil workers played on browns for greens, used mats on the designated fairway areas and off the fairway areas of desert scrub the ChipMasters broad sole and it's weight came into it's own and worked like a modern rescue club. Hence it's use in early desert golf was de rigeur and legendary.

 

Anyway, I digress. I hope you are still with me.

Now, as I said some time ago now that Pudsey, home of Bronty Golf, was very close to Moortown in Leeds. Also,in terms of time Jack Fulford was at Moortown in 1914 and Bronty Golf started up only 50 years later. It's entirely possible that Bert and Jack were known to each other and Bert's story about Chippy was directly derived from Jack talking in the pub about his prototype Sammy and explaining how his Golden Retriever called Sam used fetch balls hit with his prototype club and called for the balls to retrieved and returned to 'Me'.

Hence he called his new club a Sam Me, or Sammy as it is now known. Hope that explains things and puts everything into it's proper context.

Thank you staying with me this long, it is August and a bit of tail wagging never goes amiss with a shaggy dog story.

I love the story. Since I hit my Sammy over 150 yards, it would really give a dog some exercise. 
 

Eight of us from the Golf Historical Society of Canada were invited to Norfolk Golf Club (founded in 1895) to take several of their members out with hickory era clubs. The event was yesterday and everyone enjoyed themselves and appreciated the great names of the old clubs, much more interesting than current offerings. Some people thought the names were a little confusing and I agreed, however I countered that at least the old woods were actually made of wood and it usually got a good laugh.

 

Back to the Sammy. I hit it several times yesterday and it is a great club. I did not however exercise any dogs with it, LOL.

[The Aspidistra in the Hall]

9 minutes ago, Hickory4ever said:

I love the story. Since I hit my Sammy over 150 yards, it would really give a dog some exercise. 
 

Eight of us from the Golf Historical Society of Canada were invited to Norfolk Golf Club (founded in 1895) to take several of their members out with hickory era clubs. The event was yesterday and everyone enjoyed themselves and appreciated the great names of the old clubs, much more interesting than current offerings. Some people thought the names were a little confusing and I agreed, however I countered that at least the old woods were actually made of wood and it usually got a good laugh.

 

Back to the Sammy. I hit it several times yesterday and it is a great club. I did not however exercise any dogs with it, LOL.

Thank you. Only half the lies I tell are true!