How Angus Builds
Your
Putter
Angus MacKay
starts with a length of domestic hickory (one of the strongest woods in
existence) and shapes it to accommodate his line of clubheads. Each length of
hickory is carefully sanded and stained, and then receives 4 coats of
hand-rubbed tung oil. After the 4th coat of tung oil is thoroughly dry, the
shaft receives two coats of carnuba/beeswax and is buffed to a glorious luster.
Shafts are micro laser-engraved and back-filled prior to receiving their heads and grips.
After the shaft
has been engraved, it is carefully fitted to the head, and is both epoxied
and pinned to strongly secure it. The junction of the shaft and hosel is then
sanded smooth. The club is then cut to your custom length.
At this time the appropriate
grip is installed. If you are ordering hand-wrapped leather, a rubber
underlisting with a flat-front is first installed, and then a special 7/8"" wide strap of skived leather
is carefully wrapped about the underlisting. The leather is secured with both adhesive and a tack. A rubber grip collar adds a cosmetically-pleasing finish to the grip.
After the grip has
thoroughly dried in place, the almost-completed club is placed on a whipping
machine (looks like an old-fashioned sewing machine) where pitched Irish linen whipping is wound about the junction of the
shaft and hosel, additionally securing the shaft to the head. Much of this
process is identical to production methods 100 years ago.
It should be remembered that hickory , though very strong, does not have the tolerance to accident or abuse that modern composites such as steel, graphite or aluminum have. And although 95% of our clubs are dis-played (rather than played), they ARE very playable and look and feel great on the course. If you do plan to play with it, we suggest you protect the engraved area by putting it in its own plush-lined tube in your bag. A headcover will help keep it like-new too! And like any good club, we suggest that it not be left in the trunk of your car for extended periods where the wood is subjected to extremes of both temperature and humidity. Enjoy!