J.C. Gibson Westward Ho iron set

[bcstones]

At least I think the second initial is a stylized "C"....J.C. Gibson Westward Ho made in England w/chrome steel shaft, leather grip & wood endcap. The clubs are real blades, 2 iron thru 9 iron, where 9 iron is the putter. Most definitely carbon steel, heads were quite rusty. The grooves slightly slant toward the heel. The ferrules are long brown w/a cream colored band. Most clubs are missing that cream band.

These pics are right after 1 round - getting rid of rust. I do most of it by hand, so takes me a wee bit more time, usually 600 grit to 800 grit to 1500 grit to 3000 grit wet to dry "sand" paper (I'd prefer emery cloth if I could find it in equivlant grades, finding crocus cloth is almost a lost cause)

 

 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2023 by bcstones

[bcstones]

Just checked @Jiggered YouTube site where he showed a set of Gibson woods & quite a bit of history. The ferrules there look the same as these. However, I'm wondering if those woods were from the W. Gibson works. I can find little on J.C. Gibson, tho it seems he might be a son of Charles H. Gibson of Mussleburg...I don't see much of a connection w/the William Gibson line...but who knows??? (info from the "AntiqueGolf Clubs from Scotland: Clubmakers" site).

On that site, it lists Charles Gibson & Westward Ho!....so I searched the Westward Ho & this is what I found:

 

"Royal North Devon Golf Club is the mythical “Westward Ho!” links course that you may have read about if you are a scholar of early 20th-century golf writings! Regardless, if you like playing golf at special places, you can find no more special place that these links at Westward Ho!, the Royal North Devon Golf Club. Royal North Devon Golf Club is the oldest English course still in existence, as Royal North Devon Golf Club at Westward Ho! has been in continuous use since 1864. Royal North Devon Golf Club is truly a living museum of golf, from the sheep roaming the fairways, one of the most historic and famous sleepered bunkers in England or all of the UK (the Cape Bunker on #4, over 100 yards wide and one of the most intimidating anywhere!), and an actual museum of club history inside the Royal North Devon Golf Club clubhouse..."

still would love to find out more about this clubs....thanks for reading this far. BTW - has anyone played the Royal North Devon Golf Club?

[Jiggered]

Nice find, later than I'd have expected though, unless J.C. Gibson was the son of Charles Gibson?

Charles Gibson was certainly at Westward Ho.

 

This article has lots of information about club makers from North Berwick, including Charles Gibson.

 

http://www.northberwick.org.uk/origins_1.html

[The Aspidistra in the Hall]

10 minutes ago, Jiggered said:

Nice find, later than I'd have expected though, unless J.C. Gibson was the son of Charles Gibson?

Charles Gibson was certainly at Westward Ho.

 

This article has lots of information about club makers from North Berwick, including Charles Gibson.

 

http://www.northberwick.org.uk/origins_1.html

That was my understanding. He was also at Royal Calcutta.

[bcstones]

1 hour ago, Jiggered said:

Nice find, later than I'd have expected though, unless J.C. Gibson was the son of Charles Gibson?

Charles Gibson was certainly at Westward Ho.

 

This article has lots of information about club makers from North Berwick, including Charles Gibson.

 

http://www.northberwick.org.uk/origins_1.html

great site....I forgot to mention that the shafts are bandless and non-stepped with the leather handle & wood butt caps. Which I'm thinking that puts the clubs circa 1930s...and perhaps J.C. Gibson is a GrandSon of Charles Gibson, or the clubs honor Charles Gibson. 
That site if a fantastic read....lots of history

[Jiggered]

The heads certainly look 1930s in style, it's unusual to see chrome shafts on irons from that date but if they're stepless that adds weight to the argument for the 1930s.

Wooden butt plugs were used at least into the 1950s when leather grips were fitted.

[bcstones]

5 hours ago, Jiggered said:

The heads certainly look 1930s in style, it's unusual to see chrome shafts on irons from that date but if they're stepless that adds weight to the argument for the 1930s.

Wooden butt plugs were used at least into the 1950s when leather grips were fitted.

Kinda what I thought......but I figured ya'll from across the across the pond might have a better ID, then here. I gotta admit to falling under the influence of my Pro friend who was of the mindset that only carbon steel was the ideal iron - he poohoo'd the stainless steel irons as anything but a lesser iron club....his mistake & mine, as I didn't pickup on some ISS clubs from Scotland & England

[The Aspidistra in the Hall]

8 hours ago, bcstones said:

Kinda what I thought......but I figured ya'll from across the across the pond might have a better ID, then here. I gotta admit to falling under the influence of my Pro friend who was of the mindset that only carbon steel was the ideal iron - he poohoo'd the stainless steel irons as anything but a lesser iron club....his mistake & mine, as I didn't pickup on some ISS clubs from Scotland & England

Oh no, stainless was a great material for making club heads, very soft as well. The problem was that S/S wore out the moulds faster then carbon steel and this added considerably to the expense.

A lot of Slazenger clubs, esp. Hogans, made in Scotland were S/S and polish up lovely and  recut grooves without any of that annoying 'the chrome plating is worn through or flaked off !'.

[OldGolfClubs]

I've got a full set of westward ho clubs and a black leather bag. I found them in Richmond Virginia (USA). How they made it to the states is a mystery to me. But they were in an old mansion that housed religious students. I'm trying to find out who they belonged to and how they got to America. The bottom of all the clubs are stamped with Gibson Westward Ho, Made in England and the name J.C. Gibson as a signature. Am I willing to sell, maybe. But more curious about the person who could have owned them in America.

[The Aspidistra in the Hall]

On 7/9/2025 at 2:09 AM, OldGolfClubs said:

I've got a full set of westward ho clubs and a black leather bag. I found them in Richmond Virginia (USA). How they made it to the states is a mystery to me. But they were in an old mansion that housed religious students. I'm trying to find out who they belonged to and how they got to America. The bottom of all the clubs are stamped with Gibson Westward Ho, Made in England and the name J.C. Gibson as a signature. Am I willing to sell, maybe. But more curious about the person who could have owned them in America.

Hickory or steel shafted? Pretty sure JC was one of several sons plying the family business as professionals around the world. I seem to remember some JC clubs from Tollygunge GC, Calcutta, India turning up at a sale in the UK.