Forgan Golf Clubs Works, c. 1880 Robert Forgan, seated, and his son, standing

Forgan is the oldest golf club factory in the world, dating back to the earliest years of what would later become the Royal and Ancient golf club, the sport's traditional custodians. In 1819, its forerunner, the Society of St Andrews Golfers, appointed Allan Robertson as a ball-maker and Hugh Philip, a local carpenter, as its club-maker.

Robert Forgan, Philip's nephew and protégé, took over the company. Under his reign, imported hickory was dried under cover by the side of the 17th fairway at St Andrews. In each of the Black Sheds (since recreated on their original site as a formidable obstacle within the famous Road Hole), there were rectangular stacks of square-cut shafts, each containing as many as 8,000 rods apiece. After a full 12 months' seasoning they were deemed ready to be rounded off by hand and offered for sale.

James Anderson c. 1875

Demand was so high that Forgan took on Jamie Anderson as his apprentice. Anderson, an avid golfer, went on to win the Open three times, but work at the factory rarely stopped for a leisurely round. "The shop was just like a joiner's shop in the country," wrote Robert's Brother James in 1908. "There was no attempt at any ornamentation. There were no boxes for gentlemen to keep their clubs. All who left their clubs in the shop just put them on spars between the couples above our head."

One day the Prince of Wales came to call. By then the premises had relocated from Philip's original workshop to an old fisherman's house which was to become the epicentre of the company for decades. Saws and lathes had been introduced into the production process, enabling mass manufacturing. His Royal Highness was so taken with the unique set of clubs presented to him in 1864 that by 1902, the insignia of golf club makers to His Majesty King Edward was proudly displayed over Forgan's door.

Forgan Golf Clubs Works, c. 1900 Finishing Room, Upper Floor

Forgan's was a thriving business, but elsewhere in the region the economic situation was much grimmer. The fall in herring stocks hit many hard, and those displaced from the fishing industry needed to find new work. Some became the first caddies and professionals, missionaries dispatched to convert the golfing agnostics. Forgan's hired agents to take orders from any country where golf was played. Closer to home, the family remained engaged in local affairs, making large donations to St Andrews Martyr's Church, where a beautiful lancet known as Forgan's Window is still preserved.

The brand has been re-ignited in 2008 with the launch of an online custom fitting system in the UK, USA and soon to be Australia, the first of its kind from an established golf club manufacturer. Now golfers around the world are able to have clubs built to their exact specification using the highest quality clubs whilst the traditional standards of Robert Forgan are maintained. He would be truly proud.

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