Michigan Department Store Golf Equipment Ad From 1925

Michigan Department Store Golf Equipment Ad From 1925

This golf equipment ad from the August 12, 1925 edition of the Detroit Free Press shows typical golf gear and prices from the period. Newcomb-Endicott was a Detroit department store.

Golf was in a transition at that moment. The ad offers wood clubs with either steel or hickory shafts. There also are autographed and trademarked clubs — the precursor to name brands like TaylorMade and clubs named after players, such as the “Sam Snead Blue Ridge” models from the 1950s through the 1970s.

In this mid season sale, club prices started at $1.95. For $8.45, a player could get a set of four Neco Clubs and a golf bag.

Wilson was a big player, offering, among others, John Black, Bob MacDonald, Gene Sarazen models. A company called Burke offered Jock Hutchison clubs.

Burke Golf Company made a range of store-brand clubs from 1910 to the 1960s. Based in Ohio, its founder, William Burke had managed MacGregors’ club manufacturing. Jock Hutchison used their clubs to win the 1921 Open.

For $0.25, you could purchase two boxes of Reddy Tees. Wilson golf balls were $ 0.29. There is no indication of quantity on either of those, however.

The Reddy Tee was the first successful mass market tee brand. The wood tees were painted red. The name was thus a bit of a pun. They were manufactured by Spalding.

I also like the list of club types: Divers, Mashies, Niblicks, Mashie Niblicks, Driving Mashies, Jiggers, Cleeks and … I’ve never heard this one … Mongrel Irons.

Finally, at the bottom, there’s an ad for a $2.25 “Extra Heavy Sunday Bag.” That seems like a bit of an oxymoron. I thought the point of a Sunday bag was to be light.

The Newcomb-Endicott Company was a department store located at the intersection of Woodward, Farmer and Grand River.

The Newcomb-Endicott department store was twelve stories tall and had some 276,000 square feet of retail space. More than 1,200 were employed there.

In 1927 — just two years after the ad ran in the Free Press, Newcomb-Endicott was bought by the adjacent Hudson’s and the building was demolished for Hudson’s expansion. At it’s peak, Hudson’s had 2,124,316 square feet over 33 floors. Macy’s was only 26,000 square feet larger.

Hudson’s had three transformers for the store and consumed enough electricity for a city of 20,000. Mrs. GolfBlogger, a Detroit area native, fondly remembers shopping there as a child with her Mom and Granny.

Hudson’s merged with the Dayton Corporation of Minneapolis in 1967, Hudson’s closed the downtown department store in 1983. Dayton Hudson eventually became the Target Corporation in 2000.

The Hudson’s building, and by extension Newcomb-Endicott were demolished in 1998.

This parking lot is all that is left of Newcomb-Endicott and the mighty Hudson’s building today.