Where Golf Clubs Go To Die

Where Golf Clubs Go To Die

A local thrift store has a corner full of vast piles of golf clubs. There are too many to even begin to catalog, but like many Michigan thrifts, there are an inordinate number from Northwestern and Wilson.

Northwestern is an interesting company that was founded in 1929. In the 1970s and early 1980s they were said to be the biggest volume golf club manufacturer. Operating out of Chicago, Northwestern supplied places like KMart, reportedly making 7 million clubs a year at their peak. That’s surely why so many are in the bins.

The company closed it’s doors in 2004, after 75 years in business.

The Wilson models also are invariably clubs from their mass market department store era. Wilson also is a Chicago company, and that may be why there are so many along with Northwestern in Michigan thrifts. Perhaps thrifts in other areas have a different mix of clubs.

I occasionally visit to see if I can find anything of value. I am not up on my club value guides, so what I’m really looking for is something big obvious worth, such as a Cameron putter. I’m hoping that a Cameron or other pricy club will be discarded by someone who doesn’t know it’s value.

No luck yet.