On View
Sports Gallery
Exhibition
Sports: Leveling the Playing Field
Manufactured by
Wilson Sporting Goods Co., American, founded 1914
Used by
Funches, Ethel, American, 1913 - 2010
Subject of
Didrikson Zaharias, Mildred Ella "Babe", American, 1911 - 1956
Date
late 20th century
Medium
wood, metal, rubber, and ink
Dimensions
H x W x D (2015.249.4.2 Wood 4): 43 × 3 × 3 1/2 in. (109.2 × 7.6 × 8.9 cm)
Description
A wood golf club from Wilson, used by Ethel Funches.
The shaft is silver in color and is made out of metal. There is a black rubber grip at the top. The grip has grooved lines going diagonally around it. There are different sized holes on the grip. There is a design, not wear and tear. The word [Wilson] is printed on it in faded text. There is a gold, red, and blue logo at the top of the grip. There is a gold circle with gold text in two different fonts. It reads [The Reminder / PAT. NO. / 974,875]. There are two flags, one red and one blue.
There is a grey and green adhesive label with grey text on the shaft. It reads [TRUE TEMPER ROCKET]. The shaft has some scuffs and scratches on it. The base of the shaft has two thin orange stripes going around it with a thick black stripe in the middle and a black section at the bottom.
The head of the club is made of a dark wood. There are scuffs and scratches in several different areas, and the proper left side has wear and tear from where it hit the ball. There is gold upside-down text on the front of the head. It is partially worn off and reads [Strata-bloc / REG. US PAT. OFF.]. There is faded text on the top of the head, in a script font. It reads [Babe D. Zaharias] and it is underlined. There is text on the proper right side, which reads [Top-Notch]. There are also two flag-like shapes, one orange and one yellow. The proper left side has a thick yellow stripe with two thin black stripes and four (4) nails. It also has vertical grooved lines. The proper left side is flat, since it is a right-handed golf club.
The underside of the head has scratches on it. There is a piece of metal covering the center. It has four (4) nails securing it to the wood. The metal has a bit of discoloring as well as some dents and scratches. There is text on the piece of metal. It is indented into it. It reads [Wilson]. On the proper left side there is a large number "4".
Classification
Tools and Equipment-Sports and Recreational
Type
golf clubs (equipment)
sports and athletic equipment
Topic
Athletes
Golf
Sports
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Grand Niece Angela Kenion-Wynn in Memory of Ethel P. Funches
Object number
2015.249.4.2
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd54870beaf-eeaf-45e6-8f78-2fd81b0ae959

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

Share this page