True Bill, we'll never know who was the greatest. I still maintain that the golf ball is the greatest improvement in golf equipment.
Gotta admit they've come along way since they were made of two top hats of featheries .... and the original clubs were made by blacksmiths. They had a display of original clubs at St. Andrews; it was not uncommon to have 30 or 40 clubs in a set in the early days of golf ... basically one for each situation. It was not until the establishment of governing bodies that the limits on number of clubs, hence the standardization of face angle, came into play
Yeah, the R&A agreed to the 14 club limit in exchange for the USGA getting rid of "stymies" on the green.
FYI, when I wen to Scotland a few years back, I started tipping a few with a member of the St. Andrews Golf Club. He invited us to go back to their club to continue drinking. I got a chance to look at both Old & Young Tom Morris' trophies and clubs. Amazing experience.