when did they stop making wooden golf clubs

Do they still make golf clubs out of wood?

These golf clubs were made up of wood with the shafts being made from ash or hazel and the club heads being made from tougher wood like apple, holly, beech or pear....Club Monikers: Then and NowModernOld9 IronNiblickPutterPutting Cleek12 more rows•Jan 26, 2018

Does anyone make wooden clubs?

Persimmon Wooden Golf Clubs Persimmon Golf produce some of the finest wooden golf clubs, maintaining a tradition for the many thousands of Persimmon fans who demand the experience and pleasure of playing with modern high-performance persimmon clubs.

What are old wooden shaft golf clubs worth?

According to GolfWeek, the most valuable antique golf clubs can sell for as much as $80,000 at auction. However, it's not at all common to see this type of value. Most individual clubs sell for between $15 and $100 at auction or in resale shops.

How do you identify old golf clubs?

Look for classic drivers and fairway woods that were made without face inserts, using elaborate cross-hatching instead. Unfortunately, many older clubs were stored in the garage or basement, where moisture and temperature fluctuations distressed them. Metal heads and shafts should be free of rusting and pitting.

What is a wooden golf club called?

Wooden Head – this was the name given to a type of old-fashioned golf club which achieved much the same function as modern 7, 8, and 9-woods. Photo credit: VINCENT GIORDANO PHOTO/Shutterstock. 8.Apr 8, 2019

What is the oldest golf club manufacturer?

Andrews Golf Co.Andrews Golf Co. is the oldest golf manufacturer in the world and the only remaining manufacturer in Scotland. While they don't have the big name of other brands such as Titleist or Callaway, they have found a way to stay in business since 1881.Dec 11, 2018

What are the most expensive golf clubs?

Golden Putter First Lady Special Edition – $150,000.Long Nose Scraped Golf Club – $91,000. ... Palmer Patent Fork Shaft Wood – $49,000. ... Titleist Scotty Cameron Tiger Woods Stainless Masters Winner – $20,000. ... Gemspot OM 5 Deluxe Diamond – $10,000. ... Adams Golf Tight Lies Spin Control – $8,500. ... Honma Golf's Five Star – $5,400. ... More items...

What is a Hickory Golf club?

Hickory golf is a variation of golf played with hickory-shafted golf clubs.

Are wood drivers good?

The wood driver, if you can find one, could be used as a great practice tool. The importance of the center strike is really valuable and using a smaller head with a higher degree of feedback (slices and hooks) can help you improve.Jul 14, 2014

Are 60 year old golf clubs worth anything?

Golf equipment is no different from furniture, rare wine and Chinese porcelain: old is often better then new—and a lot more valuable. Many clubs produced as recently as the 1950s and '60s are considered "classics." Some are worth $1,000 a set, and the right kind of sand wedge can bring $500 or more all by itself.Oct 6, 1980

Do golf clubs lose value?

Golf clubs on average depreciate by over 50% within 2 years and around 75% by the time they are 4 years old. So if you do decide to splash out on that new club you should just be aware that it is unlikely it will be worth anything close to what you paid for it in a relatively short space of time.

What is a lofter golf club?

Lofter - A metal-headed golf club with a moderate loft ranging from a modern five iron to an eight iron. Niblick or Rut Niblick - a trouble club and pitching iron and generally the most lofted of the 19th century irons, with a very small rounded head and a loft equivalent to a modern nine iron or wedge.

What thread was used in the 1924 golf club?

Pre-1900 clubs (smooth-faced gutty era) used 7-ply thread. Clubs from the era 1900 to 1935 required 4-ply thread. From 1924 golf clubs started to be manufactured with shafts of steel, pyratone, aluminum, and fiberglass or resin; many of them were given a wood-look coating.

What are Sabbath sticks?

Sabbath sticks. Sunday sticks or sabbath sticks were the golf enthusiasts' answer to the Church of Scotland 's discouragement of golfing on Sundays. Clubs were disguised as walking sticks, the club head comfortably fitting into the palm of the golfer's hand, until when the golfer was unobserved, the stick was reversed and a few strokes were played.

What is the difference between a brassie and a spoon?

Brassie: so called because the base-plate was of brass; equivalent to a 3 Wood. Spoon: Higher-lofted wood; equivalent to a 5 Wood. Baffing spoon or a Baffy: Approach wood; equivalent to a 7 Wood. These were made of wood and were used until they were replaced by the numbered system used today.

What is a brassie club?

Brassie: so called because the base-plate was of brass; equivalent to a 3 Wood.

When were irons invented?

The traditional set of irons was invented by Archibald Barrie, and were used from 1903 until about the 1940s. The introduction of the standardized numbered iron set produced by the Spalding Sporting Goods Company in the early 1930s caused the traditional set of irons to give way gradually to the numbered set.

When did golf clubs change to grooves?

One of the most important changes was the move in around 1908 from smooth faces on the irons to the grooves that are used today. The grooves enabled more backspin on a ball, resulting in more distance.

What woods were used for golf clubs?

The shafts of the early clubs were made out of local European woods like ash or hazel. Club heads were made from tough wood such as beech, holly, pear and apple. The heads of the wooden clubs were long and thin, resulting in them being known as "long-nose woods".

What wood was used in the early 1800s?

The shafts of the early clubs were made out of local European woods like Ash. The introduction of golf into America in the early 1800s lead to hickory wood being used in the shafts, which was found to be far more durable than other woods. Hickory became the standard material for golf club shafts until steel shafts were introduced in about 1925 in ...

What are the different names for golf clubs?

For a long time different clubs were known by a variety of names, such as: Longnoses - for driving. Bulgers - like today's woods as they have a bulbous head. Fairway clubs (or grassed drivers) - for medium range shots. Spoons - for short range shots . Niblicks - like a wedge. Cleek - for putting.

What were golf clubs made of?

Early Clubs. For hundreds of years, golf clubs were made out of wood, and it was not until late last century that the wooden shaft was replaced by other materials. Players initially carved their own clubs and balls from wood, though they soon turned to skilled craftsmen to produce competitive equipment.

When were iron clubs invented?

The early iron clubs, made by blacksmiths until about the 1870s, were quite crudely made, making them heavy to wield and difficult to control. The advent of drop forging technique in the late 1800s resulted in lighter and better made clubs that could be mass produced in factories. The early 1900 was a period of experimental golf club designs, ...

What are wood and iron made of?

They are also made using advanced materials such as titanium, graphite and zirconia.

Why were wooden golf clubs so expensive?

The wooden clubs were expensive due to the time and effort that went into making them and they were prone to break. This high cost of the clubs made the game of golf an activity reserved for the higher class.

When were feathered golf clubs invented?

With the introduction of the “featherie” golf ball in 1618 golf clubs continued to be made with wooden heads, although forging iron into the head was possible, because of the delicacy of the featheries. The wooden clubs were expensive due to the time and effort that went into making them and they were prone to break.

What wood is used for golf clubs?

Hickory quickly became the standard wood of choice for club-makers due to its availability and better durability. In 1848 the “guttie” ball was introduced by Rev. Adam Paterson, which quickly made the “longnoses” or drivers obsolete. Bulgers emerged to replace the longnoses which had a bulbous head, resembling modern woods.

What were the clubs made of in the 1500s?

In the 1500s a set of clubs consisted of: a set of play clubs, “longnoses”, for driving; fairway clubs or “grassed drivers”, for medium range; “spoons” for short shots; “niblicks” similar to wedges; and a putting “cleek”. These golf clubs were made up of wood with the shafts being made from ash or hazel and the club heads being made ...

What is the evolution of golf?

The Evolution of the Golf Club. Since the inception of the game of golf, players have continually tried to improve upon their equipment. The earliest golf clubs were initially carved by the golfer themselves and typically out of wood. Golfers soon turned to skilled craftsmen to produce higher quality equipment.

What is the R&A golf club?

The R&A, named from The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, is the governing body of the game of golf. The R&A finally legalized the use of steel shafted clubs after the Prince of Wales used them on the Old Course at St Andrews in 1929. The steel shaft provided for greater accuracy and durability.

What were the names of the golf clubs after World War II?

The traditional names of the clubs, like “niblicks” and “spoons”, were replaced by the standard numbering system used to this day. There was little development and advancement for the next few decades. After World War II development of golf clubs were influenced by research into synthetic and composite materials.

How many wooden clubs do golfers use?

Players use 20 to 30 wooden clubs of various functions to hit featheries, hard leather balls stuffed with feathers. 1856: America's hickory trees get the shaft when Robert Forgan exports them to Scotland to make golf clubs.

What year did Alan Shepherd hit two golf balls on the moon?

He quits his day job, creates the golf-equipment brand Ping, and makes a fortune. 1971: Alan Shepard takes one small swing for a man, one giant drive for mankind when he hits two golf balls on the moon at the end of the Apollo 14 mission. The second travels over a mile.

When did golf start allowing dorky apparel?

1939: Golf's rule-making authority decrees the use of no more than 14 clubs in a round but puts no limits on dorky apparel. 1959: Engineer Karsten Solheim invents a putter with more weight at the heel and toe of the blade and a thinner, lighter sweet spot.

When did graphite clubs become popular?

1973: Lightweight graphite-shaft clubs become popular among women and senior golfers. The rest of the world—ahem, PGA Tour players—catches on by the mid-1990s. 1980: In Caddyshack, Rodney Dangerfield's character stocks his bag with a driver that dispenses beer.

What irons do golfers use?

Most of the players would only have one iron, initially a spur nose heavy iron and in later times a track iron. (see photo above right) these irons very only used in situations where playing with a wood was impossible. In the late 18th and 19th centuries makers of golf clubs started to mark their name onto clubs.

What was the first hand forged iron made of?

Hand forged irons were made of steel and were vulnerable to rusting, round 1920 manufactures started using stainless steel. With the arrival and eventual legalization (1929) of steel shafts, the demand for hickory’s started to diminish, by 1935 the production of hickory clubs had stopped. In the past clubs had names instead of numbers.

When did golf clubs have smooth faces?

The faces of clubs remained smooth until 1905 and these clubs are today the most prized by collectors. After 1905 manufacturers start punching dots on iron faces to create more backspin, and after 1910 dots were often replaced by lines/ grooves (see Photo).

When did the shape of woods change?

In round about 1890 the shape of woods started to change tot hat of what we now think of as modern woods, this club was called the bulger and the head was usually attached to shaft with a modern socket joint instead of the old scare joint.

When was golf banned in Scotland?

Golf was so popular in Scotland in 1457 that the king found it necessary to ban it. No clubs exist today from this period, but they probably were to similar to the oldest known clubs that date from 1600.

Who owned the Troon clubs?

6 long nose woods and 2 spur nose irons and were very probably owned by King James the 6th of Scotland. The clubs from the 17th and 18th century were not signed by the makers, but the names of several makers can be found in royal archives. The earliest club makers were probably bow and ...

When did golf clubs start selling?

Spalding & Brothers sporting goods saw an opportunity. The company was already selling golf balls when, in 1905 , it became the first in America to offer its own brand of golf clubs.

When did the USGA limit golf clubs?

In 1938 , the USGA passed an edict limiting players to 14 clubs. The success of Spalding golf clubs had compelled the USGA to act, but the company had blazed the proverbial trail for club innovations and sales to come. Today, that legacy rests with every golf club that hits the American market.

What club has a narrow face?

One of the most famous Spalding clubs was the Cran Cleek (club with a narrow face and little loft) for poor fairway lies and even putts. Today, collectors prize the narrow-faced Cran Cleek.

Where were Spalding clubs made?

Starting in 1900, Spalding opened clubmaking factories in London and in Fife, Scotland, producing forged iron heads for Spalding clubs sold both in the U.K. and U.S. Irons made during that time are distinguished by an anvil cleek mark.

How many clubs did the USGA allow in 1938?

In 1938, the USGA passed an edict limiting players to 14 clubs.

When was the first baseball uniform invented?

Early history. The company was founded in 1876, the year that Albert Spalding was pitcher and manager of the old Chicago team for which “Pop” Anson and Evangelist Billy Sunday played. It was Spalding’s Chicago team that first appeared in regulation baseball uniforms. It was Spalding’s company that standardized early baseballs and developed ...

What was Spalding's design?

The design gave the clubs an exotic bamboo look; the underlying message being that these clubs offered players bamboo’s legendary flexibility and whip-like strength.

What wood was used for golf shafts in the 17th century?

The golf shafts in the 17th and 18th centuries were not yet made of hickory, but rather from ash and hazel or whatever hardwood was available locally including wood from trees such as danga wood, ironheart, purpleheart, greenheart, bloomahoo and bulletwood. The US used other woods from what was being used in Great Britain, ...

What wood was used for the club heads?

The US used other woods from what was being used in Great Britain, including ash and lancewood. Club heads were made from tough woods such as beech, holly, apple and pear. These were connected to the shaft using a splint and then bound using leather straps.

Why are Spalding clubs painted tan?

The clubs had steel shafts which were painted tan to give the impression of hickory. This practice was also done by other. manufacturers to help influence golfers to make the transition from hickory to steel. Spalding's steel shaft, painted to look like hickory.

What is a whistler shaft?

Nicknamed the "Whistler", Lard's shaft was made from a solid steel bar that was bored out and milled to form 6 sides. To reduce its weight, it was drilled with hundreds of small holes.

Why is the Allan Lard golf shaft called a whistling shaft?

To reduce its weight, it was drilled with hundreds of small holes. The perforations helped enhance club head speed and reduced torque significantly. When swung, these holes caused a whistling sound, hence the "Whistler" nickname. But like the other steel shafts, they never caught on. Allan Lard's perforated steel shaft.

What is Spalding's shaft?

Spalding's steel shaft, painted to look like hickory. It was not until some advances were made in the raw steel material and new manufacturing processes were developed, enabling the production of a stepped-down shaft, that steel started showing signs of becoming a clear favorite.

When did steel shafts become legal?

In 1924, the USGA finally legalized steel shafts, although the R&A continued to ban them until the Prince of Wales used a set at St. Andrews in 1929 which helped force a rule change. In 1924, the first steel shafts were allowed in the US Open, They were allowed in putters only. The winner, Cyril Walker, used one.

What is the oldest golf club logo?

All golf-club makers have copied him since then down to the present day. The world’s oldest continually-used commercial logo is that of Twining's tea, created in 1787.

Who was the first golf club maker?

The curious story of how the first golf-club maker's trademark logo was created. James McEwan is the first golf-club maker for whom there are any known extant golf clubs. One of the reasons why we know they are his clubs is because he was the first club-maker to stamp a 'cleek mark' on his wooden clubs to identify them.

Why did James McEwan put his name on his clubs?

New evidence suggests that the reason probably stems from events that took place at Bruntsfield Links between 1774 and 1782, during James McEwan's early years as a club-maker. James McEwan was not the first or only club-maker at Bruntsfield.

Why was Andrew Donaldson reprimanded?

Shortly after the complaints about his bows, Andrew Donaldson was reprimanded for failing to fulfil his other duties as 'Company official' , such as giving notice of meetings to the archer members.

Where did James McEwan come from?

It is commonly held that James McEwan came to Bruntsfield from Stirling in 1770. Certainly, he was in Edinburgh by 1775, when he was admitted as a Burgess. Apart from this record, there is no contemporary information of his existence. James McEwan does not appear in any directory as a golf-club maker, when other club-makers do.

When was James McEwan dismissed as a company official?

Comb was still actively trading at Bruntsfield when James McEwan arrived, but Comb was dismissed as 'Company official' and bow-maker by the Royal Company in 1778, when questions were raised about the quality of his bow-making services.

What is the oldest club in the world?

Stamping a design on wooden golf clubs was nothing new during the 18th century. The oldest extant clubs in the world are the 'Troon' clubs, which can be seen at the British Golf Museum. They have a logo stamped on them with a crown, the initials 'J' and 'C', a mullet (heraldic star) and a thistle inside a diamond shape.

What is a 25 wood club?

Some custom clubmakers offer woods in lofts up to 55° (a "25-wood" equivalent to a sand wedge); these can be used to replace the entire standard set of irons with woods, for players who prefer the swing mechanics and behavior of woods to that of irons and wedges.

What is a wood in golf?

Wood (golf) An Adams Insight BUL 5000 460 cm 3 9.5° (left), an early 1980s Pinnacle Persimmon driver (right). A wood is a type of club used in the sport of golf. Woods have longer shafts and larger, rounder heads than other club types, and are used to hit the ball longer distances than other types. Woods are so called because, traditionally, they ...

What is fairway wood?

Fairway woods are typically made with a slightly shorter and stiffer shaft, a smaller clubhead and more loft than a driver or 2-wood. While the most common modern clubset includes only one fairway wood, the 3-wood, woods are typically available from major brands in lofts up to a 9-wood.

What is a wood clubhead?

The head of a wood is roughly spherical in shape with a slightly bulging clubface and a generally flattened sole that slides over the ground without digging in during the swing. Traditional "wood" clubheads were made of wood, hence the name; beech wood or ash were common prior to the twentieth century, and later persimmon or maple became preferable. Modern club heads are usually hollow steel, titanium or composite materials, and are sometimes called "metalwoods" or more recently "fairway metals". Pinseeker Golf Corp. innovated the first stainless steel metalwood called the Bombshell in 1976. The design was somewhat untraditional and did not have the promotional success needed for profitable long term marketing - it was discontinued 3 years later. In 1979 Taylor Made produced a traditionally shaped stainless steel wood head called "Pittsburgh Persimmon" which achieved market acceptance by the mid-1980s. Oversized heads made from aluminum appeared in the mid-1980s but were slow to catch on since their introduction was via independent component manufacturers and not the larger endorsement based club manufacturers. Very large size drivers (300-500cc) arrived with titanium metallurgy which meant reasonable 'headweights' could be achieved with very large thin shelled but strong structures. By the mid-2000s, titanium heads could be made to 1000 cc (Golfsmith Inc made 1,000 cc (61.0 cu in) in the mid-2000s). Around this time the USGA decided to limit the size of driver heads to 460 cc (28.1 cu in) since the rule requiring heads to be of a traditional shape was being unduly stretched. However, during this period the club-making business needed some financial help, so the USGA relaxed the "traditional shape" rule while enforcing the new 460cc limit, and new head shapes appeared, such as "torpedo" and square/rectangular shapes, to attract the buying public to potentially game improving designs particularly regarding better mishit outcomes.

How much loft is a 3 wood?

The average 3-wood has a 13-16 degree loft (typically 15°) and the average 5-wood has an 18-21 degree loft. Higher lofts than that overlap with irons in distance, but many players prefer high-number woods to low-number irons wherever they can be used as the wood is easier to hit than a "long iron".

What is a strong 2 wood?

A Strong 2 Wood. Higher-number woods are generally known as fairway woods and , as their name suggests, are designed for shots from off the turf of the fairway that still require long distance, such as the second shot of a par-5 or a long par-4 hole.

What is shaft flex?

Shaft flex has a very pronounced effect on the power and accuracy of a wood. Every wood is somewhere in between the two extremes of flex, from the extra whippy, to the extra stiff. Whippy shafts are used by those who have low swing speeds and stiff by those who have faster swing speeds.

Overview

Early golf clubs were all made of wood. They were hand-crafted, often by the players themselves, and had no standard shape or form. As the sport of golf developed, a standard set of clubs began to take shape, with different clubs being fashioned to perform different tasks and hit various types of shot. Later, as more malleable iron became widely used for shorter-range clubs, an even wider variety of clubs became available.

Woods

20th century wood-shafted irons

19th century irons

Sabbath sticks

See also

External links