What is the history of golf clubs?
History of Golf Clubs 1 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. 2 Woods. The shafts of the early clubs were made out of local European woods like ash or hazel. ... 3 Irons. ... 4 Shafts. ... 5 Today. ...
What wood are old golf clubs made out of?
Bulgers - like today's woods as they have a bulbous head. 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.
What is a wood club used for?
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 had a club head that was made from hardwood, generally persimmon,...
When did golf clubs start to use steel shafts?
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 golf club heads made of?
What are golf shafts made of?
What are the grips on a golf club?
What is the wood shaft test?
What are putters made of?
What are iron heads made of?
When did golf clubs have grooves?
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When did they stop using wood in golf clubs?
In the mid-20th century, both the USGA and the R&A ruled that golf clubs with steel shafts could be used in tournaments. While steel was used for club shafts, wooden heads were the norm for drivers and fairway woods until the 1970s.
When did golf clubs change from wood to metal?
That changed in 1979 when the TaylorMade golf company began making drivers and other woods out of metal, giving rise to one of the great oxymorons of all time, the metal wood. Two years after their introduction, the first professional golf tournament was won with a metal wood — the Houston Open.
When did wood golf clubs come out?
The “wood” in golf clubs began to change when golf club makers began importing wood from America. In 1826 hickory wood for golf club shafts and 1900 persimmon for club heads came to Scotland. Hickory shafts soon became the most popular choice of wood for all golf club shafts because of the wood's durability.
How old are wooden clubs?
Believe it or not, hickory golf clubs are not that rare. Literally, millions of golf clubs were made from the late 1800's until early 1930's. (That is 40 years of hickory golf club production) In the mid/late 30's, hickory shafted clubs halted production due to the new technology – steel shafted clubs.
Do golfers still use wooden clubs?
Most modern woods are sold as individual clubs allowing the player to customize their club set, but matched sets of woods, especially as part of a complete club set, are readily available. Odd-numbered lofts are most common in players' bags, though 2- and 4-woods are available in many model lines.
Does anyone still make wooden 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.
How can you tell how old a golf club is?
The Wooden Shaft Test – Whether or not the shaft is made of wood is a primary indicator of age. The Markings or Stamps – If there is a marking or shop stamp, an Antique Golf Club Reference Guide could be used to date the club fairly precisely.
When did metal golf clubs come out?
The first few decades of the 1900's saw a lot of experimentation and innovation in the club design. Around 1925 the steel shaft was introduced in the United States, although blacksmiths had experimented with them since the late 1890's.
When did metal driver's come out?
1991: Callaway Launches World's First Stainless Steel Driver At 195cc it was enormous compared to what golfers were used to. It was a game changer.
Do wooden golf clubs have any value?
When it comes to collectible antique golf clubs, it is estimated that fewer than 5% of all antique clubs with wooden shafts have collectible value beyond decorative or playable worth. The majority of the vintage or antique clubs that you will find at yard sales or on eBay are common golf clubs with very little value.
Are 60 year old golf clubs worth anything?
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.
What are the most valuable vintage golf clubs?
What Are The Most Valuable Vintage Golf Clubs?Long Nosed Scraped Golf Club: this vintage club was sold at a Sotheby's auction in 2007 for $91,000.Square Toe Light Iron Golf Club: this club was auctioned at the Sotheby's 2007 auction for $151,000.More items...
When did metal golf clubs come out?
The first few decades of the 1900's saw a lot of experimentation and innovation in the club design. Around 1925 the steel shaft was introduced in the United States, although blacksmiths had experimented with them since the late 1890's.
When did metal woods become popular?
Metal woods, when they came along in the 1980s, weren't fully embraced on tour until some time in the mid-90s. Justin Leonard and Davis Love III were among the last to convert from persimmon to metal.
How have golf clubs changed over the years?
Golf clubs have changed perhaps more than any other single aspect of the game in the last 15 years. Factors like aerodynamics, component weight and better graphite shafts have allowed golfers to hit the ball longer and straighter. The head of the driver is now built with aerodynamics in mind.
Were golf balls made out of wood?
The first golf balls from the 14th Century were made out of wood, specifically beech, by carpenters using hand tools. They weren't perfectly round and it's safe to assume that they sucked. The 17th Century saw the slight design improvement of the featherie, a leather ball stuffed with bird feathers and stitched shut.
What are old, antique golf clubs worth?
Some old golf clubs are worth much more than others. Our gear expert explains which sets to look out for at garage sales, as well as what type of putter you should change to when yours becomes dated.
The blue book for used clubs launches trade-in program
PGA Value Guide Debuts New Leaderboard Trade-In Program at 2019 PGA Merchandise Show . PGA Value Guide – the national standard for golf club values – introduces a new Leaderboard Trade-In Program for PGA Professionals designed to provide additional incentives for trading in used and un-hit clubs, at booth #1385 at the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida, January 23 – 25, 2019.
2nd Swing Value Guide
Discover the value of your used golf clubs with the 2nd Swing Value Guide. Buy, sell & trade new & used clubs online or in store with 2nd Swing.
Antique Golf Clubs Price/Value Guide, Valuation & FREE Sale Advice ...
Antique Golf Clubs Price / Value Guide: Browse FREE Antique Golf Clubs Price & Value Guide. FIND 1000's of Antiques, Art, Vintage & RARE Collectables - each item pictured, described and with it's price guide. Plus TODAY's SELECTED Antique Golf Clubs for Sale, BEST OFFERS, Auctions, Appraisals, FREE Sales Advice, FREE Sale Prices, Values, Wish list and more...
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.
What is the best material for a golf club?
Today, many metal wood clubfaces (and most driver clubfaces) are constructed out of titanium. Titanium has a higher strength to weight ratio than steel and has better corrosion resistance, so it is an ideal metal for golf club construction.
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 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.
How many clubs can you carry in a golf bag?
Up until 1939 it was common for a golfer to carry 20-30 clubs in their bag. However with the advancement of the steel shafted clubs the R&A introduced the 14 club rule in 1939, which limited players to only be allowed to carry 14 clubs. The traditional names of the clubs, like “niblicks” and “spoons”, were replaced by the standard numbering system used to this day.
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.
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.
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 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 are wood and iron made of?
They are also made using advanced materials such as titanium, graphite and zirconia.
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 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.
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 clubs do hickory golfers use?
"Hickory golf," where golfers use hickory-shafted clubs, is popular with many golfers. Ralph Livingston III recommends on his website, HickoryGolf.com, that hickory golfers assemble the following clubs: brassie, mid-iron, mashie, mashie niblick, niblick and putter. Some companies make modern clubs that have persimmon wood heads, and some companies sell and make clubs with wood shafts, wood heads, or both.
What wood was used in Scotland?
American Influence. In Scotland, the type of wood used to make clubs changed with two American imports: hickory for club shafts in 1826 and persimmon for club heads in 1900. According to the Antique Golf Club website, woodworkers in Scotland started using American-imported hickory instead of ash to make hand tools, ...
What wood was used to make golf clubs?
Beech and ash were commonly used to make golf clubs in the game's early days. Starting as early as the 15th century, golfers carved their own clubs. Several considerations -- including imported woods and the evolution of the golf ball -- influenced what types of wood were used to make club heads and shafts. Wooden antique golf clubs are popular ...
How many woods are in a long nose golf club?
A set of these early "Troon Clubs" -- also known as "long noses" -- consisted of six woods and two irons. According to the Oracle ThinkQuest Education Foundation website, golf balls were also made of wood until the 17th or early 18th century.
Where did Samantha Prust get her degree?
Samantha Prust earned a BA in English from Minnesota State University and an MFA in creative writing from Colorado State University. She has more than 15 years of experience as a professional editor and writer in book, magazine, academic and online publishing.
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.
How to play hickory golf?
Hickory clubs can often be heavier than other clubs so get use to your club by holding on to it loosely and waggle the head to get a feel for the club weight, then take a practice swing as you feel the club head weight through the full swing motion.
What is a wood golf club?
Wood golf club descriptions help to Identify and validate that you do in fact possess an authentic antique golf club. Establishing the identity of a golf club can include a history for the specific club itself. Was the club used by a famous celebrity or golfer or, was it used at a famous tournament or on a historic golf course.
What is a Niblick club?
The niblick a shorter hitting club similar to the 9 iron or a pitching wedge. It has a hitting range of around 70-100 yards. Use this club for pitching lofted shots around the green and approaches where you need to carry, or out of a bunker. Niblicks are often found to have sharp “digging” leading edges and are a little tricky off a thin lie. It's an easiest club to “chunk” because of the thin leading edge and loft.
What is a hickory shaft putter?
Hickory shaft putters are usually made of forged steel and have a great feel when struck in the sweet spot. Hold them lightly in your hands and practice a smooth swing for comfort and accuracy.
What were golf clubs made of?
Early golf clubs were made entirely of wood. Not only was this material easy to shape, but it was also soft enough not to damage the stuffed leather golf balls that were used until the mid-1800s.
When were steel shaft golf clubs invented?
The first steel-shafted golf clubs were made in the United States in the 1920s. It was about this time that some club makers started using the current numbering system to identify different clubs, rather than the old colorful names.
Do hickory shaft clubs hit the ball lower?
These wooden golf club heads will naturally hit the ball lower than today’s drivers. These hickory shaft clubs will torque or twist more than modern club shafts, so keeping your swing as smooth as possible will help hit more accurately. You can hit the woods from a good lie in the fairway or short rough.
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.
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, ...
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 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.
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 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 ...
What are golf club heads made of?
Most wooden golf club heads are made from persimmon wood which was considered the highest-quality golf club heads for those clubs referred to as "woods". Persimmon woods are still made, but in far lower numbers than in past. The wood shafts are made of hickory for it's strong and yet elastic flex and feel, and they are generally tapered ...
What are golf shafts made of?
The wood shafts are made of hickory for it's strong and yet elastic flex and feel, and they are generally tapered to be a smaller diameter at the head and larger at the grip. The handle end of the shafts are larger so that you could apply one layer of friction tape and a user desired leather grip to create a standard grip for use by most golfer.
What are the grips on a golf club?
The grips are usually real leather strips, cut and wrapped around the handle end of the club. These grips are held on with two sided friction tape, tacks and waxed linen thread that is used to transition to the wood, just as on the irons.
What is the wood shaft test?
The Wooden Shaft Test - Whether or not the shaft is made of wood is a primary indicator of age. Steel-shafted golf clubs were introduced in the 1920's about the same time that some club makers started using the current numbering system to identify different clubs instead of the old creative names. Some of these clubs had metal shafts ...
What are putters made of?
What Age Characteristics To Look For On The Putter. Putters are mostly found with a blade style head. They are usually made of forged steel and have a great feel when struck properly in the sweet spot.
What are iron heads made of?
On the irons you will notice that the iron heads are made of forged steel, with an old look and feel. Like the woods, the iron heads may be stamped with the name of the maker or the professional’s name and the golf course he was associated with. The iron heads will also be stamped with one of the old colorful names that are common ...
When did golf clubs have grooves?
The grooved marking of faces on antique iron clubs was not introduced until the first few years of the 20th century. While this will not rank as an exact method of dating an old golf club, a smooth face would certainly indicate that it is a club that dates prior to 1905. The Metal Club Head - Simple test.
