Hickory Golf

[iacas]

1 hour ago, rdubya59 said:

I am entitled to my own experience.  Your opinions are not facts, either.

I'm not expressing any opinions.

You can easily put a modern-day cavity-back club on a hitting robot, hit the ball all over the clubface, and demonstrate that the club is both more forgiving and more consistent than an olden-era hickory muscleback.

It's demonstrable. Measurable.

1 hour ago, rdubya59 said:

How did Robert Jones hit drives of over 300 yards with a hickory shafted driver and a clearly inferior ball to the modern ball?

Modern Tour pros occasionally pop drives over 400 yards.

And Bobby didn't do that very often. The 1913 U.S. Open was contested at 6235 yards and par 73. Oh, and +12 won it (after the playoff).

1 hour ago, rdubya59 said:

You technology experts always cite your empirical data with studies sponsored and funded by companies selling, guess what, golf clubs.

Doesn't mean the data's invalid. And last time I checked, golf companies aren't comparing their clubs to 70-year-old hickories. There'd be no point in that. The new clubs are obviously superior - not a single person would be impressed when the modern club kicked the crap out of the old club. Not even you, because you'd just write it off as "marketing." Ha.

1 hour ago, rdubya59 said:

Or, you conduct a driver distance study with a 60 graphite shafted watermelon on a stick against a persimmon wood with an x100 135 gram steel shaft and wow, the ball goes further with the new driver....duh.

You want some science? Modern drivers are all pretty much CoR of about 0.83. Right up to the legal limit.

Old drivers were often in the mid 0.7x range.

Darn facts, again.

1 hour ago, rdubya59 said:

I am stating that based on my own research and experience,  there is not that much difference.

You haven't done any research, dude. This is one of the first posts where you seem to have understood that "my livelihood" doesn't depend on any of this.

Earlier you said you were shooting about the same scores as with your old clubs. Well… okay, but:

• You're not a great golfer.
• It's a sample size of one.
• Feel ain't real. Your "experiences" aren't scientific data.

I'm sticking with what I said earlier:

On 10/18/2018 at 7:50 PM, iacas said:

The fact remains that comparing hickory-shafted muscle backs to modern steel-shafted forgiving clubs, I can prove that the modern clubs are "better" - more consistent launch and ball speed and spin across the face, higher ball speeds, etc.

It's not just marketing hooey.

I'm glad you enjoy your hickories. Truly. I want to some day get a set myself, and play perhaps the same tees with my daughter.

But that doesn't change the fact that modern clubs have made advances in the last 70 years.

[ChetlovesMer]

Okay, first of all. Hickory tournaments are a ton of fun. From about 2010-2013, a course near where I used to live sponsored a Hickory tournament every year for charity. I group would bring in sets of Hickory Clubs and if you signed up and paid your entry fee you would be issued a set. (Assuming you didn't have a set of your own.) 

They used to give us this short speech about not to worry if you broke a club, just be sure to bring all the pieces back with you so it could be repaired.

Anyway, my father and I played several years until I ended up moving away from that course. It was absolutely a blast. 

Having said that anyone who doesn't think modern clubs have made the game easier is absolutely bonkers. Firstly the first thing we did at this tourney is to move 1 if not 2 tee-boxes forward. Secondly, it's almost like playing a different game. Even just gripping the club with the wrapped and pinned leather is a totally different kind of challenge. Its a whole lot of fun though. I recommend doing it if you get a chance. 
 

By the way, of course we dressed in period clothing for the tourney. Here's a pic of my old man and I from the last time we played in back 2013. 

[mike smith]

Could anyone tell me the best ball for hickory clubs? I've been playing wilson duo but read that prov1 is OK too. But it is harder. Would it damage clubs? And if anyone knows, how hard were the old gutta balls? Topflite like, or wilson duo like? Thanks

[rustbelt]

Been doing some reading into the hickory golf scene, sounds like fun.

Picked up this Otey Crisman 18HB Mallet putter, solid & straight with pretty good leather grip at a local second hand sports shop for $12 after their 20% golf equip discount for the season. Might just be the start of a 6 club hickory set.

To ChetlovesMer, that picture of you and your Dad dressed up for the Hickory Tournament is priceless !!!!

[RWC]

Nice looking putter but if you intend to play in any events conducted under the Society of Hickory Golfers rules, Otey Chrisman putters are typically not allowed. Hickorygolfers.com details the approved clubs.

[ChetlovesMer]

On ‎12‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 2:39 PM, rustbelt said:

To ChetlovesMer, that picture of you and your Dad dressed up for the Hickory Tournament is priceless !!!!

Thank you my friend.

My dad is a great guy. I love him a ton. Don't tell him, but he's a terrible golfer. I don't think he's ever actually broke 90, and I'm sure that the lion's share of his scores easily exceed the century mark. He has fun and he's keeps up. So what more can I ask.

I will say this, he loves to get out there and he loves to play all of those "Slightly Different" tournaments. We've played a "Chili Open", which is golf in the snow. We've played Hickory Tournaments. We've played Midnight Tee-off Tournaments. etc... 

I love the guy and he cracks me up. We'll play one of these crazy tournaments and he'll say something like "I almost shot the same score as I normally do." I don't have the heard to tell him that if you don't shoot low scores normally.... well... ? 

[Bonvivant]

On 12/1/2018 at 2:35 PM, mike smith said:

Could anyone tell me the best ball for hickory clubs? I've been playing wilson duo but read that prov1 is OK too. But it is harder. Would it damage clubs? And if anyone knows, how hard were the old gutta balls? Topflite like, or wilson duo like? Thanks

Digging up more vintage from the grave. I've been getting into playing stuff from the 60s more, but have my eye out for cheap playable condition hickory stuff. As far as balls, there are a couple of companies that are actually reproducing gutta percha balls. McIntyre is the big one. Unfortunately the balls cost about 20 USD per ball. 

[Bonvivant]

The National Hickory Championship is at The Mound 9 hole course in Miamisburg Ohio this year. I will definitely be attending and it would be awesome if some more Ohioans joined!

[cipher]

Here are some clubs I’ve been working on. I restored the Niblick(pitching wedge) but the other 2 vintage irons, I bought from an individual who restored them for me. I have a replica driver and a long iron which is called a Mid Iron. The second photo shows before and after of cleaning the rust off the heads. I am working towards building an all Scottish set, which will take some time. There are a number of short courses and older courses that are more fun to play with hickories. I played Eagle Springs which is Wisconsin’s oldest course and also a short course recently as my first round with hickories. It is a perfect hickory course. I’ll attach some more photos later about working on restoring these clubs for play. 

Edited October 24, 2021 by cipher

[DCCarpenter]

How was it playing a round with the hickories ? Big learning curve or just shorter ball flight ? 

[cipher]

5 minutes ago, DCCarpenter said:

How was it playing a round with the hickories ? Big learning curve or just shorter ball flight ? 

Shorter flight, no spin. Gotta land it before the green a lot and let bounce it on. I like hitting the driver. I find it really forces me to swing smooth with a mild tempo. You don’t really use the Wedge(Niblick) around the greens other than when you are forced to flop it over something, which is tough to do. Often you will use a Mashie which is lofted similar to a 7 iron around the greens. The biggest learning curve is just in hitting the ball cleanly. The front edge on these clubs is very sharp.

[Double Mocha Man]

Every year they have a "big deal" hickory tournament south of here in Oregon.  Totally fascinates me.  Hickory clubs, dressing the part, flasks etc.  

Personally, I'll take my hickory on the BBQ pit...

USHO/2021 – Northwest Hickory Players

 

[Darkfrog]

I’ve always been intrigued by hickory golf. There’s a guy I see sometimes playing hickories with the full getup and it it looks like tons of fun. I’d love to get a starter set, but not interested in restoration, and no clue where to even begin. 

[cipher]

13 hours ago, Darkfrog said:

I’ve always been intrigued by hickory golf. There’s a guy I see sometimes playing hickories with the full getup and it it looks like tons of fun. I’d love to get a starter set, but not interested in restoration, and no clue where to even begin. 

Your best bet would be to buy a new replica set then.  A couple options for you here. 

Louisville Golf | Handcrafted, Custom Hickory And Persimmon Golf Clubs

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Vintage, custom golf clubs meticulously crafted and assembled by hand. Our signature hickory golf clubs are sculpted out of a solid block of high-quality persimmon wood in a laborious process including over 200 hand touched...

Tad Moore Hickory Classics

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Tad Moore's vintage themed hickory shafted putters, irons, and woods, known around the world for their quality and workmanship.

My suggestion would be to buy a few individual irons to start rather than the entire sets you can buy.  

Starter Clubs could Include:

Driver: Will be around 11-12 degrees typically

Mid-Iron: It will likely have a 2 stamped on it but is the loft of a 4 or 5 iron.  My Louisville is 24 Degrees. Used for long approach shots or as a driving iron.

Mashie: It will likely have a 5 stamped on it but this is essentially a 7 iron loft. This club is often used for approach shots or 

Niblick: It will likely have a 8 stamped on the bottom but it will be a PW loft in the 45-48* loft range.

Putter: Lots of options.

I like those 5 clubs to start.

 

Other clubs you could consider if you want to go crazy:

Spoon: High lofted wood, Some might even recommend this instead of a driver, maybe @BEK1966 might be able to help me on this if he is still around here? He has helped me learn as much as I have about these clubs and is much more knowledgeable than I. I'm really just getting started in all this.

Mashie-Niblick: Just like it sounds, it is between a Mashie and Niblick for loft. 

Playclub: Basically it is like and aluminum hybrid. Very cool looking club, Tad Moore sells them.

High Lofted Niblick: You can also get higher lofted Niblick in the 52-56 range with some bounce to make greenside shots a little easier. I don't use one, but it can help a lot of players for sure.  

 

[DCCarpenter]

I have never held a hickory club, how does the weight compare between one of the hickory  irons and a mid level graphite shafted club ? 

 

[cipher]

On 10/26/2021 at 6:35 AM, DCCarpenter said:

I have never held a hickory club, how does the weight compare between one of the hickory  irons and a mid level graphite shafted club ? 

 

They are highly variable, they can be all over the place. Most of mine are C9 to D5 though. 

[cipher]

The Rise of Vintage - Upswing

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Every year, this movement attracts new followers, emerging from every corner of the world to embrace all things vintage. Which is not just a celebration of a

 

Edited November 25, 2021 by iacas
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[Denny Bang Bang]

On my trip to Kohler, WI a few weeks ago, we hung out at The Baths at Blackwolf Run one afternoon.  It’s a 10 holes Par 3.  A couple of us rented hickory clubs, and it was a blast.  The course was fun in general, but playing with hickory clubs gave it a different feel.  I actually set the course record with hickory clubs (3 over.  It’s 4 under with regular clubs).

 I really want to pick up some hickory clubs now, would be fun to do a handful of times a year on a short executive course or something.