History of Golf Clubs
Golf has been played for centuries. Most people
think it began in or around Scotland in the 1400s.
Purportedly, men would hit pebbles on the beach with
sticks toward an identified goal such as a home’s
front door. The general idea of golf has pretty
much stayed the same but we have seen quite a bit of
change in the equipment used.
You really can’t discuss the history of golf clubs
without mentioning the metamorphous of the golf
ball, because the clubs have changed to keep up with
the moves golf balls have made.
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After pebbles and wooden balls came golf balls made
of thin leather bags filled with feathers, also
known as a “feathery.” Because of the fragile
nature of this sort of ball, mostly wooden clubs
were used. Some irons were around but they would
tear the bag so really, clubs made of pear, ash, or
apple wood were the only thing delicate enough for
the feathery.
In the 1850s, the gutta-percha ball came into
fashion. |
This design was a lot like the golf ball as we know
it today with a core made from Gutta sap. Due to
the sturdier golf balls, iron heads really took off
at this point. The wooden club was not replaced
however, the shaft was simply modified and with a
harder wood such as hickory.
Fifty years after the gutta-percha ball was
created, Haskell Coburn created the Haskell ball
which was rubber cored and looks most like ours as
we know it but without the divots. Divots were
added several years later by William Taylor when it
was discovered that divots made them fly farther.
During the age of the gutta-percha ball, clubs were
handmade by craftsman but not individualized. A
short man and a tall man might have clubs the same
height. Clubs also stood very straight, which
caused the golfer to have to stand extremely close
to the ball. This was an influence from the game of
cricket, whose history is closely tied in with
golf’s.
Steel shafts began to emerge on the scene shortly
after the Haskell ball and completely replaced the
hickory shaft in the mid 1930s. Because of the
weight of steel, various modifications and
substitutions have been performed on shafts in an
attempt to lighten the load for the golfer. Steel
shafts have changed considerably since they first
arrived and are now so light our golf forefathers
would be amazed.
Although manufacturers are constantly coming out
with the newest club which claims to turn an average
golfer into Phil Mickelson, the basic pattern and
design of the golf club is really the same as the
clubs used in the 1850s. Turns out those guys on
the beach with sticks knew what they were doing
after all.
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