I started playing hickory golf this year. I bought antique clubs and restored them to playing condition myself, and that was as much fun as playing them, maybe more! Nothing more fun than buying a set of rusted clubs at an estate sale cheap, and then finding a Stewart, Forgan, or Nichol club or two in the bag. All of my clubs are different and have their own feel. A matched set of modern hickory replicas seems like cheating to me - plus they are expensive!. As for playability, niblicks are tough because the have little to no bounce. If you are too steep, you'll dig a deep hole. But I agree with you - playing them is a lot of fun. Golf is fun because it is difficult, so the challenge of playing with 100 year old clubs adds to the fun.
I recently acquired a 4 club set of Tommy Armour Ladies hickory irons, roughly from the early 30s, I guess. They are mid-iron, mashie, mashie-niblick and niblick. Been hitting in the back yard with soft golf balls including Supersofts, Wilson Duo, and Kalea extra soft. It took several tries to make the mid-iron do anything at all for me. Have heard that hickories HATE plastic hitting mats and range balls. So you did a GREAT JOB!!!
Niblick is like a 9 iron I believe, final range session was a lot better. That top line looks as though you could shave with it, not very inspiring. However you sure got the balls in the air well enough. Thanks for another blast from the past.
There are blades,,.....and then there are blades! For those who complain of thick top lines or wide soles, offset, well here is your dream club. Not too shaby on your 2nd and 3rd time out with it.
Believe it or not, at one time golfers were reluctant to change from hickory to steel shafted clubs, because they felt the steel shafts couldn't match the flex and feel of the hickory shafts. Some manufacturers during the transition period even covered their steel shafts with a brown covering to simulate wood.
hickory shafted clubs not only flex but also they twist...especially if you try to put totally every muscle fiber behind the shot. Try the Earnest Jones method "Just swing and let the club head do the work". You should try to find the Cochrane Niblick (a super giant niblick from the 1920s....has a face depth of 4 3/4 inches!). However, the reference I just checked, said in 1990 at auction, a Cochrane giant Niblick sold for $14,000....guess I'll have to win the Lottery before I can hold one of those... I also follow on TH-cam, Classic Golf Clubs, it is based in England & the man there has shown a number of vintage clubs...that pin flag in the hole could be the logo of the company who forged the clubs & it was common practice to put the name of the Professional on the clubs made for the Pro. So I'm asking if you're sure that "James Spence" is the maker, or could it be the Pro? Just wondering.... also, I think you might have been referencing the gutta percha golf ball. I've been told by hickory players that if I wished to play modern golf balls to find low compression balls, below 90. I've found a couple of 70 compression that may work....$50/box is a bit easier on the pocket perhaps. Yup....FUN and ENJOYMENT should be the goal of the golfer....unless you're in the ranks & making $$$$....whatever, keep up the good work, I enjoy your videos oops, just noticed now a day after I left my comment - had to change "flex" to "twist".....senior moment
I go with authentic hickories for my set. Much more affordable than repros and paid about $20/club. As long as they're in good shape, heads are reset and using soft balls, breaking isn't much of an issue. Have played maybe 25 rounds now with no issues.
Hickory guy here...there is a wide difference in the old, had forged hickories, especially niblicks. You might just have a "bad" one. I have a hand forged Nicole (sp?) that is better than a callaway or ping PW. Also have a british made one that just sucks. The deal about hickories is that they are like personalities, each one with their own character. I don't carry a matched set, just a bunch of characters.....sometimes like the 3 stooges, sometimes like the rat pack. But always fun.
Hitting a modern ball is part of the problem. A 1920s balata-skinned, rubber-wound ball would feel completely different on that club. Modern synthetic balls are engineered to match modern clubface materials & construction and that combination has a completely different impact deformation & coefficient of restitution.
I get warm and fuzzy watching this video. Thank you.
I started playing hickory golf this year. I bought antique clubs and restored them to playing condition myself, and that was as much fun as playing them, maybe more! Nothing more fun than buying a set of rusted clubs at an estate sale cheap, and then finding a Stewart, Forgan, or Nichol club or two in the bag. All of my clubs are different and have their own feel. A matched set of modern hickory replicas seems like cheating to me - plus they are expensive!. As for playability, niblicks are tough because the have little to no bounce. If you are too steep, you'll dig a deep hole. But I agree with you - playing them is a lot of fun. Golf is fun because it is difficult, so the challenge of playing with 100 year old clubs adds to the fun.
Great video, love the hickories. I am looking to put a set together currently.
Oh man, my aunt used to work at JPL. I am also guessing in the 70s all the way til early 00s I believe, she was a librarian
Low compression balls work well with hickories. I suggest you look up The Hickory Hacker, you will learn a lot from his channel.
I recently acquired a 4 club set of Tommy Armour Ladies hickory irons, roughly from the early 30s, I guess. They are mid-iron, mashie, mashie-niblick and niblick. Been hitting in the back yard with soft golf balls including Supersofts, Wilson Duo, and Kalea extra soft. It took several tries to make the mid-iron do anything at all for me. Have heard that hickories HATE plastic hitting mats and range balls. So you did a GREAT JOB!!!
Niblick is like a 9 iron I believe, final range session was a lot better. That top line looks as though you could shave with it, not very inspiring. However you sure got the balls in the air well enough. Thanks for another blast from the past.
There are blades,,.....and then there are blades! For those who complain of thick top lines or wide soles, offset, well here is your dream club. Not too shaby on your 2nd and 3rd time out with it.
Believe it or not, at one time golfers were reluctant to change from hickory to steel shafted clubs, because they felt the steel shafts couldn't match the flex and feel of the hickory shafts. Some manufacturers during the transition period even covered their steel shafts with a brown covering to simulate wood.
I have one I bought at a yard sale just for an ornament to hang on the wall, thanks .
hickory shafted clubs not only flex but also they twist...especially if you try to put totally every muscle fiber behind the shot. Try the Earnest Jones method "Just swing and let the club head do the work".
You should try to find the Cochrane Niblick (a super giant niblick from the 1920s....has a face depth of 4 3/4 inches!). However, the reference I just checked, said in 1990 at auction, a Cochrane giant Niblick sold for $14,000....guess I'll have to win the Lottery before I can hold one of those...
I also follow on TH-cam, Classic Golf Clubs, it is based in England & the man there has shown a number of vintage clubs...that pin flag in the hole could be the logo of the company who forged the clubs & it was common practice to put the name of the Professional on the clubs made for the Pro. So I'm asking if you're sure that "James Spence" is the maker, or could it be the Pro? Just wondering....
also, I think you might have been referencing the gutta percha golf ball. I've been told by hickory players that if I wished to play modern golf balls to find low compression balls, below 90. I've found a couple of 70 compression that may work....$50/box is a bit easier on the pocket perhaps.
Yup....FUN and ENJOYMENT should be the goal of the golfer....unless you're in the ranks & making $$$$....whatever, keep up the good work, I enjoy your videos
oops, just noticed now a day after I left my comment - had to change "flex" to "twist".....senior moment
I go with authentic hickories for my set. Much more affordable than repros and paid about $20/club. As long as they're in good shape, heads are reset and using soft balls, breaking isn't much of an issue. Have played maybe 25 rounds now with no issues.
Hickory guy here...there is a wide difference in the old, had forged hickories, especially niblicks. You might just have a "bad" one. I have a hand forged Nicole (sp?) that is better than a callaway or ping PW. Also have a british made one that just sucks. The deal about hickories is that they are like personalities, each one with their own character. I don't carry a matched set, just a bunch of characters.....sometimes like the 3 stooges, sometimes like the rat pack. But always fun.
Hitting a modern ball is part of the problem. A 1920s balata-skinned, rubber-wound ball would feel completely different on that club. Modern synthetic balls are engineered to match modern clubface materials & construction and that combination has a completely different impact deformation & coefficient of restitution.
If you can do a video on Wilson Staff FG30 irons I will be impressed and you will earn a subscriber. Those irons are a total ghost. No info available.
nib·lick
an iron with a heavy, lofted head, such as a nine-iron, used especially for playing out of bunkers. 😎🏌🏼♂️•⛳