Do you do the same thing every time your practice or hit the links? Are you always looking for the next great club that will improve your game? Are you looking for that new technique that will change your game? There seems to be a plethora of ways to improve or expand our golf game if we really are looking. After an awesome discussion with Lorne Emery, President of the Golf Historical Society of Canada, he convinced me that looking backward might offer an easy way to lower our golf scores. As you might remember, I have recently decided to join the GHSC and venture down the road of hickory shaft golf clubs and I think I have found a new way to expand my game!

The GHSC provides its members and guests with frequent opportunities to play casual fun historical golf, often on Canadian historical courses, using golf clubs that were in use circa 1850 to 1935. These clubs may be original antiques or replicas and have hickory or other forms of wood shafts. For the GHSC, hickory golf takes a player back to the game’s roots and we view this look-back as providing a positive and beneficial experience. We also encourage play with vintage “classic steel” clubs circa 1924 and later.

Is this a path to glory? Can playing vintage clubs help with my game. I think it can. I have a set of hickory sticks and a set of 50 year old Ping Eye 2 red dots (‘classic steel’ clubs). I think it is time to use these vintage clubs to help with my tempo and swing mechanics. I learned to play golf on the Eye 2s and found that their design was forgiving, but I still had to hit the center of the club face to make the magic happen. This is even more important when playing my hickory shafted clubs. Transferring this approach to my modern clubs has to help with my golf game. Controlling my swing to ensure I hit the center of my modern clubs has to lead to more consistent and effective ball striking. Which in turn lowers my scores and improves my overall game.

My thought processes have lead to the conclusion that modern day swing mechanics have evolved a little since the late 1890’s, but not in the area of where the ball meets the club. Executing a swing that hits the ideal location on the club face is still the desired result. I do not care what clubs are used, hitting the club face properly produces the best results. Hence, my idea to use my old wooden drivers, 50 steel shafts, and hickories to help improve my swing mechanics has merit. So, I am going to dust off the old clubs and give them a spin this year.

There are many different ways to expand/improve our golf game. I am choosing to use history as a method to expand my game. It will likely work, but if not at least it will be fun.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!