Today I am playing a round of golf with my hickory sticks. I used them a few times this spring and I am excited to use them again. Playing with clubs built in the early 1900s is a fun challenge that adds a great deal of excitement to every shot. We play from a shorter distances, Red Tees at Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort – 5140 yards) to even out my ability of not hitting these historical clubs very far. The interesting thing about playing hickory sticks is the quality of hits and the requirement to focus on solid ball contact. Any lapse in concentration and the ball does not fly well at all. That is only the start of the fun!

The joy of playing with hickory sticks is the change it offers from using modern clubs. The sweet spot is much smaller (about the size of penny) with very little forgiveness for missing this small target. It really does force me to focus on my hit point on the ball in order to glean any distance from this awesome clubs.

Chipping around the green is fun as well. There is a wedge type club that works, but he favourite chipping club is the jigger. It has a very narrow clubface and is somewhat weighted. It is similar to hitting with my modern day 7 iron, however there is no room for error. The greatest challenge using these clubs is setting up my body to maximize the effectiveness of the club. It is different from my Mizuno clubs because they are weighted different and have a different shaft flex. Regardless of these minor challenges of figuring out how to hit these great clubs, it is great for my mental game to think when playing golf.

The last aspect of playing with these wooden shafted clubs is the results when hit well. Making solid contact on the ball results in very similar distances of my modern clubs….with the irons. I can hit a club that looks like a 7 iron about 150 yards if I hit the sweet spot on the clubface. If I miss this tiny target, the results does not match modern clubs at all. I can hit my driver about 180 to 200 yards most of the time. I still have not figured out exactly where to set up, but when I do….watch out.

Playing golf with hickory sticks is great fun. I enjoy all aspects of the game when I pull out these relics. I do want to thank the Golf Historical Society of Canada for introducing me to this aspect of golf. It has brought great joy and will continue to enhance my golf experiences for many years to come.

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