Hickory golfers go back to the future

Hickory golf is enjoying a revival in some parts of the world with players re-living the challenge of playing with wooden shafted clubs. These clubs were widely used up to the 1930’s when club makers started using more modern materials. However, despite their lesser performance, the attraction of dressing up in old-fashioned golfing garb and hacking around 18 holes with mashies, niblicks and cleeks — the evocative names given to the clubs used by Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen and Henry Cotton — has endured. The format has a huge following in the U.S. where devotees gather at historic courses to play an “authentic” round of golf. There’s a saying about modern golf clubs that you can buy any shot out of the shop but playing with hickory makes people think more about their swing and be clever about their shots. Read more about hickory golf and see the superb photos.