Hickory Golf
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hickory Golf, which refers to the playing of golf with hickory shafted golf clubs, has many devotees around the world. In the United States the main organizing body is The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG) [1]; in Canada - The Canadian Golf Historical Society; and in the U.K. - The British Golf Collectors Society. There are also active groups in Sweden and Finland that conduct national tournaments.
There are two main divisions of play, pre-1935 and pre-1905.
The pre-1905 group play with the old Gutta Percha ball, or its equivalent, and clubs are limited to those produced before that 1905 or authorized reproductions. The main tournament for this group is the National Hickory Championship [2] organized by Pete Georgiady. It has recently conducted its 10th tournament. Most of these tournaments have been conducted at Oakhurst Links [3], the oldest golf course in the United States.
The pre-1935 group play with modern balls, but play is limited to clubs manufactured before 1935 or to authorized reproductions. There are numerous tournaments and championships, and a comprehensive calendar of events can be found on the SoHG web site [4].
Part of the attraction of playing with hickory clubs is that they reintroduce 'feel' to the golf shot. Proponents also claim that Hickory Golf allows golfers to play classic golf courses as they are meant to be played.
