Modern Hickory Set on a Budget (Maybe demo program?)

[Big A HG]

I've become more and more intrigued by the idea of playing a set of hickories lately. The idea of moving up some tees and playing a game of shot-making sounds more fun that trudging back to the tips over and over, just because that's what the group plays. I play to about a 5 handicap and tend to play more players type clubs. But, something in my golf life seems to be missing...and I feel like hickories might be the way to go. On the plus side, I live in North Dakota where there aren't many trees on some of the courses and the wind can kick up pretty good on the plains...in some ways creating an old school golf environment that would be a fun fit for hickories.

But, to get into playing hickories the right way seems to be a bit of an investment. I'm not opposed to burning some cash on a fun new hobb...I've spent plenty over the years on modern clubs and other hobbies...but I'd hate to do it and find out it's not for me after all. Obviously you can pick up some antique clubs for fairly reasonable, but from what I understand, they aren't really too playable these days due to their age.

Is there a way to get into hickories on a budget? Does anyone offer a demo program? I'm open to any suggestions, even if outside the box here as well. Thanks!

[mocokid]

there is a large hickory thread in this section please do a search, lots of club info.

[deejaid]

I have been eyeing hickory clubs for awhile but have yet to get a set or even a single club to try. That is a whole other rabbit hole to go down, and I’m already deep in the persimmon era. Like you, I’m not sure which way to go to start. There are vintage clubs or sets that have been refurbished to be play ready and there are new clubs being made like the classics.

 

If you want a brand new club that you can be assured will play optimally, check out Louisville Golf or Tad Moore Hickory Classics. Both make new clubs and can be purchased individually for about $170 each. They can make them custom length if you need which might be important as old clubs are always shorter than modern. You could buy a single club built to your specs which will give you the best chance for success with your new golfing adventure.

 

Another possibly is searching eBay for a rebuilt set. I’m sure you could get a set cheaper there but they might take some work or you’ll need to adapt to less than optimally fit clubs.

 

Or send a message to some of the fine folks here that are hickory players and perhaps they can outfit you with a play set.

 

Either way you can get started for under $200 but you will assuredly spend more during your hickory golfing journey.

 

Good luck!

[Big A HG]

 

Thank you for the advice. I've never used a forum before and am new here. Unfortunately, my search must be broken because I am pulling zero results when searching the forum for hickory golf on a budget, starting out, etc. The question wasn't "where can I buy playable hickory clubs at new, retail prices?"...but, I digress.

 

Deejaid, thanks for the recommendation. I thought of the "buy one club" idea, but have been debating the merits of how good of a feel you can get for playing a game of hickory golf by only buying a club or two. I'll keep an eye open on eBay for some rebuilt sets. I didn't realize there was much of a market for rebuilt hickories, so didn't look too close there...good info!

[Jiggered]

This is the thread, there's a huge amount of information on there and much of it won't be relevant to you and what you're looking for at this stage but it gives an idea of what can be achieved on a budget and how to restore your own clubs should you go down the original club route.https://forums.golfwrx.com/discussion/538531/playing-hickory-golf/p1

 

(Curious as to how you've got 684 posts and been a member of WRX for over 10 years if you've never used a forum before.)

[Big A HG]

Hey Jiggered! Thanks for the link. There are numerous threads in the forum about hickories, so I'm glad there's a "one-stop-shop" for hickory info. I was a bit sarcastic at my initial reply to mocokid because I was using a variety of search terms to see if there were any previous suggestions on ways to start in the world of hickory golf clubs on a budget. My search didn't yield anything (might be my fault with the terms I used), hence the thread. I've been on the internet long enough to understand the practicality of using "search" (which I should have clarified in my original post), so the reply came across as a bit condescending. My apologies. :)

[ebeer]

Hickory can be expensive (depending on your perspective) for a couple of reasons. First, many clubs particularly cherished makers from Scotland, are collectible. Makers like Stewart, Nicoll, Forgan, Condie, etc. all bring higher prices because they come from the cradle of golf. Second, playable clubs need to be repaired (read more in the forums links already provided). If you're willing to do the work yourself you can save money, however you need to start with something that has good potential. You can get hickory clubs on eBay shipped for ~$25-40/ea...but you rarely know what you're getting. Many old hickory clubs were light (A and B swingweight) and they are tough to play. So you take a chance, and invariably will get duds....you might buy 3 clubs for $90, but will find none of them are worth restoring....so you just have to eat the cost and try again. There are scarce few eBay sellers I trust, and actually list club lengths and swing weights. PM me and I'll send a list of the good guys. But for now, here is the best deal on eBay https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Club-Antique-Vintage-Hickory-Shaft-Introductory-Play-Set/153788999718?hash=item23ce89e826:g:BxUAAOSwerZeAX83:sc:USPSPriority!94518!US!-1.

Bob is a friend of mine, and an honest guy. All of the swingweights in this set are proper, and the clubs have a progressively spaced loft range that's all you need to get started. You must epoxy and pin at a minimum, and ideally regrip. This is fun to do if you have the time and inclination. If not, the head reset is generally $15 and a new grip put on for you is ~$20. So this set for $109, and $175 of labor gets you started for under $300. Add a brassie or driver (which is more expensive and more risky) as you have time.

If you are interested, some folks will buy on eBay and drop ship to me. I repair and ship to them which saves a bit on shipping. I also have some tee clubs that are repaired and play tested. Just shoot me a PM if interested - I love to see people get involved in hickory play.

[Big A HG]

Thank you for some fantastic advice, ebeer! When you say you do repairs, does that include both resetting the shaft and regripping? I don't mind tinkering with stuff, particularly when it's golf club related (I never let anyone touch my own modern clubs as I do all the work myself), but hickories are a realm I've obviously never dabbled in. I've done a little research on it, and it doesn't seem too bad to do (in some ways, not so different from taping a hockey stick up!). On one hand, doing it myself sounds like a fun challenge. On the other, it sounds risky when I just want to start having fun. I've been chatting with Tad a bit as well since I saw him reach out a few times over the past years to other members on here. I'm pretty well committed to do something, I'm just a bit torn on which direction now. The more I think about it, the idea of doing it on a budget doesn't seem ideal to do hickory golf justice. We're still covered in white stuff, and will be for a little while, so I don't need to jump to a conclusion today, but this gives me a good start on what to look out for. I just may pull the trigger on that ebay set you shared.

Thanks!

[ebeer]

Well the winter months are an ideal time to projects on if you're so inclined. If you want to get started as reasonably priced as possible, and you want to be playing by Spring, I'd recommend you use the winter months to chase downs deals if you can find them. There's an eBay learning curve, which can be time consuming and expensive. Grab some guidance in this forum, or PM me for help. Happy to get you started in the right direction, but if you want to play original hickory you really need to start with clubs that have good potential. The set I've linked are all D swingweight at proper length. I think a good guideline for playable, fully repaired, hickories is ~$100 per club. You can find cheaper, maybe if a few of the clubs are low C swingweight, or one of the clubs is a ladies club, etc. But for a 5 club set, with proper loft distribution and consistent weighting you either pay more or require time to hunt down your deal. It's all good fun, and a hobby can quickly turn to a mania ;) Shoot me a PM if you want to talk repairs, either service or advice.

[majic]

Contact me [email protected] and look at my web site tadmoore.com in hickories and I can help you get started the right way. I usually have demo or used clubs.

tad

[rwc356]

I can highly recommend Tad's clubs as I have a set of his irons as well as few other clubs. He would make sure you get started with a solid workable set of clubs.