Compression for pre-1935 woods. What's the maximum? What do you play?

[Wade Patton]

First off I do realize that playing with antique clubs will result in some catastrophic failures now and then. I can accept that. I just don't want my enthusiasm or ignorance to cause more failures than less.  I have already separated my shag balls accordingly, but I'm not sure where "the line" is.

So far I've gathered that fifty is okay and 90/100 is too much (the old standards of my youth).  What about 70?  I've been hitting a lot of 70 compression rating balls because I could get colors in them. Now I'm concerned that I might split a driver with such as my swing gets longer and stronger. 

Has there been any testing or is this whole notion a bit of conjecture? Of course our swing speed plays into it, but my swing speed is unknown.

[Wade Patton]

Found a link back to here in an off-site search (despite searching here first). This is from a few years back. So at this point I'll just use super soft when I'm using a plain-faced wood. My other wood has a steel insert though! 

 

[Hickory4ever]

I tend to stick with the lower compression balls. Most of the serious hickory guys in our group do as well. Why chance damaging a great old club.

[The Aspidistra in the Hall]

I think this is overdone. I used to use Titleist PTS 90s back in the day. Randy Jensen, the Hickory Tiger used Titleist Professionals at 90 comp, no-one hit the ball harder than he. Our own, the recently late, Bob Strachan, ex European Tour long drive champ. and Hickory Grail player used the same as Randy.

These days you will get far more control around the greens with a urethane covered ball than some soft mushy confection.

Of course, if length off the tee is what you seek then by all means hit Supersoft or whatever. If that's what hickory golf means to you, do it, but don't kid yourself you are doing to save a persimmon head!

We broke the occasional shaft but never, ever a head.

Fwiw you are more likely to break a shaft with that metal insert club, maybe because of the shock. The old Silver Dints used to break shafts for fun because of the metal insert.

 

It's just occurred to me, maybe you guys are talking about replicas. Sure, modern kiln dried hickory will break more easily than old growth hickory. When I was doing the Clubmaster thing for the World Hickory Championships (Craigielaw, Carnoustie and Panmure) I would repair shafts in my hotel room overnight for use the next day (West System epoxy is wonderful stuff +a bit of whipping). I probably did half a dozen shafts a night and they were all from replicas. The only original shaft I ever fixed was a that on a putter used by George Peper, seemed to have had an altercation with a knee.

Edited April 10, 2023 by The Aspidistra in the Hall
Accuracy, feel and love.

[hollabachgt]

Years ago I recall reading about the wide range of balls Bobby Jones would end up using in competition, potentially changing balls hole after hole to match up the characteristics of the ball with the requirements for a particular hole. One of the balls he might put into play on very long holes had a compression of around 130-135!

 

I'm less concerned with ball compression and hickory than I use to be. Even a high compression ball like the left dash should have little to no impact on a good condition club.

[Jiggered]

This is very much a personal thing.

I use soft balls, mostly the Callaway Supersoft, which I find have a feel very much to my liking.

 

I don't think any of us can know how the balls used back in the day felt, performed or impacted on the clubhead even if we chose to put an original into play, as they're characteristics will have changed over the intervening years.

 

But a softer ball will cause less impact shock than a harder ball. Whether or not the harder ball will cause any damage is a moot point and should be determined by the player, whose swing shape and speed will play its own part in the effect of the ball on the clubhead.