Playing Hickory Golf

[majic]

One of the great things about Hickory Golf versus Classic Golf is that there are many events to play in throughout the USA all year long. I feel that the hickory experience is a wonderful one and people should give it a look as a great way to play competitive golf, casual golf and to meet new people of like thoughts about golf as well as play some of the great traditional courses.
I supply everything anyone needs to work on clubs. I manufacture my own hickory shafts. There is plenty of information about clubs and how to repair them.
If you like the classics of golf you will enjoy the hickory game. Tad
www.tadmoore.com

[Bella Woods]

gvogel & Majic:

Couldn't agree more about the hickory club experience, Its a lot
of fun. I also agree that many of the classic club lovers/players
would enjoy the hickory golf too. Hickory clubs are persimmon also
(for the most part).

I originally played hickory golf in the late 1990s, but got away
from it around 2004. This past year I rediscovered it and have
played hickories only since late July.

Next year I plan on playing them in the Michigan Senior Publinx
tournaments - that will probably shake them up a bit - but I want
to see what I can do with them against the modern clubs in real
tournament play.

I have noticed that in the hickory tournaments I have played
in so far (and posted scores in tournaments I have not played in)
that there are a lot of players that play/score very well with their
hickories. Some are actually scratch golfers with them.

[rex235]

[quote name='Bella Woods' timestamp='1323535162' post='3920535']
gvogel & Majic:

Couldn't agree more about the hickory club experience, Its a lot
of fun. I also agree that many of the classic club lovers/players
would enjoy the hickory golf too. Hickory clubs are persimmon also
(for the most part).

I originally played hickory golf in the late 1990s, but got away
from it around 2004. This past year I rediscovered it and have
played hickories only since late July.

Next year I plan on playing them in the Michigan Senior Publinx
tournaments - that will probably shake them up a bit - but I want
to see what I can do with them against the modern clubs in real
tournament play.

I have noticed that in the hickory tournaments I have played
in so far (and posted scores in tournaments I have not played in)
that there are a lot of players that play/score very well with their
hickories. Some are actually scratch golfers with them.
[/quote]

Bella-
Since you asked for them..
Included are some photos of the 2 wood from H&B Bill Kaiser persimmon wood set....1,2,3,4
all 4 woods are in very good condition, and have Neumann leather grips.
Will post later on a different thread.

[astamm8]

Very nice! I really like the narrowly spaced scoring lines. The bore through looks pretty far from the face, do these have a lot of face progression? Or am I seeing things?

[Bella Woods]

rex235:

I like the shape of the face on the club - and I have never
seen any of the laminated "grain" fiber inserts (like the one
on the BK driver) that were not in really good shape and tight,
very nice for a 60 year old or so golf club.

Will look forward to more pics (crown/other clubs in the set)?

[Six Pints]

Since I recently acquired a few hickory shafted clubs, I though at one time it would be interesting to try one of these events.
[i]It appears there is only one slight[/i] [i]problem[/i].....



and since there is, to quote your recent playing partner
"Very little collector value. Almost no value. Good wall hangers."

Not much to be gained in any LH players showing up ....
[/quote]



I think you've misunderstood something and should again read the comments by Tad as I'm 100% sure they relate to the monetary value of what collectors call "common hickories". I can tell you with great authority that common hickories at this point are selling for about $6 each in bulk. In the last year I've seen over 9000 hickories sold for near that amount. Also in 2011, my collecting partner and I purchased nearly 2000 hickories and much of it was from a collector of left-handed hickories. I still have many of the better clubs remaining.

At most hickory events there are a few left handed players and I have seen them and even know them. By your comment that" not much to be gained..", I can only presume that you have an agenda or are striving to create conflict where none exists.

[rex235]

Six-

As I stated before on this thread, and to both Tad and Bella directly, I do not have any agenda when it comes to the hickory club experience. Since you do not know me, let me dispel this.
I've already stated my agreement with teevons, and have are more than enough LH persimmon woods and LH forged irons with other shafts for my individual battle with this great game. Yes, I have acquired a few LH hickories, and even include a photo of one used recently, [attachment=963883:100_9855.JPG]
so there isn't any "never using hickory clubs" agenda being pursued here.

[Blade Junkie]

Well I've taken the plunge. Having already joined the SoHG, I have now ordered some hickory clubs from Tad, which I intend to use in stixman's North British Hickory Championship at Grange-over-Sands on 8th June !

[Bella Woods]

Blade Junkie:

That's awesome!

Tad makes great clubs - top quality. Good luck in your tournament - I
Have some on tap with my hickories too.

Stixman has posted some great vintage clubs. I can't wait till I can
Get over to your side of the pond and play some classic courses
With my hickories.

Which clubs did you order? I am picking up my Victor irons I
Ordered from Tad at the Dayton Ohio trade show this week.
I will post pictures when I get them.

[Blade Junkie]

[quote name='Bella Woods' timestamp='1326074367' post='4048117']
Blade Junkie:

That's awesome!

Tad makes great clubs - top quality. Good luck in your tournament - I
Have some on tap with my hickories too.

Stixman has posted some great vintage clubs. I can't wait till I can
Get over to your side of the pond and play some classic courses
With my hickories.

Which clubs did you order? I am picking up my Victor irons I
Ordered from Tad at the Dayton Ohio trade show this week.
I will post pictures when I get them.
[/quote]

I've gone with the Star OA Iron set (driving iron, mid-iron, jigger, deep faced mashie, mashie, spade mashie, mashie niblick and niblick), and the 3-Star woods (11 degree driver, 14 degree spoon and 20 degree cleek.).

Can't wait. This morning I just bought a mint condition Belding Circa 1904 bag on US eBay to put them all in.


I liked the look of the Victors - a very clean and classic looking design I thought. Loved the idea of the club named the "Windjammer" - most evocative ! It was a toss up in the end, and I opted for the Star OAs on the basis that they had all the old club names stamped on them, rather than an iron number. Would nevertheless be most interested to see some pics of your Victors when you pick them up.


Hope we have a round in the UK or US one day Bella - that would be great!

[Bella Woods]

The Star OA Iron Set is very nice and I know you will enjoy them.
I hope we can get together at some point and play as well, it would be fun.

Just got back from the Dayton, Ohio trade show yesterday. I picked up my Victor Irons
from Tad and they are great looking clubs! Also Charley and his wife were there too -
they are both super people and we had all had a great time at the show.

Charley had a ton of great stories, brought some really neat classic/rare clubs (and Toney
Penna's personal club speck book - at least a hundred different original MacGregor club
specks in it and Toneys writing all over it). He also brought a special club that was used by
Tommy Armour himself.

I got the 1-9 Victor Irons, a Niblick and the Run Up Iron (11 total) - here are a few pictures of the
3 iron (equivalent to Modern 5 iron in loft).

[attachment=983989:Victor 3 Iron.jpg]

[attachment=983993:Victor 3 Iron (2).jpg]

[attachment=983995:Victor 3 Iron (3).jpg]

[attachment=983999:Victor 3 Iron (4)(.jpg]

[attachment=984001:Victor 3 Iron (5).jpg]

[Kelso]

Bella, sounds like a great time at Dayton!
I'm not going to clog up this thread as I know nothing about hickory's (except the couple hanging on my office wall, lol) but those irons are beautiful.........:-) I absolutely love the leather grips.
All I can say is, WOW!!!!!

[freddiec]

Bella, "the Victor" looks like a beautiful club. That 3 iron doesn't look to difficult to hit, infact looks fairly easy to hit with a good solid swing. I bet the ball will fly off that baby. The hickory wood shaft looks very vintage too. good luck with them.

[teevons]

Those Victors are gorgeous!

[Blade Junkie]

Those Victors look great Bella - what are the lofts for that set ? (I can't find them on Tad's site).

I guess you'll be bagging 11 irons, driver, spoon and putter ?

[Bella Woods]

Blade Junkie:

The lofts in general for the set range from 20 degrees on the 1 iron to 56 degrees
on the Niblick.

My set is 1 to 2 degrees strong though. Swingweights are for the most part D 9, though
some are E 0, in part because I got them 1/2" long throughout the set. They are "stout irons",
but I like them that way.

I like to bag at least 3 woods - so one of the irons will have to sit - probably the 2 iron
most of the time. Driver or Driving Brassie, Spoon or Wooden Cleek and Baffy will
always be in the bag (plus the jigger/run-up club) depending on the course etc.

[Bella Woods]

There was something I forgot to mention about these irons - They are a remake of a 1931 Spalding model
by J. Victor East - who was the top designer for Spalding. I believe he designed clubs for Bobby Jones himself.

Most people don't realize it, but hickory irons in the 1920s and 1930s [u]were [/u]made with flanged soles - very
hittable clubs.

MacGregor (OA Irons) and Hillerich & Bradsby (Par XL) made flanged sole irons also in addition to Spalding.
I have several playable H & B Par XL irons from the 1910s that have flanged soles on them.

[stixman]

[quote name='Bella Woods' timestamp='1326931772' post='4111635']
There was something I forgot to mention about these irons - They are a remake of a 1931 Spalding model
by J. Victor East - who was the top designer for Spalding. I believe he designed clubs for Bobby Jones himself.

Most people don't realize it, but hickory irons in the 1920s and 1930s [u]were [/u]made with flanged soles - very
hittable clubs.

MacGregor (OA Irons) and Hillerich & Bradsby (Par XL) made flanged sole irons also in addition to Spalding.
I have several playable H & B Par XL irons from the 1910s that have flanged soles on them.
[/quote]

You are so right. Gibson's of Kinghorn, Fife Scotland made a version of the Maxwell patent in stainless. I think Tad had a set. Those, allied with the Gibson Star A shaft are a very effective and nice club to hit. The Maxwell patent (c. 1900) had the holes drilled in the hosel so that weight could be reallocated to a flanged sole. They are very popular amongst the Swedish hickory players. The flanged niblick, with a bit of work on the sole, makes a good sand iron. I believe that Gibson had a thriving market in the US so there should be some around.

[stixman]

[attachment=992411:Flanged Gibsons 001.JPG][quote name='stixman' timestamp='1327152775' post='4129325']
[quote name='Bella Woods' timestamp='1326931772' post='4111635']
There was something I forgot to mention about these irons - They are a remake of a 1931 Spalding model
by J. Victor East - who was the top designer for Spalding. I believe he designed clubs for Bobby Jones himself.

Most people don't realize it, but hickory irons in the 1920s and 1930s [u]were [/u]made with flanged soles - very
hittable clubs.

MacGregor (OA Irons) and Hillerich & Bradsby (Par XL) made flanged sole irons also in addition to Spalding.
I have several playable H & B Par XL irons from the 1910s that have flanged soles on them.
[/quote]

You are so right. Gibson's of Kinghorn, Fife Scotland made a version of the Maxwell patent in stainless. I think Tad had a set. Those, allied with the Gibson Star A shaft are a very effective and nice club to hit. The Maxwell patent (c. 1900) had the holes drilled in the hosel so that weight could be reallocated to a flanged sole. They are very popular amongst the Swedish hickory players. The flanged niblick, with a bit of work on the sole, makes a good sand iron. I believe that Gibson had a thriving market in the US so there should be some around.
[/quote]

Here are three flanged wooden shafted Gibson niblicks, left to right, 1933 Dominie Sander, 1928 Star Maxwell, 1932 New Skoogee.

[Bella Woods]

Stixman:

That's quite a flange on the 1932 New Skoogee.

[Blade Junkie]

[quote name='Bella Woods' timestamp='1327242968' post='4133871']
Stixman:

That's quite a flange on the 1932 New Skoogee.
[/quote]

The shafts look a bit thin - are they definitely hickory, and not the coated steel-type ones ?

[stixman]

[quote name='Blade Junkie' timestamp='1327244157' post='4133943']
[quote name='Bella Woods' timestamp='1327242968' post='4133871']
Stixman:

That's quite a flange on the 1932 New Skoogee.
[/quote]

The shafts look a bit thin - are they definitely hickory, and not the coated steel-type ones ?
[/quote]

You are joking??? Yup, its the sort of wood you can burn on a bad day and stay warm! Actually, if I'm being pedantic, and I try to leave that to others, the Dominie Sander is Danga wood.

[majic]

Stixman I have sent Blade Junkie his clubs. hix ninlick is a repro of my Dominie Sander. Still have it Danga wood is SPECIAL and Gibson was the only one i know to make shafts out of it. I cannot wait for him to get them and for you to see them. The Star OA iron heads are modeled after my Gibson (Star) and MacGrgeor OA. Tad

[stixman]

[quote name='Bella Woods' timestamp='1327242968' post='4133871']
Stixman:

That's quite a flange on the 1932 New Skoogee.
[/quote]

It is 35mm at its widest, or over 1.25 inches in real money. It is a sand shifter of some scale. It comes with a Gibson Super Star Shaft. I don't know where that fits in Gibsons marketing panoply, I thought that the Star A was the top of the tree.

[majic]

Gibson for woods-never have seen an iron marked this way-3 Star top of line. A one in 10 thousand shaft. Next 2 Star then Star A. For irons the Star A was the top and the Danga was a specialty shaft used mainly in putters and wedges but in a few cases all the clubs had Danga. I have owned several full sets of these and they were very special and played fantastic. The best. I would love to find this wood. Tad

[Bella Woods]

[quote name='majic' timestamp='1327454032' post='4147309']
Gibson for woods-never have seen an iron marked this way-3 Star top of line. A one in 10 thousand shaft. Next 2 Star then Star A. For irons the Star A was the top and the Danga was a specialty shaft used mainly in putters and wedges but in a few cases all the clubs had Danga. I have owned several full sets of these and they were very special and played fantastic. The best. I would love to find this wood. Tad
[/quote]

Majic

The Gibson wood shafts are marked with the stars, or the club head?
Does Danga wood exist today? I assume it is (was) a
Hardwood - but when checking on it online they refer to
it as "mythical:????

[stixman]

Gibson shaft stamps on the flanged niblicks including the mythical Danga Wood. There is guy in Manchester who imports wood and has been in the business for ever. His hickory is not too clever but he may know something. Top to Bottom.... Dominie Sander, New Skoogie, Star Maxwell.

[Bella Woods]

[quote name='stixman' timestamp='1327570434' post='4154793']
Gibson shaft stamps on the flanged niblicks including the mythical Danga Wood. There is guy in Manchester who imports wood and has been in the business for ever. His hickory is not too clever but he may know something. Top to Bottom.... Dominie Sander, New Skoogie, Star Maxwell.
[/quote]


Stixman:

Those are beautiful shafts on those clubs! Can you post close ups pics of the Danga wood shaft?

Did you get the chance to talk to the "wood guy" from Manchester? I can't find more than a passing article
on Danga wood. I wonder if Tad may have some info on the wood and its history.

[majic]

[quote name='Bella Woods' timestamp='1328743456' post='4240789']
[quote name='stixman' timestamp='1327570434' post='4154793']
Gibson shaft stamps on the flanged niblicks including the mythical Danga Wood. There is guy in Manchester who imports wood and has been in the business for ever. His hickory is not too clever but he may know something. Top to Bottom.... Dominie Sander, New Skoogie, Star Maxwell.
[/quote]


Stixman:

Those are beautiful shafts on those clubs! Can you post close ups pics of the Danga wood shaft?

Did you get the chance to talk to the "wood guy" from Manchester? I can't find more than a passing article
on Danga wood. I wonder if Tad may have some info on the wood and its history.
[/quote]
My experience regarding Danga Wood is that I am pretty sure it came from Northern part of South Africa. There is a reference to "Danga" and there is the tree that looks like an upside down tree. there. Moist Gibson clubs using Danga were niblicks or putters. Some irons were made and fewer woods. i think this is because there were not many parts of the tree straight enough to make 44 inch shafts. Walter Hagen talked about danga as a good shaft and the Gibson Niblicks made from the sander forging marked Walter Hagen all have danga shafts. I know of about 6 of these clubs. Gibson also had a wood called Sidera but it was light weight but not made in stiff shafts. This may have come from Turkey.Again Gibson being the worlds largest club maker was trying to have materials for shafts that other makers did not have. by the end of the 20's and start of the 30's steel was already very popular and a lower cost material to use in club making. Since the depression was going i am sure the companies were trying to reduce work force.
Danga is a great material. We make thousands of hickory shafts. i would love to make a few Danga. Tad

[Bella Woods]

Majic:

Good info on a relatively obscure subject - thanks!
Gibson must have been an innovative clubmaker in his
day.