Sport is an incredible thing; it brings all together and inspires the flame of ambition and talent in many. But one of the most engrossing features of sport is the history behind it- the rich and diverse array of culture that builds an entity with the potential to unite the world. A variety of sports have roots from all over the world, but one that particularly catches the eye is golf; or more specifically- Hickory golf. Hickory golf is a variation of golf played with Hickory-shafted clubs- Hickory is a type of wood also known as the material used to make cricket and baseball bats. Hickory golf is a fascinating sport and the attitudes, traditions and etiquettes towards it are truly unique. It’s differences along with similarities to modern golf make it an incredibly captivating game to play.
One notable attribute that Hickory golf has is the similar shape of the club head. Simon Cullingworth says:
‘Although true Hickory golf clubs pre-date 1935, when steel shafted clubs took over, the shape of the head of both the woods and the irons remains basically the same. It is interesting that in nearly 90 years since technology developed the steel shaft no significant changes have been made to the golf clubs original Hickory shafted designs, when in that period many other technological developments have made significant changes to the world.’
However, the ball used to play Hickory golf differs to the ball used to play modern golf. For example, the featherie (or feathery) was played- vastly different to the typical Polyurethane-covered balls most are used to. The feathery was filled with chicken or goose feathers and were hand-made. Cullingworth says that ‘distance increased with each new development’ and when golf-balls were hit the ones that saw the most increase in distance were the ‘Modern Resin’ and the aforementioned ‘Polyurethane-covered’ ones.
More recently, there has been a growth in interest towards Hickory golf and this is most likely because of the surge of nostalgia and the wish to go back to a time when perhaps things were simpler. When asked, Simon Cullingworth states that ‘playing hickory golf is the same as playing vinyl records; it allows people to hark back to a less complicated time’. The wave of a new generation has brought with it both an appreciation and revival of Hickory golf, which deserves to be played and enjoyed by all.
Hickory golf is both a historic sport as well as a fascinating one; it’s attributes prevalent in modern golf and its traditions distinctive and noteworthy.
