Could it be that the game of golf, which has become synonymous with technology, is now taking a step back? Don’t look now, but from Stockholm to Shanghai, players are turning back the clock to take part in the latest craze – hickory golf.
Although not many of us would be willing to play without our shovel-sized golf drivers, playing with 19th century wooden-shafted golf clubs, has become a hit as national championships in the United States, Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Sweden and Finland have blossomed. Hickory golf clubs were used widely until the 1930s, when manufacturers turned to more modern materials for construction.
Despite their unforgiving nature and lesser performance, the attraction of playing old school golf has endured. The format has a huge following in the U.S. where devotees gather at historic courses to play an “authentic” round of golf. Companies too have been attracted to the format as a way of motivating staff. “Golfers love a challenge,” says Gavin Bottrell, who runs hickory golf days in Britain.
“There’s a saying about modern golf clubs that you can buy any shot out of the shop. Playing with hickory makes people think more about their golf swing and be clever about their shots.”
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The Hickory Golfer » My Best Round Ever with Hickory Clubs – I’ve just returned from the Mid-Pines Hickory Open at the Mid-Pines Inn and Golf in Southern Pines, North Carolina after one disappointing opening round followed by a what should have been a much better second round. Having arrived home at the glorious time of 2:00 am I decided that Monday was not a great day to start playing golf again. Besides I had more important things to do like repair my Tom Stewart Mongrel Mashie that developed a split shaft sometime in the middle of that first round.
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Hickory golf a game for sticks | Getsomenews.com – It may run contrary to the conventional image of a sport obsessed with the latest technological improvement but, from Stockholm to Shanghai, players are turning back the clock to take part in the latest craze — hickory golf. …
