Playing Classic Courses with Classic Clubs

Written by Randy Jensen

For me, there is nothing more fun than playing classic golf courses with classic hickory-shafted golf clubs.

Not only do you get an enhanced appreciation for some of the great clubmakers and players of the past, but you can more directly experience the strategic design intentions of many of the great golf course architects from the classic age.

Imagine playing Pine Valley, Merion, Oakmont, Baltusrol, or Pebble Beach with a vintage set of fully-restored hickory-shaft golf clubs, just as Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen would have done in the day!  And those are just courses in America, how about playing The Old Course at St. Andrews, North Berwick, Royal Dornoch, or Muirfield?  Fabulous fun!

Playing wood shaft golf clubs from the 'modern' hickory era, 1902-1935, is actually not as different as you might think.  Many 'hickory' golfers shoot the same scores with their vintage or reproduction hickory clubs by simply moving up one tee box or so.

The big difference is that the driver goes shorter; but many short or intermediate hitters see no effect on their score when playing from a more forward tee box, and long hitters can bring back the 'championship' feel of many great designs that have been somewhat neutered by todays long-hitting drivers.

But, stay out of the sand traps!  The modern sand wedge was created by Gene Sarazen in 1932, and marketed in 1933 with a coated steel shaft.  There are not too many vintage examples of excellent sand irons with a wood shaft.  Bunkers play as the real hazards that they were intended to be!

Today, the Society of Hickory Golfers and associated organizations hold hickory events worldwide; you could probably play a hickory golf event every week of the year somewhere in the World!

Sandy Lyle, Masters & Open champion, is one of a number of top professionals who own playable hickory sets.  And Lyle has won several prestigious hickory tournaments!

For more information, download "Playing Hickory Golf" here:

(NOTE FROM THE EDITOR. I DON’T SAY THIS LIGHTLY- IF YOU ARE REMOTELY INTERESTED IN EVERY PLAYING HICKORY GOLF, CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW. RANDY WROTE THE ONE OF ONLY MODERN BOOK ON PLAYING HICKORY GOLF- HE DESCRIBES EVERY CLUB, WHAT A PLAY SET SHOULD CONSIST OF, HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR CLUBS AND HOW TO PLAY HICKORY AND GUTTY GOLF. THIS WAS A LIMITED EDITION PRINTING AND HE IS GIVING IT AWAY VIA PDF. A SPECIAL THANKS RANDY!)

Download Randy’s book by clicking the link below:

HickoryGolf copy.pdf

NOTE FROM THE SOCIETY:

Randy Jensen’s nickname is the “Hickory Tiger,” he is an 8-time National Hickory Champion (a tournament where you play clubs from the 1800s with a gutta percha ball and pre-1900 rules). Randy has also won over 80 wood shafted tournaments worldwide & is an expert on restoring vintage wood shafted golf clubs and has hundreds of hickory clubs for sale. If you are interested in reaching Randy his email is: [email protected] 

Randy Jensen is one of the forefathers of modern hickory play and I considered him not only a friend but a trusted source of golf in the hickory era. As a side note I would argue that Randy has either sold me every playable hickory club or has done work on every playable hickory club I have in my possession. Randy is also one of the few people who had an early influence on my love for golf history.

GREAT HOLE SPOTLIGHT: THEN AND NOW

One of the greatest golf holes in the world is the Old Course’s famed par three, the Eden Hole.

Here is a beautiful 100 year old illustration of the strategy and perils of playing the Eden.

Below is how the Eden Hole plays today. As you can see this wonderful hole has been well preserved for over 100 years. The Old Course doesn’t have a green committee recommending tweaks and changes every year- instead they maintain the course for generations to come. For you who are members at private courses, this could be a lesson in preservation.

As always thank you for reading this newsletter and sharing it with your friends. It is my pleasure to share these little sometimes unknown stories with you.

Until next time…

Yours in Golf History,

Connor T. Lewis