Are your Hickory-shafted golf clubs playable with the modern golf ball?

Yes they are. The Hickory shaft will hold up just as your steel or graphite would. Some golf clubs made in 1920s and 1930s are in fact still playable. Our Hickory shafts are turned from a solid Hickory dowel, here in our plant in Louisville, Kentucky, and finished and inspected before we shaft them in our irons, woods and putters. In choosing a ball to play with, have fun experimenting what ball gives you the best feel and playability.

How do I choose my Hickory shaft flex?

Generally what flex works for you in steel or graphite will work for you in Hickory. I would choose flex based on clubhead speed and tempo, and we can help you decide given that bit of information. We don't try to frequency a shaft down to the cycle. We use frequency to help us sort shafts into flex, or if we need to shave down a shaft to reduce the flex we use the frequency to determine where we are in the process. 

Do you “spine” your Hickory shafts?

As far as spining goes, the grain dictates the orientation of the shaft in the club, so spining is not relevant. 
 
Are your clubs approved by the Society of Hickory Golfers for play in tournaments?
 
Yes, our clubs have been sanctioned by the Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG) and our long nose clubs have been approved by the National Hickory Championship (NHC). We take pride in making our replicas based on original models, so a person playing our replicas will have the same experience as a person playing with original Hickory-shafted clubs.
 
SoHG: http://www.hickorygolfers.com/
 
NHC: http://www.nationalhickory.com/index.php
 
Will my Hickory shafts ever warp? 
 
There is stress in all pieces of wood. Warping occurs when moisture and heat get into the fibers of the wood and allow some fibers to relax and other fibers that have more stress to “overpower” them which causes the shaft to bend in one direction or the other. A shaft with perfectly straight grain would most likely not bend at all because the fibers would be equally opposed to each other. However, most hickory shafts are not exactly straight grain. So, the most important thing is to seal the shaft properly with a finish that will “impede” if not stop moisture VAPOR from penetrating and getting into the fibers of the shaft. If you look down the shaft from the butt end, the grain is properly aligned when it runs across the shaft, left to right, or from face to back of the golf head; most of the time the shaft will warp up or down when the shaft is in this position. If the warp or bend is aligned so the tip of the shaft bend down, it seems to have no effect of the playability of the shaft.  So, if a shaft has a warp/bend place it in this position. You can remove the warp from a shaft by fastening it in a straight (or overcompensate for the warp slightly) then heating the shaft and allowing it to cool in the straight position. The heat relaxes the fibers and when they cool in the new straight position, they will typically stay in that position.  Apply a good finish to the shaft to prevent moisture from entering and having the fibers revert to their bent position.

Will my Hickory shafts ever break? 

A golf shaft made from any material, whether it be graphite, steel, or hickory wood, has the potential of breaking. Hickory shafts are very durable and some of the 100 year old clubs that are being played today have the original shafts in them. Even though hickory shafts do not break often, they do break. Wood is a natural product, and there can be weak points in the shaft. Most of these are found during the sorting process. I feel that if a shaft is going to break, it will break early in its life. Some players are harder on shafts than others. If a player is strong and hits down on the ball, taking a big divot, the shaft is more likely to fail. I recently played in a hickory event with about 60 players playing 3 rounds of golf and don’t recall a single player breaking a shaft.

Why do you think increasing numbers of people are longing for a return to Hickory golf?

I think many golfers cannot relate to the "modern" game of golf that they see the pros play on TV. How many golfers do you know can hit the ball 300+ yards? If a person has a club head speed in the high 80 mph range (which many do) they won't carry the ball quite 200 yards. Many golf courses (in the USA) like to be considered "championship" layouts which are too long for most golfers to play. So the "modern" game of golf for many average golfers is no longer fun. They feel beat up and worn out after a round of golf. Golfers who have turned back to traditional equipment seem to take pressure off themselves and ENJOY the game.
 
Do you see more people turning back to Persimmon and Hickory?

There is definitely an increase in players playing hickory golf. The people playing persimmon and forgings is a niche that has held pretty steady. I think the persimmon and forgings is still a little too close to the modern game to create the same feeling playing hickory golf provides. People who play persimmon are like the people who still drive a classic car, or who hunt with archery equipment or a muzzleloading rifle instead of the modern alternative.

Has golf changed for the worse with the rise of technology?

I think because only a very few people can take advantage of the new technology, the remaining golfers have suffered. Golf is a very difficult game to play, and especially play well. Modern equipment is marketed in such a manner that it promises to make the game easier to play. New drivers promise unreal distance and accuracy. New golf balls promise the same. New irons promise high shots that land softly on the green. When the average golfer plays and the high expectation created by the marketing aren't met, he is disappointed. He must be the problem, because the high tech equipment is perfect as advertised.  Some examples: Driving distance increase 10+ yards with the ProV1 type of golf ball. However, I don't hit a ProV1 any further than other golf balls. (My club head speed is approx 88-90 mph) I have tested a 460cc driver next to my persimmon driver keeping all spec the same for each club. The club I hit the furthest is the one I put the best swing on. If I hit them both good, they are within a few feet of each other. In short, the modern equipment provides a much greater advantage to the best golfers who have club head speeds in the 110+mph range, like those of the tour pros. What modern technology has done is promised the average golfer vast improvements without being able to deliver. With all the modern equipment available, have handicaps of the average golfer improved? In this sense the modern equipment has caused frustration among the average golfers.

What is the appeal of the more traditional clubs, and why should non-believers give hickory clubs a try?
 
Hickory golfers talk about this themselves, asking why do we have so much fun playing hickory golf? I believe when you play hickory golf, your expectations are lower. So you are more relaxed and can enjoy the round of golf. Because you are more relaxed and having fun, you actually hit the ball pretty well, so you exceed your expectations. You feel pretty darn good about yourself and the golf you play with the hickory clubs. YOU ARE HAVING FUN. Many hickory players will tell you their handicaps with hickory clubs vs modern clubs is only a couple strokes different.

Should I oil your shafts? 

There are a couple of schools of thought on putting oil (linseed oil) on the shafts. One says that Linseed oil will penetrate the shaft and eventually break down the fibers causing the shaft to lose some of it's "zing" in returning to its original position when flexed during the swing. My position is that the wood needs some protection from moisture. We put shellac on the shafts because it is what was used originally and we try to stay authentic to tradition when possible. It's also easy to apply and will stick to about anything. So, if the finish wears off, something should be put back on the shaft to seal it. It can be shellac, varnish, polyurethane, or linseed oil. If you choose to use linseed oil don't use raw linseed oil will not dry. It will penetrate but it doesn't dry. If you use 'boiled" linseed oil, it will penetrate (not as deeply) but will dry.

I understand that hickory shafts use to come in different grades and that the top of the line shafts at the beginning of the 20th century were reserved for top players. What type of rating do current hickory shafts have? Should hickory-shafted clubs be played any differently then steel or graphite?

Since Hickory is a natural product, there is a wide variation in properties of the wood. We purchase hickory dowels that are already sorted and only sound dowels are shipped. Once we receive the dowels we sort again for grain, weight, and straightness. We actually only put about 50% of the dowels we receive in the lathe, the majority being rejected because of grain and warping. Of the ones we put in the lathe, only half of those are good enough to be used for a playable golf shaft. So in total we only get about 25% yield for playable golf shafts. We are fortunate that we also build a good amount of putters, and shafts that are straight but don't have a grain pattern good enough to make a playable club, can be used to make putters. So basically we feel all of our clubs will be played and we only use shafts of a specific quality. We also sort the shafts by flex, so a player who indicates that he needs a stiff shaft, standard shaft, or flexible shaft can be accommodated. I have a copy of the US Dept of Agriculture standards for hickory shafts to be used in golf clubs which was produced in 1929. We meet or exceed those standards on all the shafts that we produce.

If you have any questions you would like to see on our Hickory FAQ e-mail mjust@louisvillegolf.com and we will promptly answer your query.