The History of Golf Clubs- Four Hundred Years in the Making

The History of Golf Clubs- Four Hundred Years in the Making

Article by Randy Raasch







The modern game of golf, as we know it today originated in Scotland around the 12th century. The exact location was on the current site of the Old Course at St Andrews. It was recorded that Shepherds were found knocking stones around a course into rabbit holes. Often players carved their own clubs out of wood and fashioned golf balls from leather bags.

The first reference to a set of golf clubs were those made specifically for King James VI of Scotland by a bow maker named William Mayne. Mayne was commissioned to make the very first set of matched clubs in the year 1603. Although reference to these clubs has been made, no clubs exist from that time.

The oldest clubs known were discovered in a house in Hull along with a newspaper dated 1741. In the Royal an Ancient Club’s museum there are specimens of ancient clubs including two woods and a notable putting cleek. The cleek was made in the second half of the 18th century by a club maker named Simon Cossar from Leith and was made having an iron head on a wooden shaft.

For next hundred years, early players were so fond of the game that they would fashion their own clubs and balls out of wood. The clubs used ash or hazel for the shafts while the heads were made from tougher wood such as beech, pear, apple, and holly. Just like today, a variety of clubs were used in a single game:

Longnose – used for drivingBulgers – has a bulbous head similar to the wood of todayFairway clubs – for medium range shootingSpoons – used in short range shotsNiblicks – similar to the wedge we have todayCleek – used for putting.

Things would remain much the same until the early 19th century when in 1826 Robert Forgan of Scotland changed the way in which golf clubs were made. Forgan’s golf clubs were made by using American hickory to fashion the shafts instead of the traditional ash or hazel. Soon Forgan’s golf clubs became quite popular and set the standard for later makers.

In 1848 Reverend Adam Pearson was the innovator of the Gutta-Percha golf ball. Not only was the gutta-percha a better ball than the ‘feathery’, it was cheaper to make. With the popularity of the gutta-percha ball came the requirements for a new generation of golf club that could cope with the increased stress associated with this new type of golf ball. The outcome of this new generation of golf clubs best resembles the modern set of woods in today’s game of golf.

In the beginning of twentieth century, America started to manufacturer and export golf clubs in large volumes. Outdated materials such as hickory were being replaced with hard woods such as beech or American persimmon used for golf club heads. During this time there also became a growing demand for hand-forged metal club heads and in 1902, the first groove-faced irons appeared. These new club heads offered an increased amount of backspin, compared to wooden club heads.

As manufacturing technology evolved, the technique of forging clubs became more sophisticated. Now the factories could produce the irons in numbers as golf became more popular with the masses. Aluminum was first used about this same time period, replacing the hand-forged method of the previous century.

The Prince of Wales would bring about the next major change in the history of golf clubs. Steel shafts had been experimented with since the late nineteenth century but gained little acceptance. Then in 1929 the Prince of Wales began using steel-shafted golf clubs made to his specifications. He was spotted using a set of these golf clubs at St. Andrews. They soon became quite popular with golfers outside the royal circle.

Shortly after that, the Haskell ball came out in the United States and steel shafts replaced the hickory shaft altogether. This is also the time when many modifications and substitutions were made to lighten the shaft. With this new innovation, the clubs would finally begin to more resemble those we see today. The US Open was the first major tournament to feature this new type of golf club.

Along with the improvement of the shafts came the introduction of numbered, rather than named, clubs. Clubs had become more numerous and finely graduated than the names that traditionally had been applied to them. In addition, companies were able to manufacture to specifications and point of flex that allowed merchandising of matched sets rather than individual clubs. Formerly, a golfer seeking new clubs went through a rack of clubs searching for one with the ‘right feel’ then tried to find other clubs with the same feel. The merchandising opportunities of numbered clubs and matching sets was carried to an extreme and in 1938 the USGA limited the number of clubs a player could carry per round to 14.

The 1960’s saw a major innovation in putters from a gentleman named Karsten Solheim, a General Electric mechanical engineer. His first putter, the 1A, was created in his garage after his frustration with putting led him to design his own club. The putter not only improved his putting, but it was the source for the name of the putter and later the company. As he stroked putt after putt with a radical looking putter, it rang out – PINNGGG. Karsten’s persistence resulted in new designs, including the Anser putter in 1966, which proved to be the most successful putter design in history. The company PING is credited with one of the earliest golf companies dedicated to the advancement of the golf putter.

Of course today’s technology is continuing to transform the history of golf clubs. Innovations such as graphite shafts, titanium heads, adjustable distributed weight, peripheral weighting to reduce twisting if the club contacts the ball slightly off-center are just a few. Putters alone are subdivided into mallet, peripheral weighted and blade styles. The latest putter design technology incorporates power adjust-ability and practice/play convertibility features.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring in golf club design!




About the Author

Randy Raasch has been in golf for over thirty years. His website, Golf-Fever shares information and products that are sound and easy.

If you are looking for great Putting Tips to improve your game, visit: http://www.golf-fever.com/Putting/PuttingTips.html

In addition you will receive a free report ‘The Art of Reading Greens’.

The Art of Reading Putting Greens

The Art of Reading Putting Greens

Article by Randy Raasch







Reading greens is one of the hardest skills in golf to master. Even if you have perfected your putting stroke and distance control, you will end up missing the target most of the time if you are having problems reading greens. The ability to effectively read greens is more of an art then a science. Sure, it involves the laws of physics, but without instruments available to take accurate measurements, we’re back to the art of guessing.

Reading greens can be broken up into the following components:

Slope of the Green

During your approach survey the entire area of the green along with the immediate surrounding areas. This perspective allows you get a great idea on the general slope of the green. Take note of what the overall contours are like. Is the green basically flat or does it have ridges, valleys or multiple tiers? Once on the green, you can identify the more subtle contours of the green itself.

The slope and contours on a green determine the path a ball will take while obeying the laws of gravity. On a side slope the ball with always turn towards the lowest point. On a downhill putt the ball needs to be struck with less momentum. This causes gravity to act upon the ball sooner along its path towards the hole. So for downhill putts we need to allow for more break. Uphill putts are much easier because they have less break. This is due to the increase in momentum of the strike required to hit the ball up the hill. With the increase in momentum, the ball will roll through much of the break.

Ground Condition

You can get a good indication regarding the condition of the green while walking on it. If the green feels wet and soft it tells you that the pace of the green is going to be slow, so you will need to hit your putts a little firmer. If the green is dry and hard it tells you that the green will be faster and you will not have to strike the ball as firm. Remember for a faster green, you need to account for more borrow. ”<em>The faster the green (downhill) = less momentum = more break'</em> and ‘<em>The slower the green (uphill) = more momentum = less break</em>.’

The Grain

Grain refers to the direction in which the blades of grass grow. The way the grain runs on the putting green can have a significant impact on the speed and borrow of your putts. One method in determining the grain of the green is by looking at the sheen or color of the grass. A shiny sheen or light color indicates the grain is with you (putting down grain). A dull sheen or darker color indicates the grain is against you.

The grain dictates the amount of resistance placed on the ball as it rolls. Speed will increase going down grain but the amount of break will lessen. Speed will decrease going into the grain but increase the amount of break.

Check the line from all Angles

It is a good idea to look at the putt from at least three sides: behind the ball, behind the hole, and the low side of the hole. These three looks give your mind the best information on the break of the putt.

When reading a green, you will get a more accurate picture when you are standing in a lower area looking uphill. Check from the side of the green if you have an uphill or downhill putt. This provides the best perspective for determining the speed of the ball. Behind the ball is the best place to take a final look.

Envision the Path

Never hit the ball until you have formed a vision of the path the ball will travel. Your goal is to visualize your putt as a straight line because the slope of the green is what will make your ball curve. Pick out a spot that represents the apex of the break, now to reach this point, just try to putt your ball over a spot three inches in front of your ball.

Finally, do not make your stroke until you have the best read you can get and then commit to it. It can be disastrous if you begin to second -guess yourself while your taking your stroke.

Final Thoughts

Good green reading comes with experience. After putting over enough different greens, you will develop a sixth sense of how the ball will roll.

I hope you have found these tips useful. Good luck in all your golfing adventures!




About the Author

Randy Raasch has been in golf for over thirty years. His website, Golf-Fever shares information and products that are sound and easy.

If you are looking for great Putting Tips to improve your game, visit: http://www.golf-fever.com/Putting/PuttingTips.html

In addition you will receive a free report ‘The Art of Reading Greens’.