The Story of The Hickory Sticks Golf Emporium

Why is it called Hickory Golf ?
Hickory wood comes from the North American continent. In the early 1800s golf
clubmakers in Scotland started using it for golf club shafts, as it had better
mechanical properties than the indigenous ash and dogwood that had been the
primary club making material. With the introduction of the copy lathe, timber
club heads and shafts became more affordable for the general public to partake
in what was initially, the sport of Kings. In the heyday of the mid 1920s over
5,000,000 cubic feet of hickory was being milled for hickory golf club
manufacture.
Up until 1929 only wood shafted clubs could be used in competitions in the
United Kingdom. Due to the rapidly declining stocks of hickory trees club
manufactures started looking for an alternative to timber shafts and with the
introduction of steel shafts the modern age of golf was born. This was so
successful that within a few years metal tubular shafts meant the old hickory
shaft became defunct. Literally millions of clubs were consigned to the garage as
new manufacturing techniques in both iron head manufacture and shaft material
made the sport affordable to everyone.
In the 1980s golf collectors in the USA and UK formed golf collecting societies
and before long they started to wonder what playing golf was like with the clubs
they'd acquired. And, now we come to the point to why the Hickory Sticks Golf
Emporium exists….. to provide the opportunity for people to play the game the
way it used to be played.
Hickory Golf has spread far and wide as golfers rediscover the game as it was
played in times' past. There are a number of Hickory Golf Societies spreading
the ethos and opportunity for the game to be shared across the continents with
roughly the same set of Rules.
To travel back in time and play golf as it was the golden era of the 1920s is a
fantastic experience. Sets of the period consist of half the number of clubs
compared to modern sets. This usually results in golfers taking the longer club
rather than forcing a shorter one.....which, unsurprising to many, means they are
normally pin high rather than short!
Whilst hickory clubs are robust, (after all they've survived this long), they reward
players that have good rhythm rather than brute strength. And with only seven
clubs making up a normal set they can be carried in a slim-line bag on the
shoulder with ease. 

Whether you're just dipping your toe in the waters of hickory golf, or you are an
experienced player, you'll find something for your bag, or collection on this site. 
Here's what makes a typical 1920s period hickory golf set. 
1. A Driver 
2. A Brassie Wood (3 or 5 wood)
3. A Mid Iron (5 iron)
4. A Mashie (7 iron).
5. A Mashie-Niblick (9 iron) 
6 A Niblick (Gap Wedge). 
7. A Putter. 
These are approximations to modern clubs are every hickory golf club is unique.
Lofts and lies were adjusted by the local professional to suit their customers and
golfers took pleasure in seeking out clubs with shafts that felt just right for them.
In this respect modern hickory golfers will often embark on the same quest ....
and, no matter whether you're seeking a single hickory club, or a fully matched
set, we can probably help. Dealing with the top traders in both the UK and USA,
we have established supply lines for the majority of mainstream requests as well
as those one off specials that just take a little bit more time.
We also provide regripping, reshafting, straightening and limited refinishing
services to your existing clubs on a one off basis. Talk to us we are keen to help.