Auld Golf Equipment Guidelines
Any authentic, antique golf club made from 1880-1935 are best served the Auld Golfer
Clubs with wood shafts of any type (ash, hickory, danga, greenheart, osage orange, lemon, etc…)
Clubs with early steel shafts, wood or iron heads (easily defined as steel shafts without steps)
Clubs with any type of head (wood, aluminum, steel, combination, plastic composition, etc…)
The Auld Style of golf and games can be played with any clubs. It’s the game that counts.
Most players will still focus and play with 1920s hickory golf clubs as that is what they have been playing. That is great! Matter of fact, the games were essentially the same throughout the eras. Below are examples of hickory era clubs and a couple sample ads that show the new club sets that were being sold in the late hickory era. Anyone could add a couple of early steel woods to their 1920s hickory irons and be playing typical late era golf. Remember this was accepted by the USGA in 1924.
The earlier styles of clubs are experience options for players to continue developing their knowledge and play. They
can be extremely rewarding as they are so different when using the correct gutty ball, or early style ball. These options are listed as examples of what else is available to players.
1890 Hickory Clubs
Auld Golfers are encouraged to investigate earlier clubs. Generally speaking your larger headed smooth face clubs are from about 1890-1900. Long nose and semi-long nose woods and putters fit the time period. These would be gutty ball era clubs. This would be a special event as it would be difficult to play the gutty ball mixed in with the rubber era balls.
1905 Hickory Clubs
A wonderful time was from 1900 - 1910. These were the years of the first clubs made specifically for the early rubber ball era and are extremely fun to experience. Dot punch faces were popular. Smaller size wood heads in either splice neck or the first socket neck style developed.
1920 Hickory Clubs
Most Modern Hickory Golfers play clubs from 1915-1930. Modern shaped woods with socket necks and probably what we would call normal size and weight irons.
The Bristol Steel Shaft - 1921
This shaft began the transformation. Trialed in 1922, banned in 1923, approved in 1924. The first shafts were made of thin strip steel folded into a tapered tube and hydrogen brazed by a new method General Electric had perfected. The shafts began as painted black, but were copper coated, painted, and made to look like wood in the next few years. These clubs are definitely worth the experience to know what players were beginning to play with in the mid-1920’s - well before the so-called end of the hickory era.
1928 Combination Full Set
Hickory shaft irons with early steel woods were being sold as sets.
1931 Smooth Steel Full Set
Irons and Woods were the popular clubs being sold after 1930.