A History of the Golf Club

Golf's beginnings have gone astray in history, but in its current form it is in general agreed to have been played in Scotland in the late 1400s. Many has been stated about whimsical links to a game played on ice-covered ponds in Holland before, but the correlation with Golf is too unsubstantiated to be convincing.

It turned out to be quite infamous then, and was even debarred for a while by the King of Scotland, as golfers had turned out to be so fanatical with the game that they abandoned their archery training.

In the following 500 years, the game has forwarded from one played with simple hand made clubs and leather balls blown up with feathers to the game we know today, based on clubs designed by computer using advanced materials such as titanium and zirconia. The largest modifications to the game have been in systematization of the rules and playing field, and the technology used in the clubs and the balls.

History of the shaft

In the early times of golf, players used primordial equipment in a somewhat jumbled and informal way. While players primarily carved their personal clubs and balls from wood, they soon became skilled craftsmen to create viable equipment. A set of clubs at the time was composed of a set of play clubs for driving, fairway clubs for medium range shots, spoons for short range shots, niblicks and a putting cleek. After 1618, the Featherie golf ball was launched which continued for more than 200 years.

The golf shaft has been modified a lot over the years, especially lately. With all the diverse alternatives available for shafts at present, it is easy to see how golfers could get puzzled and perturbed.

Early golf matches were played with featherie golf balls and hand crafted wooden-shafted long nosed golf clubs. As early as 1687 tree names like danga wood, ironheart, bulletwood, washaba and purpleheart were just some of the hardwoods used for shafts in Great Britain. The design of these long nosed golf clubs looked like modern day hockey sticks.

Hickory imported from America to be used in Golf Shafts in 1896. This is wood, too but it is a particular type of wood that is really hard-wearing. It's not some tree just growing in the back of some Scotsman's yard. Hickory would stay as a chief shaft choice well into the 1930s.

The pool cue is banned as a putter by the USGA in 1895. The fact that so much golfers tried it and got akin to it, to force the USGA had to inflict an actual rule banning the use of it,

reaffirms the belief that golfers will try whatever thing to get that ball in the hole.

Steel shafts are patented by Arthur F. Knight in 1910. Regrettably they fail to obtain mass appeal due mostly to the USGA's and R&A's refusal to make lawful the use of steel shafts in play.

Allan Lard, of Washington, DC, was issued a patent on a perforated steel tube in 1915. These perforations reduced club head torque significantly and also helped enhance club head speed.

After years of debate and struggle, The USGA at last legalized steel shafted golf clubs in 1924. Nonetheless at this time the R & A still denies to legalize the use of steel shafted clubs.

The R & A ultimately gives in to public demand and legalizes the use of steel shafted golf clubs in 1929. This non-conformity with the USGA causes some appealing difficulties in competition. During the Ryder Cup Match in Great Britain in 1929, the Americans are pushed to play with R & A conforming hickory shafted clubs which required many golfers to get reacquainted with the old wood clubs.

The graphite shaft is invented. This is the first major advancement since the invention of the steel shaft. Aluminum was used in the 1960's and 1970's briefly but didn't prove to be any better that good old American Steel. Due to a lack of knowledge in the shaft design and engineering field, graphite shafts wane in popularity during the late 70's and almost get buried next to the old hickory and aluminum shafts.

Graphite shafts make a serious return after some redesign work in 1985. The research and development pays off and the graphite shaft secures its place as the shaft of choice in most wood clubs. Steel is still the preferred shaft for irons during this period.

While steel still stays a solid base in the Iron department, it is starting to show signs of weakness. But in the end with all the materials out there being used in club shafts today, it unavoidably comes down to a personal choice for every golfer. Each material has its trade off. Steel, while consistent, has a weight factor. Aluminum offers lightweight but reduced strength. Titanium offers lightweight and strength but is costly. Graphite offers lightweight but is inconsistent. The latest space age material Thermoplastics offers lightweight and features Viscolasticity - Dynamic Stiffening. This means if the golfer swings slowly the shaft will have softer characteristics while if he swings hard the shaft will automatically stiffen. There are fat shafts, skinny shafts, bubble shafts, and even composite shafts. Each one of these shafts has a benefit and a weakness and until a definite winner is found it will remain an item of debate and up to each individual golfer to find the right shaft for him or her.

History of the grip

The end of the shaft opposite the head is covered either with a rubber, synthetic leather, or colloquially, a leather grip for the player to hold. The modern grip has also undergone a number of iterations and the vast variety of models makes it far easier for a discriminating golfer to find a model that is comfortable to him or her.

Due to the ease of gripping these thick wooden handles, grips were uncommon, though those that did exist would be made of leather.

In the 1820's hickory imported from Tennessee, America intended for use as pit props and axe handles is used to make shafts for golf clubs. The hickory shaft has a more steely spring and is far stronger allowing the shafts to be made thinner. Hickory shafts become popular around the same time as the guttie ball due to this extra strength, although there would be a considerable shock to the players hands as he played a hard shot, thick grips of leather however were used to compensate for this.

History of the club head

Club heads were made from tough wood such as beech, holly, pear and apple. The cost, time and effort, which went into making golf clubs, priced them beyond the reach of the masses. The clubs especially long-noses and niblicks were also prone to breakage and a golfer could expect to break at least one club during a round. These factors meant that golf was typically associated