Equipment
Q&A: The rise of hickory golf, its origins and appeal
CNN recently titled an article “Hickory golf: The ultimate hipster sport?”
While I’m not sure ironic mustaches, craft beer, and obscure music snobbery jive with the use of wooden-shafted clubs and the donning of period attire to better appreciate the game, I wanted to get to the bottom of the phenomenon.
I spoke with Mike Stevens, executive director of the Professional Hickory Golfers Association, about the growing phenomenon that is hickory golf and his work organizing hickory tournaments and preserving the rich history of our singular game.
Stevens has been playing golf for nearly 55 years. The western Massachusetts native went to college in Florida. After playing golf collegiately, he was drafted into the military in the early 70s. He began teaching in the evenings while on base.
I asked him how he got started on the hickory and plus-fours side of things.
From left: Brian Schuman, director of Metropolitan (NY) Hickory Association, Lionel Freedman, director World Hickory Open and Mike Stevens.
MS: My dad took me out to the course when I was nine. He gave me a Sam Snead Blue Ridge iron…he put together a little set for me and one of the clubs in the set was a hickory-shafted 3-iron. I used that set almost up until I was in high school, and I loved that club.
Fifteen or 20 years ago, I was rummaging around in a flea market and there was a barrel of hickory clubs, and I thought to myself: I’m just going grab one of these clubs to have as a reminder of that club I had when I was a kid. When I went to the counter to pay, I asked the guy if he had an old leather grip. He said he didn’t, but [I could] probably get one from the Collectors Society. I had no idea that they existed. I looked them up online, and I joined the society, and I went to one of their annual meetings where people come in with all of their clubs they’ve collected over the years.
They also had a tournament at their annual meeting where you played with hickory clubs. I ended up playing in the tournament and just enjoyed it so much that I put together a set for myself and started playing with them. More and more collectors started playing and they started to organize tournaments around the country…I played in the first National Hickory Championship.
I enjoyed playing with them so much that, eventually, all I played with was hickory clubs. I don’t play with modern equipment at all. But I play sensibly: I play on older golf courses that were built for that type of equipment. Generally, those of us that play try to keep the distance between 5,800 and 6,100 yards.
Hickory golf’s organizing bodies
MS: We have what we call the Society of Hickory Golfers, which is a national organization. There are several world organizations, and I’d estimate there are 2,500 people in the world right now that play hickory golf on a regular basis.
How it really got started? Collectors saying, “Hey, I wonder what it would be like to play with this stuff.” They started playing and realized you can play just as well with these clubs as you can with modern stuff.
It’s a fledgling organization. Right now, we have basically two tournaments in the world with a professional purse. My tournament, which is the United States Professional Hickory Championship … has a $5,000 purse, and it was patterned after the 1925 Florida Open. All of the top professionals in the country came to Temple Terrace and played in that tournament…Walter Hagan, Gene Sarazen, Jim Barnes…when I decided to grow the hickory game a little bit, I thought it would be good for the pros to get some experience with it since a lot of people follow after what the pros do.
I started the tournament five years ago, and I had something like 30 pros come and play, including David Frost. It’s grown slowly over the years. I’d like to have a bigger purse to attract more pros, but at the same time, I want it to be a tribute to the game and how it was first played and make sure we don’t forget how it all started because the more we move into the modern era, nobody remembers any of that. This kind of continues the tradition. That’s really why I started it: to pay tribute to the history of the game.
The other tournament that we have is the World Hickory Open, which is played every year in Scotland, and that also has a $5,000 purse.
What the response has been like
The response has been more positive than anything. Everybody enjoys the experience. Most of the people come back each year. I’d say 80 percent of the people who played in the first tournament come back each year.
The encouraging thing is that I had four or five young guys play last year and they absolutely loved it—I’m talking like 21, 22—and they just had a blast and they’re coming back next year. And I’ve got four or five more young guys trying it for the first time this year.
But everybody who plays had a very positive experience and enjoyed it very much. I’d like to get more pros playing to re-establish that they’re the caretakers of the game and they should be passing it along to everybody.
What it’s like to play hickory golf
Everybody wears a shirt and tie, usually. You don’t have to wear knickers, but a lot of people do. In the era, everybody wore a shirt and tie, which gave it sort of an elegant look.
The actual play: Everybody talks about the modern swing and things of that nature. But the ultimate test is if you can get the club squarely on the ball. It doesn’t really matter how you do that. When using a hickory club, if you hit it well, there’s not a whole lot different from a modern club other than distance. The feel and the trajectories are all pretty much the same. If you mishit, however, then it’s really bad. So, precision is a little more involved…but it’s more satisfying when you hit a good one. That’s part of the enjoyment: When you hit a good shot, you know you made a good swing.
A few of hickory golf’s good things
It brings back a lot of memories of when I was playing as a kid. So, a lot of it’s nostalgia. Part of nostalgia is it makes you feel good. That part lifts my spirits a little bit when I’m playing.
And the other nice thing about playing with hickory is, it doesn’t take long. You’re playing on shorter courses. You’re playing on courses that aren’t overly penal; they always give you an opportunity to make some kind of a recovery shot. You can usually buzz around an older course in 3.5 hours to 4 hours, maximum.
For more, check out the PHGA, the Golf Collectors Society, and the Society of Hickory Golfers websites.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
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Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
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Greg V
Mar 16, 2015 at 12:42 pm
Tom Duckworth –
It is quite OK to use antique clubs, but most hickory players will re-glue iron heads on old clubs, particularly if there is a bit of a rattle when you tap the head on the ground.
If you go to the section on this site: Classic Golf and Golfers – Hickory, Persimmon and Classic Clubs – you will find a thread on Playing Hickory Golf. In that thread, say withing the last 3 or 4 pages, there is valuable information on how to re-glue and pin old iron clubs. Also there is some good information for restoring wood clubs.
Old shafts can break, and new shafts can break as well. There are people who will sell replacement shafts. Tad Moore is one such person.
I know of a local club repair person who has done a nice job of re-gluing, re-gripping and restoring my hickory clubs. At this point I chose to play them, but I leave the repairs to an expert. You may be able to find one in your area.
Tom Duckworth
Mar 14, 2015 at 6:42 pm
It sounds fun I would have liked a bit more information on equipment. Is it OK to use old clubs or are they too fragile? I have some around that seem pretty solid and will modern golf balls hurt these old clubs?
Ronald Montesano
Mar 14, 2015 at 6:17 pm
Sprinters finish in under 3 hours. Sprinters who have no interest in camaraderie, etc. Sprinters who play alone, or perhaps with a fellow sprinter, get around in under 3 hours. Golf in the USA has a social element to it. There is no reason a 4-hour round should be denigrated. Folks who operate on the extremes are snobs by nature and definition.
gvogel
Mar 14, 2015 at 9:20 am
There are two companies making reproduction hickory clubs: Loiusville Golf and Tad Moore Hickory. Tad is a frequent contributor to this site. He was an early adaptor and founder of hickory golf, and still continues to play at a very high level in hickory tournaments.
Tony Tubrick
Mar 13, 2015 at 11:44 pm
I enjoyed this article very much. I am an almost lifelong resident of Omaha, Nebraska which has its fair share of hickory golfers and excellent hickory-friendly courses to play at. In addition I am kept busy at Classic Golf restoring and repairing hickories for players around the country and even the world.
I’ve seen hickory golf grow dramatically in recent years. It’s encouraging to see the sport grow in this direction and I highly recommend golfers try it not just because it is the business I am in but to experience a bit of the roots of this game the way it was played over 100 years ago. Quite addictive. I find when I do get out and play that I choose to play my hickories much more often than my modern clubs. It’s simply more fun and challenging.
Dan
Mar 13, 2015 at 8:00 pm
I live in a Detroit suberb. We have a group (The Wyandotte Hickory Organization, Wyandotte, MI) with over 60 members from 5 states and Canada who play hickories 1-3 times per week. We have 2 tournaments every year where we wear knickers (some guys wear kilts), ties, period hats, and we are lead onto the course by a bag piper. We also play several matches every summer against a group of players from the other side of the state, Grand Rapids (The Michigan Hickory Tour). Great fun.
My hickory handicap is about the same as my modern club handicap. Hickory play has actually improved my handicap because tempo is so important in hickories. Every year we play a hickory match against the local high school varsity golf team. Yes, they use some of our extra player sets,,,and they have a ball. They can’t go out for a beer after with us,,,but someday.
If anyone reading this lives in Michigan or Northern Ohio and would like to try hickories we have a lot of play sets. Contact me at: danielriley9807@att.net.
Oh, the cost of joining the WHO (our mascot is obviously an owl) is the cost of a shirt and a hat and a round of drinks.
Jim
Mar 13, 2015 at 5:00 pm
Good information. Lots more can be found on the website of the Society of Hickory Golfers. Look under “Resources” and you’ll info on finding hickory clubs and putting together a starter set. Good fun learning about this style of golf. One thing for sure, it’s a lot more fun to play.
cody
Mar 13, 2015 at 2:58 pm
nice write up. The only thing that I would have included would be where can you acquire the gear?
RI_Redneck
Mar 13, 2015 at 10:58 am
LOL. Great first post there bud. On a serious note, I hope to acquire a couple of sets so my son and I can start participating in this. I love the old stuff and trying Hickory is #1 on my bucket list. Love to play in Scotland at that tourney. That would be the BEST!!
U3
Mar 13, 2015 at 9:47 am
3.5 hours to 4 hours is TOO LONG playing on shorter course with hickory. You should be getting done in under 3 hours.
Jon
Mar 13, 2015 at 10:41 am
U3, if you believe that rounds played with hickory should take less than 3 hours then shouldn’t we all be playing hickory instead of modern equipment? The courses I play our 4-somes can get around in about 3-3.5 hours with modern equipment. If we switch to hickory we should be able to finish in about 2.5 hours. Please explain so I can better understand the logic.
Dan
Mar 13, 2015 at 8:04 pm
It takes us no longer to play a round with hickories than to play a round with modern clubs. Time is a function of the player, not the clubs.