Survey on Club Acceptability

Dear Hickory Golfer

As you almost certainly know there is much discussion as to what constitutes a suitable club for use in hickory tournaments. We would like to get the opinions of as many hickory golfers as possible as to the acceptability of various clubs for play. The categories below ionclude most of the various categories. We understand that ther are various other possible ways of categorising clubs, but we had to come up with a list of categories for the purposes of this survey. At the end of this page is a summary of some of the thinking of various players with whom we have already had a discussion. Read it if you wish before completeing the survey, but please don't feel that we are trying to force your thinking inany particular direction!

Club Categories

Here are the categories of hickory clubs that have been developed for the purposes of this survey:

• 1. Complete original vintage era clubs with completly original grips and shafts, or replacement leather grips.
• 1a. Complete original vintage era clubs with original shaft, or vintage replacement shaft but with alterations repairs or enhancements such as might have been made by a clubmaker or professional of the period. Examples include new leather grips, face inserts for woods, weight added, flex adjustment new vintage hickory shaft.
• 2. Original vintage era heads with replacement 'modern' hickory shafts and grips. Grips are authentic reproductions.
• 3. Reproduction clubs which attempt to mimic exactly the vintage era clubs (Bobby Jones replicas may fall into this category).
• 4. Reproduction clubs that attempt to replicate the feel, look and spirit of vintage era clubs.
• 5. Retro-fitted clubs from the transitional era, hickory shafts put into persimion heads that were formerly fitted with a steel shaft. (During the transitional era many manufactures fitted their clubs with either hickory or steel shafts.)
• 6.Retro-fitted clubs from the post-vintage era clubs
• 7. Reproduction clubs that have a hickory shaft but improve on vintage clubs by incorporating 'modern' technology.

Survey

For each category of club please indicate what you feel is the degree of acceptability, and add any comments that you wish

Talking points on each club group:

Below are few of the opinions expressed in the committees discussions. These are in no way intended to guide your answers, but we thought they may be useful in explaining our thinking. If you do not want to be influenced in any way skip this section and go directly to the survey

1 & 1a. Complete agreement that this is acceptable

2. Almost complete agreement that this is acceptable. Some replacement grips may be questionable.

3 & 4. Although many players feel that this is 'cheating', for practical reasons most feel that clubs that fall into this category are acceptable.

Pro point: If made in the spirit of the era no advantage ensues from playing an individual club.

Con Point: The matched set posits a considerable advantage over the unmatched set of the average player.

Pro Point: If a player can put together a matched set of authentic vintage clubs, the no advantage ensues, however it can take several years to put together such a set.

Pro Point: Many older players do not have the several years necessary to put together such a set!

Pro Point: When broken, easily replaced. If a category 1 club is broken there is much wailing and gnashing of teeth!

Con Point: A reproduction club will never have the cachet of a good original!

5. Much controvosy here!

Con Point: A part time or uninformed collector may be tricked into thinking he has a genuine hickory club. However this is a 'collectable' issue rather than a 'playing' issue.

Pro point: From a practical point of view many players are using these clubs. It would be difficult to stem the tide.

6. Not much controversy here. Iron clubs in this category are NOT in the spirit of hickory golf!! They also offer a considerable advantage over vintage era clubs. Persimion woods may be acceptable.

7. No controversy here. 99% of us feel they are not within the spirit of the game and that they should not be acceptable for tournament play.