What's the Lingo of Hickory Golf?

You've probably seen photos of 1920s-30s golfers similar to these, and you might have observed hickory shafted golf clubs on display in golf course lounges or in your buddy's den. But one of the most intriguing aspects of Hickory Golf is the unique terminology associated with apparel and equipment. Let's start with the pants you see in the photos above. While most of us just refer to them as "knickers", I've learned that the different lengths are denoted by descriptive names. If the legs extend 4" below the knee, those are known as "Plus Fours". Two inches below the knees? Why, "Plus Twos", of course! So, how about pants which end at the knee...are they "Plus Zeros"? Nope, they're called "Breeks", which makes no sense, but that is half the fun!

Even more awesome and unusual nomenclature is reserved for the different hickory shaft clubs. All my fellow modern golfers know that you've got irons, numbered between 1-9, wedges, which are either called by a name, like "pitching", "gap", "sand", or "lob", or are differentiated by degree of loft: 50, 56, 60,etc. What used to be called "Woods" (because the heads were made of...you guessed it...wood!) are called Drivers (usually tagged with a 1), and Fairway metals (carrying the numbers 3-7). Finally, you got your "Hybrids", which combine the qualities of fairway metals and irons. Pretty boring names, yes? Well, here's what hickory counterparts are called: "Brassie", "Cleek","Baffy" and "Spoon" are woods; irons have equally musical names, like "Mashie", "Niblick", "Jigger", and of course, "Mashie-Niblick". One thing that hasn't changed; "Putter" is still a putter. One of the most memorable moments from my first-ever round of hickory golf, was this exchange: "Brilliant shot, Dave! Did you employ your Niblick?" "Thank you, Tom, but I struck that with a cleanly-hit Mashie!"