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!"

Do I Have The Balls To Play Hickory Golf?

What the heck is "Hickory Golf"? More to the point, why is this worth a blog? Well, I'll start by answering the first question: Hickory Golf is the sporting equivalent to Civil War reenactment. You've seen those men, women and sometimes children who dress in uniforms and period dress of the 1860s, toting authentic reproductions of muskets, rifles, cap and ball revolvers, swords and sabers? Yep, the same folks who take over local parks and even Civil War battlefield sites, setting up Union and Confederate camps, playing "Dixie" or "Battle Hymn of the Republic" with fifes and drums, marching about in long ranks and pretending to shoot each other while yelling "Huzzah, Boys, Huzzah!"

Hickory Golfers do much the same thing, except instead of carrying muskets and sabers, they sling leather and canvas golf bags over their shoulders, filled with a mix of antique and reproduction hickory-shafted golf clubs. They fire reproductions of 1920s golf balls rather than black powder cartridges. The proper Hickory Golfer is decked out in "Plus-Fours", knee socks, dress shirts, ties, argyle sweater vests, leather golf shoes, and wool/cotton newsboy-style caps...no baseball hats allowed! You won't see laser rangefinders or GPS apps, nor any newfangled pushcarts...if you want to stand up your golf bag, just use a couple of sturdy sticks fastened together in an "X" as a bipod.

So now let me address my second question: Why is this outdoor pursuit worth a blog? Simply this...I'm a golf history nerd, and I suspect there are others out there in the blogosphere who might harbor similar tendencies. Since I'm just now discovering the world of hickory golf, I figured my voyage might be fun to document, and perhaps entice others to follow along the path of nerditude. So I invite you all to tee it up alongside me, and experience the delight of learning an old aspect to an even older sport!