What Would Have Been In Your Bag In 1862

[dcmccobb]

I am sure you have always wondered what golf clubs would have been in your golf bag in 1862. Well, it would probably have been very much like this.

 

The names of your clubs would have been play-club, long-spoon, mid-spoon, short-spoon, gaffing-spoon, driving-putter, putter, sand-iron, cleek and niblick. The last three have iron heads and the others wood heads. In some links the mid-spoon, baffing-spoon, driving-putter and niblick may be not be used, but in links such as St. Andrews, Prestwick and others you would probably have this whole set.

 

These clubs have the following uses:

 

The play-club was your driver used in those days for “swiping off the tee”. It may also be used off of a good lie when distance is needed. By the way the tee was placed a few yards from the hole on a small pinch of sand. It is noted that long drivers were able to drive the ball upwards to 200 yards.

 

The long-spoon actually had a somewhat scooped out face to help you elevate the ball and was used when your ball lay in a hollow or rough grassy ground and needed a far shot over a bunker or a hazard.

 

Your mid-spoon served the same purpose as your long-spoon, but for shorter distances.

 

The short-spoon is a club you would use frequently. It is used for both good lying and bad lying golf balls inside 100 yards of the flag. This was termed the “quarter game”, and like today, many a match was won by the skillful quarter game player.

 

The baffing-spoon was shorter still and very much spooned. It was used inside of 50 yards of the flag when a hazard had to be hit over. Apparently, it was so much spooned that you had to swing hard to carry your ball very far, but a skilled golfer could loft it up and let it fall near to the hole.

 

The driver-putter was shorter in the shaft and had a larger head than the play-club. It was used to drive the ball into a strong head wind.

 

The putter had a short shaft with a largish flattish head used on the green or when close to the hole for “holing out”.

 

Some golfers, however, preferred a putting-iron for this purpose. This was similar with an iron face. Like today being a good putter was the aim of all golfers, but even in those days few attained it. In fact a showy driver was much more common, but the superior putter often won the hole. (Not much has change, has it?)

 

The sand-iron, like today, is used when you are in a sand bunker. It was a short, thick-shafted, stiff weapon, with an iron head, hollowed out in the center and sloped backward. Its lower edge was sharp for digging your golf ball out of the sand and landing on the green.

 

The cleek was rather longer than the sand-iron and used for lifting your ball over a sand trap or hazard near the green. The face of the cleek was straight unlike the sand-iron and sloped backward.

 

The niblick was very important. It was used when your golf ball lay in a narrow cart rut, horseshoe or other print in sand, thick grass or a deep hollow. The head was very small and heavy, about one half the size of a sand-iron, and shaped into a hollow, with the iron sloping slightly backward. This peculiar shape enabled the golfer to get his ball out of difficulties that no other club could so was invaluable in a course where these hazards existed.

 

I find it interesting to note that of the ten different clubs listed, more than half of them were for shots of less than 100 yards. Even in 1862 the golfers wanted a variety of clubs to handle short delicate shots. Outside of 100 yards they only needed four clubs to get the ball close to the green so that they could use their quarter and short games. Today we think we should be hitting for the green if we are within 150 of the flag. In 1862 the idea was just to get the ball close, and then shoot for the hole. I wonder if we wouldn't have better scores and if we didn't adopt the 1862 approach to golf.

[daves81]

Good Post Don,Glad to see your posts again .Havent heard from you in awhile dave

[Stephen_Peszel]

Excellent, I thought a few pics and links would be nice:

Old clubs 1

Collage

 

This is a good link to history of golf clubs History

 

And here's a link to a golf club quiz based on the theme of old clubs.

Antique Quiz

[bha2597]

omg 220 yards with a wood club :o :o :o :o

[GolfSpy WD]

I couldn't sleep last night, so I stumbled across this. Very fun read. Oddly enough, if you look at just the degree of each club, they aren't far off from what probably most amateurs hit nowadays (albeit with MUCH more forgiving clubs).

[RoverRick]

 

Probably the Henry Repeating Rifle would have been in my bag. Texas did not get it first golf course until 1916. Interestingly, the original Rocket Ball was a form of caseless ammunition that was fired from what later became the Winchester Rifle. Winchester did not come along until 1866. I probably would have changed in 1866 to the Winchester because I am sure I would have been a "gun ho". The Henry was tops in 1862.

[RoverRick]

Excellent, I thought a few pics and links would be nice:

Old clubs 1

Collage

 

This is a good link to history of golf clubs History

 

And here's a link to a golf club quiz based on the theme of old clubs.

Antique Quiz

 

It would be really cool to see todays top players play a tournament with these clubs on a modern course. Maybe even a modern golf ball. Or at least a round one. Something like the Travistock Cup. Let them wear clothing of the period if they wanted. Of course it would have to be at St. Andrews.

[Jmikecpa]

It would be really cool to see todays top players play a tournament with these clubs on a modern course. Maybe even a modern golf ball. Or at least a round one. Something like the Travistock Cup. Let them wear clothing of the period if they wanted. Of course it would have to be at St. Andrews.

 

There is a following for this type of game and even a tour that supports it. While not tour pros these guys use reproductions of the hickory era and play on somewhat modern courses. I think it would be blast to try this out and have read about Tad Moore's support of these events.

 

Hickory Open

 

And belly putter and long putters are specifically banned

[RoverRick]

 

I find it interesting to note that of the ten different clubs listed, more than half of them were for shots of less than 100 yards. Even in 1862 the golfers wanted a variety of clubs to handle short delicate shots. Outside of 100 yards they only needed four clubs to get the ball close to the green so that they could use their quarter and short games. Today we think we should be hitting for the green if we are within 150 of the flag. In 1862 the idea was just to get the ball close, and then shoot for the hole. I wonder if we wouldn't have better scores and if we didn't adopt the 1862 approach to golf.

 

Of course we would have to have a copy of the rules. The rules were sort of local until 1899, but were all based on the Edinburgh Rules of 1744.

 

Articles & Laws in Playing at Golf.

 

1. You must Tee your Ball within a Club's length of the Hole.

 

2. Your Tee must be upon the Ground.

 

3. You are not to change the Ball which you Strike off the Tee.

 

4. You are not to remove Stones, Bones or any Break Club, for the sake of playing your Ball, Except upon the fair Green and that only / within a Club's length of your Ball.

 

5. If your Ball comes among watter, or any wattery filth, you are at liberty to take out your Ball & bringing it behind the hazard and Teeing it, you may play it with any Club and allow your Adversary a Stroke for so getting out your Ball.

 

6. If your Balls be found any where touching one another, You are to lift the first Ball, till you play the last.

 

7. At Holling, you are to play your Ball honestly for the Hole, and not to play upon your Adversary's Ball, not lying in your way to the Hole.

 

8. If you should lose your Ball, by it's being taken up, or any other way, you are to go back to the Spot, where you struck last, & drop another Ball, And allow your adversary a Stroke for the misfortune.

 

9. No man at Holling his Ball, is to be allowed, to mark his way to the Hole with his Club, or anything else.

 

10. If a Ball be stopp'd by any Person, Horse, Dog or anything else, The Ball so stop'd must be play'd where it lyes.

 

11. If you draw your Club in Order to Strike, & proceed so far in the Stroke as to be bringing down your Club; If then, your Club shall break, in any way, it is to be Accounted a Stroke.

 

12. He whose Ball lyes farthest from the Hole is obliged to play first.

 

13. Neither Trench, Ditch or Dyke, made for the preservation of the Links, nor the Scholar's Holes, or the Soldier's Lines, Shall be accounted a Hazard; But the Ball is to be taken out teed /and play'd with any Iron Club.

 

John Rattray, Capt

 

I wonder would we not better off if we went back to the original rules. But even then they would have to be modified. There would be a problem teeing the ball up for the next hole "whilst still on the green". But this time of year we have a lot of "wattery filth".

[Jmikecpa]

#6 is a rule to live by.