Golf Historical Society of Canada

Club Names

For All Hickory Play

The following names and numbers apply to wooden shafted golf clubs, both pre-1900 and post-1900:

Typical
Ref #
Club
Type

Common Hickory 

Club Name

Modern Equivalent Club

Lie, Loft and Length

1 Wood Driver (or Play Club) Driver
2 Wood Brassie 2-wood
3 Wood Spoon 3-wood
4 Wood Cleek 4-wood
5 Wood Baffy * 5-wood
1 Iron Driving iron or Cleek 3-iron
2 Iron Mid-Iron 4-iron
3 Iron Mid-Mashie 5-iron
4 Iron Mashie Iron ** 6-iron
5 Iron Mashie 7-iron
6 Iron Spade Mashie *** 8-iron
7 Iron Mashie Niblick 9-iron
8 Iron Pitching Niblick Pitching Wedge
9 Iron Niblick Gap Wedge
S Iron Sand Iron Sand Wedge
P Putter Putter Putter

Wood shafts were generally made from hickory wood. In addition, bamboo and other woods were also used.

* A wood of similar loft but with a “stubby” face was known as a “Bulldog.”

** There was also a club with a similar loft but smaller clubhead known as a “Jigger.” This was often used for run-up shots and chipping. Some variations had longer shafts and were therefore used for longer shots, often where a low trajectory was desired. A variation on the Jigger was the “Sammy” which had rounded edges.

*** According to Louisville Golf, Ben Sayers did not like the shape of the Mashie Niblick , so he asked Tom Stewart to make him a club that looked like a mashie but had the loft of the mashie niblick. This club became know as the Benny and ended up as a club of 38 degrees to replace the Spade Mashie and fill the gap between the mashie and the mashie niblick. 

Note: For more information about the how and why of the various clubs listed above, you are directed to read H.G. Hutchinson’s 28-page mini-book, “The Early Days of Golf – Clubs and Balls” circa 1900. See our Recommended Reading list.

 

For Pre-1900 Hickory Play

Long-nose wooden clubs consisted of Driver/Play Club, Brassie, Long Spoon, Short Spoon and Baffing Spoon. Some of these clubs had brass plates. Pre-1900 irons are sometimes called “smoothies” since they had no scoring or marks on the club faces. These hand-forged clubs were usually heavier and thicker than their post-1900 equivalents. Most smoothie sets are short sets with only 3-4 irons, so loft gapping tends to be wider (e.g. 20, 25, 35, 45 and 55 degrees).

 

 

Golf Historical Society of Canada
1346 Clyde Rd.
Cambridge, ON N1R 5S7

Please contact me. I'm interested!