Hickory Golf Glossary
Hickory golf has its own language. Before clubs had numbers, they had names that described what they did and how they were built. Below you'll find definitions for the club types you'll see on this site and the restoration terms I use in my workshop. Knowing these terms helps you understand what you're holding -- and what it took to make it right.
Club Types -- Woods
Brassie
The fairway wood of the hickory era, roughly equivalent to a modern 2-wood. Named for the brass plate fitted to the sole that protected the wooden head when striking the ball off hard ground. The brassie was the go-to club for long fairway shots where a driver was too risky. A well-made brassie is one of the most satisfying clubs in a hickory bag.
Driver (Play Club)
The longest club in the bag, used for tee shots. In the hickory era, drivers were also called "play clubs." The heads were carved from persimmon or fruitwood, with a relatively shallow face compared to modern drivers. Hickory drivers demand a smooth, sweeping swing -- you can't overpower them.
Spoon
A lofted fairway wood, roughly equivalent to a modern 3-wood. The name comes from the slightly concave (spooned) face that helped get the ball airborne. Spoons came in several varieties -- short spoon, middle spoon, long spoon -- with varying degrees of loft. One of the most versatile wood clubs in a hickory set.
Baffy (Baffing Spoon)
A highly lofted wood, roughly equivalent to a modern 4- or 5-wood. The name comes from "baffing" -- striking the ground slightly behind the ball to pop it into the air. The baffy was an approach wood, used for shorter shots where you needed height and a soft landing. Less common in modern hickory play sets but historically important.
Club Types -- Irons
Cleek
A long iron with minimal loft, roughly equivalent to a modern 1- or 2-iron. The cleek was used for long, low-running approach shots and was one of the first iron clubs widely adopted. The name likely derives from the Scottish word for "hook," referring to the club's hooked head shape. Cleeks require a skilled hand and clean strike.
Mid-Iron
Exactly what it sounds like -- the iron in the middle of the set. Roughly equivalent to a modern 2- or 3-iron. The mid-iron bridged the gap between the cleek's distance and the mashie's versatility. A solid, dependable club for approach play from medium distances.
Mashie
The workhorse of the hickory bag, roughly equivalent to a modern 5-iron. The mashie was the most commonly used and most versatile iron -- good for approach shots, pitching, and even chipping around the green. If you only had one iron in your bag, the mashie would be the one. The term may derive from the French "massue" (club or mace).
Mashie-Niblick
A club falling between the mashie and the niblick, roughly equivalent to a modern 7-iron. This was an approach club for shorter distances where the mashie carried too far and the niblick was too much loft. The mashie-niblick is one of the most playable clubs for modern hickory golfers transitioning from numbered irons.
Niblick
The short-game specialist, roughly equivalent to a modern 9-iron or pitching wedge. The niblick had the most loft of any iron and was used for pitching, chipping, and escaping bunkers and rough. The name may come from "nib" (a short, blunt projection), describing the club's stubby face. Every hickory set needs a good niblick.
Jigger
A shallow-faced utility iron used primarily for approach shots and run-up play around the green. The jigger sits between a putter and a short iron in terms of loft, roughly equivalent to a chipper or gap club. It was especially popular on links courses where a low, running approach was preferable to a high pitch. Not every set included one, but players who carried a jigger swore by it.
Putting Cleek
An iron-headed putter, as opposed to wooden-headed mallets. The putting cleek had a flat, minimal-loft face designed for smooth strokes on the green. Many hickory golfers preferred the putting cleek for its feedback and precision. These are among the most elegant clubs in the hickory era, with clean lines and simple design.
Club Sets & Configurations
Matched Set
A set of clubs made by the same manufacturer, often with matching stampings, shaft profiles, and design elements. Before mass production, matched sets were a mark of quality and consistency. In hickory golf, a matched set from a single maker -- Spalding, MacGregor, Kro-Flite -- is prized both for collectability and for the consistent feel across clubs.
Play Set
A curated set of clubs assembled and restored for actual play, as opposed to display. A play set may include clubs from different makers if they complement each other, though matched sets are preferred. Every play set sold by Old World Hickory Golf has been individually tested and confirmed tournament-ready.
Restoration & Repair Terms
Reshaft
Removing a damaged or broken shaft and replacing it with a new hickory shaft. This is the most common restoration procedure. The new shaft must match the original specifications -- taper, flex, length, and diameter at the hosel. I use premium American hickory blanks, turned and tapered by hand to match the club's era and intended performance. A proper reshaft transforms a dead club back into a player.
Refinish
Stripping the old finish from a wood club head and applying new protective coatings. For hickory-era clubs, this means period-correct varnishes or shellacs -- not modern polyurethane. The goal is protection and appearance that matches what the club would have looked like when new, while preserving the patina and character marks that tell its story. I don't make clubs look "new." I make them look right.
Regrip
Removing a worn or deteriorated grip and installing a new one. Hickory clubs were originally gripped with leather wraps, suede, or cloth underlisting. Modern replacements should match the era -- a leather wrap grip on a 1920s club, not a rubber grip from the 1960s. The grip is your only contact with the club, so it has to feel correct.
Repin
Replacing the pin that secures the club head to the shaft through the hosel. Over time, original pins can loosen, rust, or break. The pin is a small but critical piece -- without it, the head can twist or fly off mid-swing. Repinning involves drilling out the old pin and fitting a new one precisely.
Whipping
The thread wrapping applied around the junction where the shaft enters the club head (the hosel). Whipping serves both a structural and decorative purpose -- it reinforces the joint and prevents moisture from entering the hosel gap. Different eras used different whipping materials and techniques. I notice when someone used the wrong type of whipping for a club's period. Getting this detail right matters.
Horn Ferrule (Horn)
A small sleeve made from animal horn (usually ram or buffalo) fitted at the base of a wood club head where the shaft meets the hosel. The horn ferrule protects the wood from splitting at this high-stress junction. Original horn ferrules often crack or deteriorate over a century of use. Replacing them requires careful fitting -- too loose and it serves no purpose, too tight and you risk cracking the wood.
Face Insert
A material inset into the striking face of a wood club head. Common inserts included fiber, leather, bone, ivory, and later, aluminum or composite materials. The insert protected the relatively soft persimmon or fruitwood face from damage and affected the feel and sound at impact. Replacing a worn or missing face insert requires matching the original material and dimensions.
Retrofit
Converting a club that was not originally play-ready into playable condition. This may involve a combination of reshafting, regripping, refinishing, and structural repairs. A retrofit goes beyond simple restoration -- it's taking a club that might have been decorative or damaged and giving it new life as a functional playing instrument. The most satisfying work I do.
Sole Plate
A metal plate (typically brass) affixed to the bottom of a wood club head. Sole plates protected the wood from ground contact during the swing. On a brassie, the sole plate is the defining feature. Damaged or missing sole plates need to be replaced with period-appropriate materials -- the right alloy, the right thickness, the right fastening method.
Scoring Lines
The grooves cut into the face of an iron or the insert of a wood club. Scoring lines provide grip on the ball at impact, creating spin. On antique clubs, scoring lines may be worn smooth from decades of play. Re-cutting scoring lines on wood clubs is done with specialized tools -- my oldest is a Majestic face marking tool from the 1890s that I got from Chris McIntyre. One stroke. Perfect every time.
Period-Correct
Materials, techniques, and finishes that match what was originally used during the era a club was manufactured. Period-correct restoration means using the right varnish for a 1910 club, the right whipping style for a 1920s iron, the right grip wrap for a pre-war putter. It's the difference between a club that looks restored and one that looks right.
Materials
Hickory (Wood)
A North American hardwood from the Carya genus, prized for golf club shafts from the 1860s through the early 1930s. Hickory is exceptionally strong, shock-resistant, and flexible -- properties that allow it to absorb and transmit energy efficiently in a golf swing. No other wood matched its combination of strength and whip. When steel shafts arrived in the 1930s, hickory's reign ended, but the material remains unmatched for the feel it delivers.
Persimmon
A dense, fine-grained hardwood used for wood club heads. Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) was the standard head material for drivers, brassies, and spoons because it was hard enough to withstand repeated ball strikes while remaining workable for shaping. The best persimmon heads came from slow-grown trees with tight grain patterns.
Suede Grip
A soft leather grip material commonly used on hickory club restorations. Suede provides excellent feel and traction, closely approximating the original leather wraps used on many hickory-era clubs. For tournament play and historical accuracy, suede is the preferred modern grip material.
Gutta-Percha (Gutty)
A rubber-like material derived from tropical sapodilla trees, used to make golf balls from the 1850s through the early 1900s. The "gutty" ball replaced the featherie and was itself replaced by the Haskell rubber-core ball around 1900. Modern hickory golf tournaments often use reproduction gutta-percha balls for the most authentic playing experience.