Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-05
MAKING AGOLF STICKS
A NEW INDUSTRY FOR THE
UNITED STATES.
The Best Workmasn Are Players Them
selves and So Acquire Expert
knowledge.

fioh Tue ocieatihc American.
The increased love of outdoor exercise in
America Is responsible for several new in
dustries which have already become so i'm
portant as to give employment to large
force Of workmen and represent the extern
sive investment of capital.
One of the industries which has had it's
inception in the United States only within
the last few years is the making of golf
clubs and balls. It is unnecessary to refer
to the remarkable popularity of the game,
and today one can find ''golf courses" al.
the way from the Atlantic to the Pacific
organizations devoted to the pastime have
been formed in every community of Signi1-
canoe in the country. and the army of play
ers Is composed Of residents of every state
In the Union 70 During the two or three
years following the Introduction of the
sport players depended principally on
the British factories for the contents of
their bags, and the cost of the imported
outht deferred many from enjoying day
on the course. American enterprise, how
ever, was quick to note the opportunities
to manufacture and sell this class of sport
ing goods. and some of the larger compa-
MES making bicycles tennis racuuetS. GRO
quet sets and base ball clubs added a golf
department. So extensive has the industry
become that in the west Hs we'll as the
east are plants employing over 800 hands
each, whose entire product is The golf club.
1t forms one of the principal industries OF
a town in Massachusetts. where one fac
tory turns out thousand clubs daily in
the busy season.
An Elaborate Process.
In spite Of It's apparently simple construc-
ton the golf club passes through an elabo-
rate series of processes before it is ready
for the market 1t consists of two main
he Sbaf he
Is usually OF wood. material is selected with
view not only to it's hardness. but tough
ness; the best quality of hickory is pre-
ferred for the purpose, each tree being
carefully examined in the forest before it
| Is cut down. The wood comes to the fac
tory sawed into planks Of suitable thick
ness, and is again sawed into square strips
or the requisite length. A simple form of
turning lathe is used to round off or turn
the shafts, but as yet no power device has
been invented which will complete the
shape. and considerable labor is required
with hand tools to work it down to the eX-
act tensions: this operation necesSitateS
long experience and good eye to insure the
proper taperlng of the shaft So particular
is the manufacturer that sometimes 80 per
cent OF the sawed shafts may be rejected on
account OF some slight defect before unno-
ticed.
the head-anothef operation recurring much
skill, as perfect fit must be insured to
Withstand The strain at the Joint Dog
WOOD ana persimmon are most extensively
used Tor the wooden head. They come to
the headmaker in blanks from the saw A
machine specially designed for the purpose
cuts them down to a rough semblance Of
the mead but here again the rest of the
work must be done by hand. and chisel, file
and sandpaper are indispensable. The shaft
and head are spliced one to another by
means OF a strong cord. The operator winds
about the joint a. fine cord, made of water
oh Stra,, 1T
and evenly that 1t seems a part of the wood
| itself when the whipping is completed The
so-called iron clubs composed almost
entirely of steel, as it is found that a mild
grade of this material is best suited for
these clubs d.
Deft ,Blacksmiths.
First quality heads are made entirely by
hand, and here the .blacksmith's anvil and
hammers come into play, yet the cleek MAX
ers become 50 expert in their line that they
can duplicate almost any model of head not
only in size, but almost precisely in shape,
SO deft are they in welding the. hammer
Most of the metal heads. however are drop
forsings. and to this process is largely due
the greatly reduced cost of the golf outfit
Tor 1t saves much time and labor
All Of the heads. however, are finished on
polishing spindes which. revolving rapidly.
act upon the surface as sandpaper does on
wood, removing all rough spots and giving
them the luster of silver when the operation
is completed.
The putting on of the grip or handle is
done so rapidly that skilled workman will
complete the operation in little over a
minute. For the best clubs horsehide is
used entirely, but sheepskin is found to be
TAR substitute and Is wound on the other
grades. The hide is cut into strips of the
proper length and width by machinery. but
the workman wraps the grip around by
hand with few dexterous motions cIinct :
ing the loose end with small brads or glue
Sometimes the entire shaft is covered with
the finishing coat Of varniSh, but first the
tiers the fiber and plays an important part
In protecting 1t from the weather. over
this Is placed the varnish, and after a Wig
orous rubbing the club is ready for the
player.
Scottish Skill.
Scotland is the home of the most expert
makers Of the golfers outfit, and to them ia
due much of the skill which has been ac
quired by the Americans. A large number