Evening star., 1937-01-12


~ still retain their fondness for
4 n wooden-shafted golf clubs, the
day Of the hickory shaft definitely is
gone, according to Bill Hardy, last Of
the men around Washington who fash
ions golf clubs by hand by the old
handwork methods. An order for
wooden-shafted clubs Is almost as
much rarity as an eagle on the golf
course these days, says Hardy, who
works day after day at his bench at
the Chevy Chase Club trying to catch
up with the orders pouring in on him
for handmade golf tools. But there are
a few of the old school left, men who
started with the wooden shaft and
who have kept to 1t during the days
of development Of steel to its present
perfection.
IT FEEL sometimes as If worked in a
L blacksmith shop" smiles Hardy.
"but those steel shafts make up into
nice-looking golf club"
Anything much new in steel shafts
this year?" I asked him.
Nothing we didn't have last year"
Bill said. "Of course you realize there
are several kinds Of steel shafts in sew.
eral grades of stiffness.
"The goofy idea Of whippy
steel shafts passed out couple
Of years ago and the modern
steel shaft Of today is a pretty
smooth piece of stun.
1T hasn't, to my mind. quite the
feel of hickory but 1t comes pretty
close, and it isn't as perishable. Those
wooden shafts warped and lost their
kick sometimes, If you happened to
get a soft piece of wood. But good
wooden shaft, steely stiff and with q
kick in it, was a beautiful thing and
something to prize beyond price.
Working with steel shafts Is a
cinch. We used to have to plane and
file away on wood and 1t took a long
time to fashion the shaft just right.
When 1t was right 1t was just about
the sweetest thing in the game but 1t
took a lot of work. And there doesn't
seem to be much doubt that the pros
are playing a faster game of golf. from
the scoring angle. since the steel shaft
became universal.
Remember when Walter Tucker
man brought out the first steel shaft
here about IA years ago? 1t was a
latticed thing. given him by Allan
Lard and when he swung 1t the darn
thing whistled. But it worked, and 1t
worked we'll. And soon the market was
flooded with all kinds of steel shafts.
For while they were just segments Of
fishing rods stuck in golf club heads.
but then the engineers got busy and did
some good designing and today We
have good shaft. Most of the play
these days seems to be for the STEP
down shaft with a little kick put in
under the grip, but the other kind
that have the kick Just above the
clubhead also are popular. Ho. hum.
wonder what became Of those won-
derful workmen We had at golf
benches back in the old days.
Tell you what, though" said Bill
1T did an old clubmaker's heart good
to see John Fischer win the amateur
championship with wooden shafts.
1T goes to show that after all
1t isn't so much the tools as the
workmen.
John had a set of old bats he hac
gathered over the years and he wor
with 'em, which shows that the!
haven't yet devised automatic golI
clubs that will play the shots"
ID AYMOND WILLETT is getting tc
be quite a golfer. The kid who holds
down the fort in the Kenwood golt
shop used to admire Al Houghton's
golf game when Al was the boss
around Kenwood, and the other day
Willett took his former boss on fol
nine holes. He shot IS at Al and
licked him. Willett sleeps in the goli
| shop at night since the recent rob.