Posted On: Monday, July 188, 2025
Jeff Forgrave with a hickory club from his collection.
Hickory clubs were still being used in 1925 when Saugeen Golf Club opened. So it's fitting that the Golf Historical Society of Canada is bringing those vintage clubs back to Saugeen for a special day to commemorate the club's 100th anniversary.
The event will take place July 13 and members will be invited to play with Historical Society members and try to hit some, or all of their shots, with the clubs. The society members will be dressed in Plus Fours - popular golf attire in the period leading up to when hickory shafts were replaced with steel. That happened around 1930 and all the leading players except for the legendary amateur Bobby Jones switched to steel shafts. Jones actually won his Grand Slam title - all four majors in a single season - using hickory shafts.
Jeff Forgrave, a "hickory ambassador" with the Historical Society, says hickory clubs are very durable and golfers will find a "three-club" difference in distance from today's clubs. And don't expect much spin from them as they don't have the forged steel grooves found on modern clubs. The move to steel shafts made the game easier but Forgrave still enjoys using them, especially on courses that were operating in the hickory era (he even played the iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links with hickories). The key to having fun playing hickories is to choose the right tee box. "No par 4s longer than 350 yards," he said.
The Saugeen event, called Wooden Sticks Day, will feature a nostalgic menu with throwback prices - $1.25 for a hotdog or pimento cheese sandwiches, peameal bacon "Sandies" for $2.25 and ice cream sundaes for $1.25. Afternoon entertainment will be provided by Fresh Breath, the Canadian husband-and-wife duo Josh and Katie Pascoe.