Traditional Clubs And The Development Of The Standardised SetIn the days before mass production each golfer designed their own club to suit his/her own game. The clubs themselves were individually made by a blacksmith and so there was no standard length or shape. Each player's stance differed and the types of strokes and techniques they used were vastly different from each other.
From the birth of golf, clubs were referred to by specific names. There was the Niblick which was the most popular club of all. The angle of the face made it a high lofted shot but also it was meant to give some distance. The common misconception is that a Niblick was a 9 iron but that is not quite correct. Yes, the angle may have been similar to that of a 9, but the stance and swing were very different. Instead of having your feet facing forward towards the ball, your feet would be situated facing towards the direction you wanted the ball to travel and the ball was situated next to the golfer. Thus the play was off the hip in more of a swiping motion. The Niblick was a very commonly used club.
Other commonly known club names are the Mashie, which has the angle of a modern day 5 iron but in fact a closer resemblance to the modern 7 iron. The 7 iron is the club that most novices and fairway hackers were most comfortable using. It's the easiest club to play that offers the best overall distance versus loft. It's true today that the 5-7 irons are the easiest clubs to learn with. Unless, you're on a mini putt.
There was an iron specifically for sand traps or bunkers which was called the "rake". It was the club designed to loft the ball out of the bunkers or deep sand. Specifically, it was like an upside down rake, the idea being that it cut through the sand and allowed the ball to be struck by the tines.
Traditional names for some of the woods exist as well. The 2 wood was commonly called a Brassie as it was given a brass face. The 3, 4 and 5 woods were called spoons as their faces were slightly concave. There were an number of fairway woods for use on the fairway with a reasonable angle of loft. These were called Baffling Spoons. It was apparently a fairly easy club to play providing loft and distance, but like all woods, required practice and consistency to master.
Times have changed. Now most clubs are factory produced and are consistent in their length, weight, angles and loft. Most golf clubs today are made from steel or aluminum. Even more modern materials like carbon fiber shafts and titanium heads are available depending on one's needs and the size of one's checkbook.
If you are thinking of about buyinggolf gifts for the golfer on your list consider the retro wooden look of Zenieus Vintage Series. These drivers are beautifully made and look the real thing but are made of modern materials.
