Golf - the Early Days
It is thought that the first organized golf game was played in America in 1743 in Charleston, SC. Records show that 473 golf balls and ninety-six golf “sticks” arrived there then from Scotland. At that time there was no set number of holes for a round of golf. The game was played on pasture land with no actual tees or greens and crudely dug unmarked holes provided the target. An early version of today’s caddies called “finders” stood by the hole and yelled “fore” as shots were approaching. *3
Golf in Scotland during the late 1800’s was a vastly different game from the game we play today. Golf clubs with plain wooden faces, wooden shafts, smooth leather hand sewn golf balls, sheepskin grips, smooth faced irons and woods were the standard fare. The nineteenth century golfer often carried only seven clubs - although a spare club or two might be in order in the event that a wooden club head might shatter when striking a rock or some other solid obstacle. Of course these are all novelties to the present day golfer.
It is interesting to digress here a moment to note that many of the early golf terms ended with an “-ie”. This suffix actually reflects the language of the eastern coast of Scotland where the game originated. Thus they had caddies, bogies, stymies, and a whole array of oddly named golf equipment. The Scottish “stymie rule” which was often played strategically during a round of golf, lasted until 1952!
“Play it as it lies” meant that errant shots were frequently played from very challenging surfaces - some not actually on the course, such as roads, dirt or even railroad tracks! The “Baffie” a club akin to today’s four wood was often in peril in these off course sites. With a beechwood head, a hickory shaft and a sheepskin grip it was intended to strike the ground behind the ball to impart backspin.
Golf club innovations eventually included a metal sole plate to guard against these unexpected severe rough lies. The “Brassie”, whose loft was was roughly that of a two wood, served as a fairway wood and had a sole plate made of brass for added protection.
The “Mashie” was an all metal club head with approximately a five iron loft. By its name it was likely intended to “mash” a ball out of the tall grasses found in the rough.
“Featherie” golf balls were hand made of hard smooth leather encasing a top hat full of feathers. These balls by their nature were inconsistent, losing their shape when stuck and becoming waterlogged when wet. Despite these shortcomings, it remained the only option for playing golf for many years. Costing the average laborer the equivalent of a full day’s salary, the expense of losing or damaging one of these balls tended to limit the game golf to the wealthy.
The “guttie” ball was an revolutionary change in 1848 - it was manufactured from a rubber like material called gutta percha which went further when struck. Industrial production of the “guttie” dramatically decreased the cost of playing the game versus the hand made “featherie“ ball. A good craftsman could only produce three “featheries” per day versus factory production of three hundred “gutties” in the same amount of time. The resulting lower cost of the guttie made the game accessible to many more people.
Frequent golf club innovations began to appear around this time period as well. The “Cleek” was a metal driving iron with a four iron loft on a longer shaft. It drove the ball the furthest of any iron. The “Spoon” was a slightly hollowed wooden club with a backwards slanting face lofted like today’s three wood. Willie Park Jr., by then an Open Champion, modified the spoon by adding a brass sole plate naming it a “brassie spoon”. Irons began to be played with more frequency when playing the more durable guttie ball.
The molded cover of the guttie produced a period of rapid innovation once it was discovered that a dimpled golf ball flew further than one with a smooth surface. Wille Park Jr., always an innovator, patented a cover with a diamond design in 1890. This was soon followed by a hexagon patterned ball which he called “The Royal”, patented in 1894.
The Haskell ball with its rubber core revolutionized the game upon its arrival in 1901 - adding thirty to forty more yards of distance when struck. Much like the ongoing emergence of additional length aided by today’s advanced technology in golf balls and clubs, during it’s time the Haskell ball inspired the need to redesign many of the existing golf courses in an effort to increase their yardage.
The early Scottish approach to the game of golf, using fewer clubs, required golfers to modify their swing to each situation they found themselves in. Golf in later years, and especially in America, evolved to become a game where selecting the correct club was the deciding factor in how to play the various situations golfers encountered on the course. This change in how the game was played inspired yet another rush of innovation.
Willie Park Jr., capitalizing on his fame as an Open Champion, expanded his father’s golf club and ball production business. He was very innovative with regards to equipment designs during the late 1800’s. An early example of Park’s creativity was the development of a club called the “Lofter”, a precursor to today’s sand wedge, which he designed in 1888. He continued to develop and patent new clubs for his business to market - including the “driving cleek” and a “mashie cleek” in 1890.
It was not until 1902, with the continuous innovations in golf clubs, that grooves were added to the club face of irons. The obvious benefit was the ability to create better backspin.
Putters came in various shapes but most had a straight upright face. Again using his notoriety as an Open Champion plus his reputation as an exceptional putter, Willie Park Jr. marketed the “putting cleek” in 1892. “Park’s Patented Putter” remained quite popular for many years.
Given all of this rather rapid innovation, caddies were forced to carry an ever increasing number and selection of golf clubs! *75
Such was the state of the game when it arrived in New Bedford in 1897.