Posting a Feature Interview with someone who is as knowledgeable and cares as passionately about a subject as Ralph Livingston is a great honor. And it is particularly rewarding to do so when the subject is pre-1935 golf, where there is so much mis-information.
In order to gain some measure of understanding as to the design intent of golf's Golden Age architects, surely one must seek a general understanding of how the game was played at that time. How far did the ball travel? What were its other playing characteristics? What kind of implements were used, their strengths and weaknesses? How much harder were bunker shots? The general conditioning of golf courses including such issues as irrigation, the amount of run, and green speeds?
Ralph is one of the very, very few people in the world who has this big picture grasp, and as such, he is an enormous resource and his Interview is chock full of facts and quotes. If you ever want to appreciate just how little you know, talk to Ralph - it is a humbling experience, let me tell you
He is presently distinguishing the big, small, and extremely subtle differences in how the game was played in 1935 and 1926...and 1908.... and 1900....and pre-1885. And in the process of doing this extensive research, Ralph came to an interesting conclusion: the game is more fun if played with Hickories than by availing oneself of modern day golf clubs.
And when I think of so many of my all time favorites like Jasper Park and West Sussex and Swinley Forest and Maidstone and Banff and St. Enodoc and Eastward Ho! as being all the more fun as the variety of clubs required during a round increases, Ralph has turned me into a convert. Rather than wait on a special ball or the USGA
to do something, why not take matters into your own hands and start playing Hickories? I can't think of a single reason not to and thus, I am. When I charge over to the UK in October, a set of hickories will be in tow.
For more information, please visit Ralph's web site at
www.hickorygolf.com and in the meanwhile, GolfClubAtlas is very fortunate indeed to be able to post this fascinating Feature Interview.
Cheers,