[Wayne_Kozun]

I am having a set of hickory shafted clubs put together for me.  I plan to play with them occasionally, but not all of the time?  I assume that my scores when playing with hickories will be a few shots worse than when I play with my modern clubs - I have a 9.6 index and I belong to a club.  I imagine most of not all of my hickory rounds will be at my home club.
 
What is the rule for posting rounds played with hickory clubs? 

• Do I post my rounds with hickories the same as any other round?
  Do I get my pro to create a second ID and create a separate "hickory handicap"?
  Do I not post rounds played with hickories?

[John Kavanaugh]

Are you going to use a period putter?  If so, do not post your scores and just have a great time playing. You will find that the only thing different with hickories is the short game.

[Mike_Cocking]

Wayne,

I'm in the process of getting a second hickory handicap.  Im in Australia but my club thought they could just create a new player name and ID.

I think playing competitions adds another level of interest rather than just playing rounds.

[Wayne_Kozun]

Are you going to use a period putter?  If so, do not post your scores and just have a great time playing. You will find that the only thing different with hickories is the short game.

What about length off of the tee?  Surely a hickory driver won't give me the same average distance as my Ping G20 toaster-on-a-stick?

The other thing that I thing would be a big difference is long irons - I don't use long irons in my modern set as I have hybrids for 3,4 and 5 Irons.

[Ken Moum]

Are you going to use a period putter?  If so, do not post your scores and just have a great time playing. You will find that the only thing different with hickories is the short game.

What about length off of the tee?  Surely a hickory driver won't give me the same average distance as my Ping G20 toaster-on-a-stick?

The other thing that I thing would be a big difference is long irons - I don't use long irons in my modern set as I have hybrids for 3,4 and 5 Irons.

You might see a big difference, but I play some with an original set of hickories that I assembled from eBay, and my good tee shots aren't THAT far off my modern standard.  But I am a terminally short hitter.

As far as long irons go, I don't use any irons, due to a 25-year case of the shanks.  So hickories are a bit of a shock to my system.

Nevertheless, I find that the biggest difference is that I am forced to play the game differently.  I can't hit the ball for carry anywhere as well with them but I can compensate on old-style courses. Put me on a "modern" course with water carries, and I might as well just stand on the bank and throw balls in the water.

K

[David Harshbarger]

As I recall from asking a similar question of the USGA:

It's up to your club's handicap committee to assess whether scores or handicap posted using conforming hickory clubs are to be adjusted.  If the committee believes that such scores are inflating your handicap they can force an adjustment for competition.

You are supposed to avoid non-conforming clubs, such as those with lines in the face that are not parallel (like that somehow mitigates the impact of small heads, more flex, etc.).

Personally, I found the answer unsatisfying.  

Oh, and JaKa, even after returning to modern clubs, I kept my hickory putter. I like more than my Odyssey.

[Mike Policano]

Wayne,

If you want to have a hickory handicap for hickory competitions, go to the Society of Hickory Golfers website for information on how to do that. If you want to prove you post all your scores at your home club, have your pro set up a second handicap for you with 'hickory' in your name.

Your hickory handicap is likely to be 3-6 strokes higher than your regular handicap. The USGA prohibits most original hickories in their competitions as non-conforming.

If you have any questions, feel free to IM me.

Cheers, Mike

[David_Elvins]

Wayne,

I'm in the process of getting a second hickory handicap.

You reckon you might blow out to +1 with the hickories, Mike?   

[John Kavanaugh]

Whenever I would play hickories I would move up a set of tees to where distance lost off the tee was moot. I would then miss the green just like before and be relegated to the short game.

Funny thing just how important you will find the modern rubber grip to be. Very under rated advancement.

[Steve Wilson]

I too am contemplating playing more and more of my golf with hickories.  I have alredy assembled enough clubs for a play set, but I'm also going to invest in a set of replicas for durability, dependability, etc.
I'm figuring on a set of no more than two woods, five/six irons, and a putter in my bag at any given time.
I suspect my handicap to go up, but if I play from "forward" tees the distance shouldn't be unsurmountable.
 I may become a full time, to quote Fat Baldy Drummer, "hickory deviant."  

Indeed I'm hoping to take the hickories to Scotland and to BUDA in the Netherlands.  I might be most unpopular playing foursomes.  And I can blame it on my choice of clubs.  The news of being able to obtain a hickory handicap is intriguing and something I am likely to pursue.  

[John Kavanaugh]

Could someone explain how playing replicas is not cheating yourself?

[jeffwarne]

Funny thing just how important you will find the modern rubber grip to be. Very under rated advancement.

John,
have you ever tried a new leather grip?
no better feel-Nicklaus used them forever.
Rubber grips made life easier for club pros though

[Jim_Kennedy]

Wayne,
This is the stance on hickory/posting, as David wrote earlier:

Q: Are scores made using wooden-shafted clubs acceptable for handicap purposes?

A: In certain situations, yes. If the player elects to use a conforming club with a wooden shaft, that score is acceptable for handicap purposes. If the player’s Handicap Committee feels that the player is manipulating its scoring record due to the use of atypical equipment, and that player’s Handicap Index® doesn’t represent its potential ability, then the Handicap Committee must take action under Section 8-4c of the manual. However, if the use of a wooden-shafted club is a condition of the competition, the score is not acceptable for handicap purposes according to Section 5-1f(v).

I don't believe there is anyone on the planet who can play hickory clubs and score to his/her potential vs. using modern equipment. It stands to reason that you need to establish a 'hickory' handicap.

[Ronald Montesano]

Sure, John.

As Kevin Lynch once reminded me, Harry Vardon, Alan Robertson, Lady Heathcoat Amory and Bobby Jones were not playing with 70-year old equipment, so why should we penalize ourselves thus? Replicas are the originals of today.

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