The one excellent recent development with people in effect saying no is the increased interest in hickories. Even though I have little desire to play with hickories, I am tempting into because at least these folks are making a positive statement which is also fun, rather than standing around waggin their fingers at the USGA and R&A. If the damn sticks were cheaper, I would have made the plunge a few years ago.
Ciao
Hickory golf is not as expensive as you may think. It
can be expensive for sure, if you decide to go modern built replicas/reproductions from certain manufacturers, swanky bags and clothes and all that kinda stuff, but it doesn't have to be.
See E-bay, car-boot sales, garage sales, house clearance shops, auction sales, low-end antique shops etc. For example, my pre WWI putter cost £2.99 and works rather nicely. Refurbishment, if necessary, isn't expensive either or you can do it yourself as some on this site already do. Plus, as you really don't need anywhere near a 'full set' of clubs, 6-7 will do fine, the overall expense is even less.
Hickory is particularly good for the older/infirm golfer (not suggesting any reading is though!
). The shafts 'kick' the ball forward nicely and you can, if you so wish, normally play off the forward tees without any fear of hassle/embarrassment. Playing a generally shorter course also means less walking but probably with about the same number of shots.
As to understanding architecture, well hickory can show those with an interest why older courses were designed, constructed and maintained the way they were - the ongoing thread about the Redan hole at NGLA helps indicate this - see -
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,58670.0.htmlKington, Cleeve Cloud or Minchinhampton Old sometime with hickories would be very interesting - if you fancy this sometime get in touch, I might even let you use some of my spare ones!
What about a 9-hole hickory competition with rental hickory sets played on The Channel Course at Burnham & Berrow as part of the post-Buda day there this September?
atb