We had a numbered set of MacGregor persimmon woods, 1,3,4,5, and blade irons, 1-SW, vintage 1981, in a display case for the last 33 years. When I found out they weren’t so valuable as collector’s items, I decided it would be more fun to hit them than find a good home for them. Particularly for our young pros who have never played with such clubs. We took them out today and played a few holes.
I didn’t really start playing golf until 20 years ago, although I did play the occasional round for the 30 or so years before that. So, I had hit similar clubs way back in the day. When I started playing regularly, it was already the era of oversized, cavity back irons and metal woods. My first clubs were Pings, very much of the game improvement variety.
Wow. What a shocking revelation. Just to hit the ball, I had to totally change my swing. I played with another geezer who has been playing fairly regularly for 50+ years. He couldn’t hit them either. I’ll keep trying, but I’ve got an enhanced admiration for you guys that play with hickories and persimmon.
If there is the slightest relevance to golf architecture in this, at least for me, there would be no such thing as course that was “too short” or “too easy” while learning how to play with these sticks.