Mac,
Spot on. For folk who arn't sure what we are going on about here's a photo. The photo is taken from the Glencall website. Glencall, based in Scotland, make hickory replica's and refurbish old hickories. Low resistance water irons like the one at left in the photo plus other special clubs like rake irons and rutt irons are part of their portfolio, although I don't use them. Great stuff.
Clubs like this remind me of an old photo I once saw of James Braid playing a shot off the railway line at TOC in the days when the railway line was 'in-bounds'. Guess he was using some kind of specialist 'railway club' - can't believe it was termed a 'rescue club' or 'hybrid' (sic!).
BC,
That's a very valid point about less bounce on F&F courses. Not just wedges either. It's why blades are still popular amongst links players. Less bounce/narrow flange becomes a bit more hasslesome though when you have a F&F course but the bunkers contain very soft sand. Time to carry a variety of wedges with a variety of bounces/flange widths. I think Dave Pelz recommends this general approach to clubbing.
Chris,
Like you, I really enjoyed reading the original thread posts and thanks for sharing your Kingsley, Mid-Pines and Southern Pines auction experiences with us.
Regarding wider flanged hickory niblicks, I've sent you a PM.
David & Doug,
Guys, I think Seve's famous first club was actually 3-iron, but no matter, he could do just about anything with any club.
They played a televised 1-club golf tournament at St Andrews in the lead-up (or maybe after) an Open in the late 70's-early 80's. Seve, Faldo, Langer etc played. They all seemed to use a 4 or 5-iron. I'd love to see the programme again. In an archive somewhere I expect. At about the same time, and I think I've mentioned this before, but Big Jack and Gentle Ben played a televised game also at StA with hickories. I recall Ben was great, Jack rather less so. I'd like to see this film again as well, probably also in a pre-Youtube archive somewhere.
That's a good point about Phil Mickelson Doug. I reckon he'd be amazing with yee olde clubs. So would a few others. Seve obviously, and John Daly as well. Guys who are soft-hand players and 'swingers of the club' rather than 'hitters of the ball'. Playing with hickory has made me think about why the 'swing the clubhead' theory originated.
All the best