Hickory’s replacement by steel changed more than appearance. The USGA and R&A historical study describes steel shafts as twisting less under load. That difference helps explain why shaft material belongs in the history of how a club behaves, as well as how it is made.1
The change also depended on rules. The same study dates steel-shaft approval to 1924 in the United States and 1929 under The R&A, followed by broad adoption in the early 1930s. These are separate regulatory and adoption milestones.1
The USGA Museum’s hickory-shafted mashie used by Franklin D. Roosevelt preserves an individual example. Contemporary reproductions are also made with hickory, so the material alone cannot establish that a surviving club is an antique.23
At a glance
Sources
- USGA and The R&A, Distance Insights supporting report R53The History and Evolution of Hitting Distances and Golf Course Lengths Before 1980
- Louisville GolfClubs: Woods; MacGregor Perfection Cleek
- USGA Golf Museum and Library, February 16, 2024Presidential Golf Artifacts