Hickory Golf Shafts
The Hickory Golfer is manufacturing high quality, strong and yet elastic hickory golf shafts as replacement shafts for hickory era iron and wood heads. The shafts are cut on a CNC lathe from hand selected premium hickory planks. Each shaft is individually weighted and hand inspected for straightness of grain and appropriateness for play. Handles of the shaft are the right width so installers can add one layer of friction tape and a user desired leather grip to create a standard grip for use by most golfer. The shaft has a smooth finished sanding that after minor fitting sanding is ready for stain and a protective coating.
Iron Shafts
The overall shape of our iron shafts was taken from a composite of several Tom Stewart shafts from the 1920s. The tip of the shaft will fit snuggly into most Stewart irons as well as other iron head manufactures from the hickory era and will allow a maximum shaft length of between 40 and 41 inches depending on the height of the hosel. The installer is expected to perform a small amount of sanding on the cone and the hosel to achieve a perfect fit. Iron hickory shafts are $19.50 a shaft
We have recently been able to offer shafts in a variety of stiffness grades in accordance with the 1929 US Department of Commerce Hickory Golf Shafts Commercial Standard CS18-29. Shafts are graded according to the following table:
| Grade | Minium Load in lbs |
|---|---|
| Goose(G) | 40 and over |
| Owl(O) | 34 to 39 inclusive |
| Lark(L) | 28 to 33 inclusive |
| Falcon(F) | Below 28 |
Wood Shafts
The overall shape of our wood shafts comes from a composite of several manufactures shafts including Jack White and Thomas E Wilson. Unlike the iron shaft the wood shaft is a straight with a standard tip that can be sanded to fit into most manufactures from the hickory era. The installer is expected to perform some amount of sanding on the tip to achieve a perfect fit. The maximium length of a raw wood shaft is 44.5 inches in length. Wood hickory shafts are $22.50 a shaft.
Hand Selected Weight
The weight
of a hickory shaft is the best criterion of its strength. That said, an installer might want a shaft at a particular weight to enable a matching though Swing Weighting or MOI matching. As an option on each shaft we provide a service to hand select a shaft to within 2 grams plus or minus of the customers desired shaft weight. Shaft weights are measured at the full length of the shaft. Hand selection is $5.00 per shaft.
Custom shafts – While the stock shaft that we have provided will fit most of the clubs we realize that some players may want a custom shaft build. With our CNC lathe this is possible for a one time setup fee. Once the custom shaft has been saved we can reproduce the shaft time and time again at our standard shaft rate.
Shipping – All orders are shipped USPS priority mail within 24 hours of receipt of payment. Shipping price is based upon weight.
I want to get some hickory wood shafts to do some persimmon wood head repairs with some broken and cracked shafts. Can you deliver “shaped” wood shafts like the iron shafts in you CNC lathe? You say in you descriprion that they are straight. Also, I assume they come with the same pre tappered tip as the iron shafts. Do you offer any choice in shaft flex? Lastly, how do you recommend sanding or scraping the shafts to reduce their stiffness. Do you have a phone # I can call to discuss. Happy to provide my pnone #. I’ve been building and repaing clubs for 15 years but am new to making and repairing hickory clubs. Love to fine a good source of shafts and persimmon heads and iron heads as well. Love to become a present day hickory club maker. Any help to that end is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Steve
Yes we have the wood shafts they are on the ordering page above listed under wood shafts. They don’t some with same tapered shaft as the iron it just continues straight down as that is the most common fit. We can do a tapering if you require one if you provide the dimensions you’re looking for.
Sanding is generally the best way to work on flex. Lightly around the lowest diameter of the shaft.
Finally on the heads we’re looking at trying to duplicate some heads but that’s a way off. Also we are looking into making the old bamboo/hickory combination shaft for woods and irons that Butchart Nichols use to make, but that is still in development.
Brinkley, Thanks. Great. I’ll be ordering some wood and iron shafts. Not sure if your familiar with any “scraping” techniques I’ve seen mentioned for flex softening. Not sure exactly how that’s done. It was mentioned somewhere that they use to use “shaft planes” but I’ve never seen one or read any technique as to how they were actually used. Also. what would you estimate the shaft flex of your raw shafts delivered woud be and is there any way to order a general flex. I prefer shafts to be a bit softer, say 250 th 260 CPM frequency for woods, if that has any meaning to you. TY.
S
Brinkley,
Also do you have a recommendation for a leather grip source for Hickory club restoration and repair? TY.
S.
Can I purchase hickory shafts that are all stiff flex?
Almost all of our shafts are stiff shafts. If you want them with more bend you sand them down a bit. Just add a comment during the purchase.
Where did you get the iron club heads in the picture above? Do you make those as well? Also how do you cut the hickory shafts?
Want to order some of your iron shafts but says you are out.
When do you plan to have more?
Thanks
Currently have more iron shafts in stock.
We don’t make any of the iron heads. Those are collected from various dealers and web sites. As for cutting the shafts it’s a butt cut with a table saw. A hack saw would work as well, then smooth it out with some type of sand paper.
I have a supply of leather grips that I need to put up on the web for sale. $5 each just request by email for now.
Do you have hickory shafts suitable for “splice neck” clubs?
The shafts I purchaced from you are GREAT!!
I am inpressed by the quality – the run of the grain, wieghting & balance, consistancy, and minimum of fitting.
Can assure you there will be more orders to follow.
Thanks for a great product!
Thanks Ben…As for your question on “splice neck” clubs. We can do those on a custom order bases. There is a one time fee for the setup and from then on there is per item charge which should be similar to the wood shafts.
Hello,
I am interested in placing an order for hickory shafts, but cannot get a freight cost to Sweden. Can you please let me know the freight const for 10 shafts for irons and 5 shafts for woods.
Best personal regards
Tomas Johansson
I’d like to buy some leather grips. I need 4. Could you email me with your contact info. Thanks
Randy
Hey, I have a set of Spalding Kro-Flite’s and want to know if the stock shafts fit this model? Also, I will be looking for X-flex, is this done thru weight sorting and how to specify which weight would be x-flex? What is the one time set-up fee?
Thanks in advance.
Shouldn’t be a problem with the Kro-Flites and yes the shafts are a stiffer flex. In general you are correct, the heavier the shaft the stiffer it is. We can’t measure it until we make the clubs so there isn’t a set up fee.
How much for shipping costs to Sweden if I’ll buy five shafts for iron.
Hi I see in your picture a left haned tom stewart iron you wouldn’t happen to have any left handed stewart irons for sale.
Ben
Hi i wonder about shipment to sweden. Whats the cost and how long does it take for delivery?
It depends on the number of shafts you want to buy. The more you buy the cheaper it gets. The last time I sent 10 iron shafts and 10 wood shafts to Sweden it cost 42.75 Send me a count of the number of shafts you would like and I can price it for you.
Them Lefties they are rare. I have a few left handers but they are not for sale as I have some friends that I play with that are left handed.
I have a solid old brassie with a pronounced bend in the top third of the shaft. Any suggestions on straighten this out? At address, the bend arcs straight downward like a Tom Stewart cleek mark to the clubhead.
It sounds like a St Andrews bend and if that’s the case I’d say leave it. Randy Jensen in his book talks about a St Andrews bend that he had in one club. He straightened it and could never hit the club again. That said you can straighten any bend by cutting a 1/4 notch in your work bench and then rub the shaft on the outward side of the bending while holding the club straight letting friction create a heat source. It’s a good workout worth at least 300-500 calories.
Hi Roger,
Just discovered your web site while looking for some information on the St. Andrews Bend in putter shafts. This has the effect of tourning a heel attached putter into a face balance or center shafted putter
I have heard of a club with a THE SPALDING shaft with the St. Andrews Bend. Thi should date it as a Pre1900 club
Your thoughts
Doug Marshall
How does the numbering system work as it relates to the tip strength of the shaft? I have put a 160.1 and then a 167 into a Mashie but I just snapped the head off right at the hosel after about 3 rounds of golf.
Should I be trying one in the lower number range? I have a 157.8 and a 159.3.
The numbers on the shafts are the weight of the shafts which is useful if your matching shafts. In general the higher the weight the stiffer the shaft (more dense). If you have a high swing speed, quick transition, and/or maintain your lag you probably want a stiffer (heavier) shaft anyway.
As far as the snapping of the shaft goes you might also take a look at the bounce of your club. If you have a negative bounce you will tend to dig much more a club with 1 or 2 degrees of bounce which of course puts more stress on the shaft. Another way of preventing the stress is the wrap about 1 1/2 inches with waxed thread on the hosel. I’ve done that on most of my clubs and it works fairly well.
Finally, shafts will snap. I’ve had shafts with more than 10 growth rings at the hosel snap the head off. It happens with both older and replacement shafts. I’ve probably snapped 5-10 shafts over the first four years, but I haven’t snapped any of the heavier shafts recently (finger’s crossed).
I would like to re-shaft a couple of modern-day wedges to compliment a Callaway Hickory Stick 60 degree wedge I love. I’m left handed and cannot find any other Callaway Hickory Stick lofts out there that aren’t cost prohibitive. Do you make hickory shafts with a standard .350 parallel tip? Thanks for your time!
Mark D.
I tried to order some shafts but it said they were out of stock. I was wanting to know when they would be in stock. I have ordered some in the past and they were excellent. Thank you
Yeah Cole you can order shafts now…I’m out of town tomorrow but can ship on Wednesday when I get back.
Mark,
I’d love to make that kind of shaft but there is no way it could be that small without some support like a steel shaft wouldn’t snap. Callaway should be the only place I would know to get that shaft.
Could you put a simple tutorial on how to replace a shaft as i would love to learn how!!!!
I want to buy 5 hickory shafts for iron. Can you please tell me how much for shipping costs to Sweden?
do you still leather grips to sell ? how can contact you thanks Bill
brinkley, i’m interested in the purchase of as many as twenty iron shafts, is there a discount for the purchase of this many? tim
Bill,
Yeah I have about 10 leather grips that I have for sale. Send me an email since I don’t have them listed on the website yet.
Tim,
You’d have to purchase something like 50 shafts to get a discount. If you live outside of the US, let me know. I’ve been known to have some compassion due to the high shipping costs. 😉
brinkley, thanks for the info. i can’t imagine the savings offsetting the shipping on two or three separate orders to match my needs. what is the lead time for an order?
Bill,
I just made leather grips available for sale on the website. There are two types: Buffalo and Cow Leather. Take a look at the “Leather Golf Grips” tab on the main page. I’m interested to see what others think about the smoked brain tranned buffalo grrips. I’ll be installing a set this week to see how they perform.
(editorial comment: The Dietz asking this question is not Paul Dietz but another person who’s last names happens to be Dietz).
Your site led me to discover that some clubs I was handed down are pyratone and not hickory. I’m wondering if I can re-shaft them with hickory shafts from your site? Please advise.
Hi Roger, I love your web site and info of your work. I was put onto you by Ralph Heading of QLD, when he visited Barnbougle Lost Farm in Tasmania Australia, (where I work) I have been club making for 39 years now, did my trainee ship as a Golf Professional in the early 70’s, have been collecting / repairing / restoring Hickory shaft clubs ever since. I have been making replica long nose woods / putters for about 15 years, including putting on a display at our Australian Open Championship since 2004.
Web Site (Ross Baker Golf.Com) & facebook, is in its infancy. (I’m better with Old Clubs than Computers!!
I have been experimenting with Australian timbers for shafts, still haven’t got any as good as Hickory.
Could I please order 10 iron shafts & 5 wood shafts off you, just “off your machine blanks” will be fine, I can take them down to flex as required. (please let me know cost including shipping) I can pay via PayPal, or Visa Card, please let me know what is acceptable to you.
Nice catching up, Keep up the good work.
Kind Regards
Ross Baker
What would the shipping cost be to Australia?
would the cone of your iron shafts fit into a rut iron with a 4 3/4 inch hosel?
Thanks
I wanted to know if I can still order hickory shafts for irons and woods. I tried to order here and it says you are sold out. Thanks.
Patrick
Patrick,
I just updated the inventory count as we ran a new batch of irons and woods. Order way.
I’ve got a set of 60’s-vintage persimmon Orlimar woods with steel shafts into which I’d like to install hickory shafts to complete my hickory-shafted play set (irons are all original/real vintage). A couple of questions:
1- would your hickory shafts be likely to fit?
2- would the switch-out simply involve taking off the existing whipping, pulling the steel shaft, sanding your hickory shaft to fit, installing it using epoxy, re-whipping, and then adding a new leather grip? Is this something I could do myself (I’m reasonably handy), or am I better off sending the clubs out to someone who really knows what they are doing?
3- do you know if hickory tournaments would allow such “hybrid” clubs (relatively modern persimmon heads with new hickory shafts)?
Please advise. Thanks.
Kris,
1- would your hickory shafts be likely to fit?
Yes but the shaft is larger so you would have to bore out the hole.
2- would the switch-out simply involve taking off the existing whipping, pulling the steel shaft, sanding your hickory shaft to fit, installing it using epoxy, re-whipping, and then adding a new leather grip? Is this something I could do myself (I’m reasonably handy), or am I better off sending the clubs out to someone who really knows what they are doing?
Yes, many of us do exactly that. I assume the shaft is a bore through so that makes it a little more difficult. If you like working with wood or are handy you can do it. Installing grips is relatively easy. I need to write up a blog on how I do it.
3- do you know if hickory tournaments would allow such “hybrid” clubs (relatively modern persimmon heads with new hickory shafts)?
No. They wouldn’t be allowed in tournament play. The Society of Hickory Golfer rules prohibit the use of iron shafted clubs replace with hickory shafts unless the clubs originally were produced with a hickory shaft as well as steel shaft. In Europe you wouldn’t be able to use them or replicas. My advise is to look at a Collector event and buy a decent head. 1928 models can run around $175.
Binky
Thanks for the prompt and comprehensive response. I’ll go ahead an look for some decent quality woods to complete my set.
When will you have iron shafts available? I tried to order a couple, but got a message that you are out of stock. Please advise. Thanks.
Roger
Please delete the comment above attributed to me (I assume — there aren’t many Dietz’s who play hickory).
Being the rules chair for the US Hickory Open, and being a custom club builder / refurbisher, I well know that the Society of Hickory Golfers does not allow retrofitting irons for tournament play.
I am not sure where the comment came from — it is interesting to note that you did not comment / reply to the comment.
If, by chance, you can track this comment back to the sender, I would appreciate knowing its source.
Regards
Paul Dietz