History of the driver golf club

Find out how the current driver came to be as we look back at the clubs evolution over the. Bubba watson watches his driver on the fourth hole during the final round of the world golf championshipsbridgestone invitational at firestone country club on august 9. Aug, 2019 the m5 driver is the driver that was released just a few months ago and until now it has been praised as the fastest driver that taylormade has ever made. Titleist is one of the longest running golf companies, with ties to the game dating all the way back into the 1930s. In this post, i am going to examine the evolution of golf clubs throughout history.

This ball was a much better ball for the game of golf. When that activity turned into what would be called golf in the 1400s in scotland, the evolution of the golf club and golf club history began. The united states golf association establishes the rules for golf, including the standards governing equipment. The transformation of callaway from a company that once sold quirky clubs into a mainstream golf manufacturer took place in 1991. Find out how the current driver came to be as we look back at the club. Modern drivers are capable of sending the ball more than 300 yards in the air a distance that was considered impossible in the past. Due to its relatively low cost, hickory quickly became the wood of choice for shafts. With the help of the worlds best golfer, taylor woods, the company claims that it is the fastest and the straightest driver that they have ever made. The development of golf drivers has changed the game. Titanium has a higher strength to weight ratio than steel and has better corrosion resistance, so it is an ideal metal for golf club construction. The equivalent of a driver was known as a longnose because of the elongated shape of the club head, which looks very strange to us today. While you dont necessarily need to know the entire history of the golf driver to appreciate what it can do for your game today, it might be helpful to at least have a basic understanding of the development of this popular club. Im older, but proficient my pro sold my wife a heavenwood she loves it go to club in fairway, rough, and even off the tee. I feel that he never received the credit he deserved as a golf innovator and club maker.

Fortunately, golf club manufacturers have placed a lot of emphasis on adding new technologies to the driver, attempting to help all levels of golfers achieve more success off the tee. Taylormade was the first to bring the metal driver to the golf world, but callaway changed the game as well when the big bertha made its appearance. Pau golf club is founded, the first on the continent. History cobra golf golf clubs, cobra golf clubs, king. Their first clubs were wooden until technology took over again and composite graphite became the companys niche for golf. However, because of the price, you can consider this as one of the best golf drivers of all time for those who are transitioning from high handicap to mid handicap and for also the newer players. Manufacturers can also make clubheads with greater volume, which increases the hitting area, and thinner. Oct 15, 2015 over the course of years, technological advancement has changed golf equipment dramatically. Even as metal clubs became available, they were used sparingly as they could easily damage the early feathery golf balls see golf ball history.

Bob philion, president of cobrapuma golf, also feels nonconforming equipment is on the horizon. I have gleaned as much information about stan from the internet as is available, but there really isnt that much to be found. It wasnt until 1989 that golf appeared on the companys radar. The evolution of the golf club professional golfers career college. The m1, released in 1980, has the distinction of being the first metalwood to feature a traditional headshape, inspired by the persimmon drivers that had come before. Like wine or antiques, classic and vintage golf clubs can appreciate in value over time.

While you dont necessarily need to know the entire history of the golf driver. Aug 05, 2016 a chronological look at the history of nike golf. The royal curragh golf club is founded at kildare, the first golf club in ireland. Despite the strength of hickory, the longnose club of the mid nineteenth century was still prone to breaking at the top of the back swing. A brief history of the golf club popular mechanics. People have been hitting balls with sticks for a long time. Not every club appreciates or appreciates in the same way, however. With the remarkable technology that goes into golf clubs today, its easy to forget the humble origin of the golf club nearly 600 years ago in scotland. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Club designer and former australian amateur golf champ thomas crow founds a small golf club company, and names it cobra golf. In 1934, the powerbilt brand became the permanent name for hillerich and bradsby golf clubs. In the pastime played by the scottish that later became the game of golf, small pebbles were hit around the sand dunes using wooden sticks.

Developing a valuable collection, on the other hand, is a very different commitment. There are a number of books on golf history, see below, but many of these are hard. It introduces a new category of clubs, plus sets the standard for future cobra product development. While players initially carved their own clubs and balls from wood, they soon turned to skilled craftsmen to produce competitive equipment. Jul 30, 2015 from persimmons to metalwood to adjustable ones, the driver has come a long way since its inception. Callaway rocks the golf world when it introduces the big bertha stainlesssteelheaded driver. These new club heads offered an increased amount of.

Today, it is uncommon for golfers to refer to their driver as their 1wood. I feel that he never received the credit he deserved as a golf innovator and club. Early golf clubs in the earliest days of golf on the eastern coast of scotland, players used primitive equipment to play the game in a rather haphazard and casual manner. In 1774, edinburgh golfers wrote the first standardized rules for the game of golf. Currently there are various versions of the callaway golf club on the market these are the drivers, fairway woods, irons, wedges, putters and recently a hybrid club.

Taylormade produced a standardsized head metal driver in 1979 with a famous tag on the sole of the club, pittsburg persimmon, a nod to the steel city and the. The biggest wood, known as the driver or one wood, is often made of. Today, many metal wood clubfaces and most driver clubfaces are constructed out of titanium. Now that these limits have been in place for some time, the rapid increase in driving distance. The club heads were often made from woods including apple, pear, dogwood, and beech in the early times until persimmon became the main material. Find out how the current driver came to be as we look back at the clubs evolution over the years. There is a sense of urgency in the industry, whether from our. The evolution of the golf club professional golfers. From persimmon woods to adjustable drivers, we cover the transformation of golf clubs and equipment. Evolution of the golf driver golf history golf digest youtube. G400 driver tungstenweighted with a forged face, creating a faster, more forgiving driver. The development of golf drivers has changed the game forever.

Arnold palmers history with golf equipment is at once personal and professional. The evolution of the golf club professional golfers career. In the 19 th century, golf clubs underwent a series of evolutionary changes in material. According to history of golf clubs, in 1902 handforged metal club heads with groovefaced surfaces were becoming available with great demand. The primary choice for golf club heads had been american hickory, but were now being made with wood species such as beech and american persimmon. Evolution of golf clubs throughout history my passion blog. Check out detailed product specs for each golf club set by year. Apr 18, 2014 8 technologies that changed the world of golf. Evolution of golf clubs throughout history golf is probably one of the oldest sports in human history. A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. After hundreds of years of club makers combining ingenuity and passion for golf, were at a point where golfers know that if they make a proper swing they will. A set of clubs at the time consisted of a set of play clubs longnoses for driving, fairway clubs or grassed drivers for medium range shots, spoons for short. Over 30 years have passed since taylormade unveiled their first ever driver into the market, and as you can see, a lot can happen in three decades. First, in 1825, robert forgan, a club maker in scotland, used hickory imported from america to manufacture shafts.

Persimmonheaded clubs quickly become garagecluttering relics. It was customary in 1991 for golf clubs to be named after weapons, so ely callaway chose the name big bertha for a new driver he introduced that year. As early as 1750 some club makers used forged metal heads for niblicks wedges. In the earliest days of golf, players used primitive equipment and enjoyed the game in a casual manner.

That was the year that gary adams, the then 36year old son of an illinois golf pro, drove up at the pga merchandise show with a trunk stuffed with his new revolutionary golf clubs. Golfers would hit a pebble instead of a ball around the sand dunes using a stick or club. Top 5 best golf drivers of all time 2020 updated a. The rules of golf allow manufacturers to construct drivers that measure 460 cubic centimeters cc and todays huge drivers are far more forgiving for lessthanperfect contact. Evolution of the golf driver golf history golf digest. Sooolong 750cc long distance oversize banned custom golf driver. Woods are the longest clubs and the most powerful of all the golf clubs. In the earliest days of golf on the eastern coast of scotland, players used primitive equipment to play the game in a rather haphazard and casual manner. After 1750, golf evolved into the sport as we recognize it today. Callaway were one of the first golf club manufacturers to create a stainless steel golf driver, this driver had a larger head which in turn was more forgiving than any of their previous. For most golfers, the driver is their favorite club in the bag and it.

From blunt wooden instruments of the old days to todays adjustable, insanely hightech drivers, golf clubs have been getting better and better. The company also produced signature clubs that carried signatures of the famous golfers of the time. History of the golf shaft golf s beginnings are lost in the mists of history, but it is generally agreed to have been played in scotland close to st. Manufacturers measure the size of the driver in the volume of the club head. Effect of the ball, part i the preferred clubs were. As a result of people finding my other web pages on antique golf clubs, ive had. After nearly 15 years in the golf club and ball business, nike is shutting down its production of. A metal headed club may have just been saved for getting the ball out of the rough or from cart tracks.

For the previous 500 years, golf woods were constructed with exactly that wood. The next generation ping womens driver maximizes forgiveness and distance through a higher moi, faster face and lighter overall club weight. To this day, the origin of golf still remains unclear, but the general belief is that modern golf gained popularity among aristocracy in scotland during the middle ages history of golf. Where drivers were once smallheaded clubs made from wood, they are now 460cc monsters made from some of the most. Get the best deals on hammer x driver and upgrade your home workout gear with the largest online selection at. Check out the drivers that made the latest edition of the golf. Having a collection of classic or antique golf clubs is not an unusual hobby. Jan 26, 2018 the club head would be connected to the shaft with a splint and then bound with a leather strap. The parent company of precept also markets clubs and balls under its own name. From irons to drivers, learn the history and evolution of taylormade models over the years. The club heads were fashioned from applewood, pear wood and, most often, persimmon. I thought the preowned website could list the clubs they sell in order of new old but that doesnt seem to be the case either.

According to the association, golf drivers must conform to specific dimensions in terms of length, weight and head volume. The callaway golf club big bertha quickly became a houselhold name to golfers and can be identified by other golfers by the unique sound that it makes at impact. Wildest golf driver is not lacking in any features, its speed and trajectory are superior to most but it is not the best. With the introduction of the featherie golf ball in 1618 golf clubs continued to be made with wooden heads, although forging iron into the head was possible, because of the delicacy of the featheries. Complete history of golf equipment the evolution of technology. Titleist is a brand of golf equipment and clothes development and marketed by acushnet company. The names of the wooden clubs took a bit longer to change from driver. The mans legendary club workshop at home in latrobe, pa.

Golf club and clubmaking history up to the longnoses, niblicks, cleeks and. In the beginning golf clubs were made from available materials wood and by available craftsmen anyone. Cobra golf is a leading golf club and golf equipment manufacturer, committed to providing superiorquality, high performance products for avid golfers of all abilities. A number of big hits have been registered, but accuracy has been erratic for some until they gradually get used to the club. The club that finally got the golden bear to retire his trusted tommy armour brand driver was introduced in 1979. There were clubs called mashies and niblicks and mashieniblicks. You must tee your ball within one club s length of the hole. Wilson staff is the popular golf division of wilson sporting goods. Woods are mainly used for longdistance fairway or tee shots.

Back in the early days of golf history, and even into the 20th century, golf clubs in a set were not identified by number e. By 1925, the golf club division had increased in popularity and needed to expand. From persimmons to metalwood to adjustable ones, the driver has come a long way since its inception. According to the documented history of golf clubs, a round 1848 the guttapercha golf ball was invented by the reverend adam pearson. May 16, 20 a brief history of the golf club from blunt wooden instruments of the old days to todays adjustable, insanely hightech drivers, golf clubs have been getting better and better since the scots. The components inside the golf club are lighter and stronger than they were. Does anyone know of a complete modern timeline of callaway clubs and when they were released. The decadesold company specializes in golfing equipment and has been producing top of the line golf clubs since 1914. I believe that stan thompson was a very important person in golf in the 50s, 60s,70s and 80s.

They were both exceedingly comfortable with the club from the first swing on. There are typically three to four woods in a set which are used from the tee box and, if on a long hole, possibly for the. To make sure the golf drivers hitting the market didnt become too ridiculous, the usga set limits of 460ccs for the volume of the club head, and 48 for the overall length of the club. From the introduction of the big bertha line, callaway has been a leader in golf club production and sales. Jan 15, 2020 in 1774, the first standardized rules of golf were written and used for the first golf championship, which was won by doctor john rattray on 2nd april 1744 in edinburgh, scotland. The history of the golf club 20180101 people have enjoyed smacking small objects with sticks since the beginning of time. Explore golf drivers from the biggest names in the industry at the lowest price, guaranteed. The head of the driver is now built with aerodynamics in mind. Golf s rules limit a club head to 460 cubic centimeters cc. Bubba watson watches his driver on the fourth hole during the final round of the world golf championshipsbridgestone invitational at firestone country club. Usga history 19111930 archived 20100209 at the wayback machine. For hundreds of years, golf clubs were made out of wood, and it was not until late last century that the wooden shaft was replaced by other materials. Vanguard drivers, the first golf clubs with carbon heads, go on sale.