College of Golf Executive Director Eric Wilson Shares Why He’s ‘Hooked on Hickories’ in this ‘What’s in the Bag’ Feature

 

In December of 2005, my wife Marilyn and I were visiting Pinehurst, NC, and stopped in Tom Stewart’s Golf Memorabilia Shop in downtown Pinehurst. While perusing the many artifacts, I saw a set of hickory shafted replica antique golf clubs in a corner and asked Tom if they were for sale. He told me they were his personal clubs, but that he would sell them to me if I wanted them. Marilyn graciously gave me an early Christmas present, and I strolled out of Tom’s shop with my first set of playable replica antique hickory shafted golf clubs. From that moment on, I have been “hooked on hickories,” playing them almost exclusively. I even had a chance to play hickory golf with Sandy Lyle on the day of his election into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2012, along with my good friend Ken Martin. Sandy has since won two World Hickory Open Golf Championships in 2014 and 2016. If you ever have the chance, try hickory golf and see what it was like when golf was in its infancy.

 

Driver: Hickory Shafted Carolina Hickory designed/assembled by Dr. Jay Harris; 12 degrees loft; 2 degrees closed clubface; 43 inches long; shaft frequency of 256 CPM; leather grip.

Fairway Woods: Spoon (3-wood) and Cleek (4-wood) Hickory Shafted Old Tom Morris designed/assembled by Tad Moore; 16 degrees loft and 20 degrees loft respectively, both 2 degrees closed; 42 inches and 41 inches long respectively; 270 CPM; leather grips.

Irons: Hickory Shafted OA Star designed/assembled by Tad Moore; driving iron, mid-iron, jigger, deep-faced mashie, mashie, spade-mashie, mashie-niblick, niblick, and lofted niblick; 260 CPM; leather grips.

Putter: Hickory Shafted Willie Dunn model putter designed/assembled by Tad Moore; mallet head design; center shafted; 35 inches long; leather grip.

ACCESSORIES 

Three white golf gloves; golf cap; one pouch of natural wood colored tees; ball mark repair tool; three ball markers; two dozen Pro-V1 golf balls; towel; umbrella; Nikon range-finder; three golf pencils; one pair shoe laces; bag of hickory-club repair items (whipping, whipping-puller, electrical tape, pocket knife, bottle of liquid pine-tar).