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Show DECIDED CHANGES IN GOLFING CLUBS Mumsroas Innovations in Equipment Equip-ment for Old Scotch Game. Steel Shaft Is the Lstest End Has Already Al-ready Become Popular With the Rank and File. There have been changes in golf clubs in every decade since the game began. The golfer of today, were he forced to go out for a round of golf with weapons such as the Scotch used a century ago, would feel strange indeed. in-deed. At that time the feather ball was in vogue and the club was made to suit the hall. It was long and thin with plenty ot space on the face of the club. The shaft was short. When the gutta ball made its appearance ap-pearance the club changed materially. The handle became longer and the bead shorter. The first one to use these clubs was considered a freak indeed. The hard gutta ball wore out the face of the club rapidly. A hard substance (leather was tried first) was used to offset the 'shock. All of the ol'iiime clubs were spliced. Aboji 1800 another change came about when the rubber-coated ball was fust used. Socket clubs were invented in-vented and whippy shafts became a j fad. The new rubber-cored balls did not have any effect on the face of the club, but shortly afterward ivory-faced club's were put on the market and the golfer bought freely at advanced prices. It was supposed to increase one's drive. Hickory was plentiful in the early part of the century and a shaft could be had for 20 cents wholesale. The ordinary shaft was only lo cents. One day Walter J. Travis appeared at a tournament with clubs that were 48 inches long. He played so well with "these fishing poles" ttiat every eolfer in the metropolitan district followed fol-lowed his example. They were excellent ex-cellent for the flat swinger. The fad soon died out. It is well for the advocates ad-vocates of hickory shafts that it did, as it would be next to impossible to get any great amount of long shaits todtiy Now comes a real change that promises ' to revolutionize the club nailing. The steel shaft has made ps presence felt and has become pop-, pop-, ' with the rank and file of golfers Jlanv stars are using the steel shaft and are getting good results. |