I’ve done a fair amount of club fabricating and assembling. I really appreciate the skill involved in creating a golf club. I first started by trying to recreate a wood putter to replace my Wood Wand that Dad gave me for Christmas many years ago. After thousands of putts in all kinds of weather, the wood face of the putter had lost its resiliency, and no longer had the feel I loved. But I never created a new putter with the same characteristics.
There was a Golfsmith store near my home in Dallas, and I spent a lot of time there looking at and buying components. I assembled clubs for friends, and created a few unique models for myself. I refurbished quite a few persimmon drivers, and still keep one to use when the mood strikes me. I hit it as far as I do my metal driver, but can’t convince myself to use it regularly. I love the sound of a ball off that phenolic face and the reverberation from the persimmon.
In the last century, persimmon was the Cadillac of woods for golf club manufacture. Cheaper brands used laminated maple, and that sufficed for most of us. But good players–and all players who wanted to be good and could afford it–had persimmon. Now, persimmon clubs are throw-aways.
Not for everyone. I have a tournament tomorrow, and I haven’t been hitting my 2-iron well of late. So this afternoon I decided I really need my 4-wood. The head came loose some time ago, and I’ve just never gotten around to repairing it. So I got out my epoxy and crocus cloth, burnished the shaft tip, applied some epoxy, slipped the head back on, and whipped the hosel.
Yep. It is a persimmon head. It is a Golfsmith head on a True Temper Dynalite steel shaft. The persimmon head is solid, and glides through rough well due to its small size. I’ve often swapped it out with a 1-iron, using the wood on courses with heavy rough and the iron when winds were up. This week, I’m taking it instead of the 2-iron.
It will be good having the old friend in the bag tomorrow.
Wow! And I was impressed when my dad knocked together a metal head and stinger shaft! How dod your putter expiriment work?
Comment by Jay — March 13, 2005 @ 12:00 pm
Never got the right feel. I think I have a pretty good design, and may eventually try to market it. Just need to get my shop in order.
Comment by Bunker — March 13, 2005 @ 2:46 pm
I tell ya, I prefer that persimmon driver you made me over any of the hi-tech clubs out there today. Although heavier, it slows my swing up enough to keep me from REALLY slicing. (My drive stance offset is only about 25 degrees these days…)
Comment by Slice — March 13, 2005 @ 3:36 pm
i really need to get a decent set of clubs. i would still play poorly, but could enjoy the look and feel of the tools.
Comment by rammer — March 15, 2005 @ 9:04 pm
I enjoy those persimmon clubs because there is a sense of feel when you strike the ball well that just isn’t there with the metal ones.
Need a persimmon driver? I think that might be arranged.
Comment by Bunker — March 16, 2005 @ 12:32 pm