Name some legend golf clubs.

Is it a brassie, a cleek or a mashie?

I just love the old Scottish names for legend golf clubs and, apart from the use of the words 'driver, wedge and putter', am disappointed to see them all becoming extinct.

I find it amusing that the new revolutionary square-head drivers that are emerging have sleek aerodynamic characteristics that have design blueprints that have probably been borrowed from the automobile industry.

I would love to know the origin of all of these words and, although ‘driver’ seems to be self explanatory, perhaps some of you out there know more. Please use the contact page if you can add anything to my vague research.

Let me start with the woods which would have probably have persimmon heads and hickory shafts when these names were being used (pre-20th century).

#1 wood – Driver: Either of the two longest hitting wooden clubs formerly in use: the play club or the grass club (or grassed driver). The modern day club is the longest hitting club, the number one wood.

#2 wood – Brassie: This club was fitted with a brass sole plate. The term also applied to various lofted wooden clubs in the 1880s and 1890s. The modern equivalent would be the number two wood.

#3 wood – Spoon: Any of a group of early wooden clubs having graduated lofts greater than that of the grassed driver, and correspondingly shorter shafts. The name originated because the loft on early club faces, both wooden and iron, was most often concave and sometimes, therefore, resembled the bowl of a spoon. In the early 20th century it was a somewhat more lofted club than the brassie. The modern equivalent would be the number three wood.

#4 wood- Baffy: A small headed, steeply lofted wooden club, no longer in use, which was developed from the baffing spoon. The modern equivalent would be the number four wood.

Now lets turn to the other legend golf clubs, the irons. Once again, originally pre-20th century with hickory shafts and iron heads

#1 - Driving Iron, Cleek: Any of numerous narrow-bladed iron clubs, variously adapted and used for playing long shots through the green, for playing from sand and rough and for putting. The basic characteristics of cleeks were that they were narrow-bladed and relatively light. The alternative name for the number one iron.

#2 - Cleek, Mid iron: An iron club no longer is use, somewhat more lofted than a driving iron. The alternative name would be the number two iron.

#3 - Mid-Mashie, open to suggestions here…

#4 - Jigger, Mashie Iron: An iron club no longer in use, somewhat less lofted than a mashie, that was used for driving and for full shots through the green. The alternative name for the number four iron.

#5 – Mashie: A lofted iron club, no longer in use, introduced about 1880 and used for pitching with backspin. The modern equivalent would be the number five iron.

#6 - Spade Mashie: A deep-faced iron club, no longer in use, some what more lofted than a mashie. The modern equivalent would be the number six iron.

#7 - Mashie-Niblick: An iron club, no longer in use, having a loft between those of a mashie and a niblick, used for pitching. The modern day equivalent would be the number seven iron.

#8 - Pitching Mashie: open to suggestions here…

#9 - Niblick, Baffing Spoon: A short headed steeply lofted wooden club, no longer in use, used for playing out of ruts and tight lies. The alternative name for the number nine iron.

#10 - Wedge, Jigger: A moderately lofted, shallow-faced, short-shafted iron club, no longer in use, that was used especially for approaching. It was a club used for chip shots, not dissimilar to the modern day pitching wedge.

#Putter : - open to suggestions here…

Most of this information was taken from The Historical Dictionary of Golfing Terms, From 1500 to the present, Peter Davies, 1993.

I do appologise for the lack of definitions but I hope that some of you can fill in the blanks on this legend golf clubs page.

I wish I had listened to my grandfather all those years ago when he talked to me about the old golf words. He insisted that for most par 4's if he could put his drives within range for his baffing spoon, he would make par or better.

These days we talk about a drive and a wedge but I think a brassie and a baffing spoon is much more colourful.

Link to ‘Homepage’ from legend golf clubs.

Link to the‘golf legend’page from legend golf clubs.