Old Tom Morris Meets Tad Moore

Despite all the modern advances in new “technology” in the golf equipment business, the game of golf still remains a simple one. That is, get the ball in the hole in as few a strokes as you are able. Secondly, beat the pants off your buddies. But, in the process, I think we have lost a bit of the charm, and the grace of the game. And, as I get out and play, I am always amazed at the fact that the vast majority of folks are NOT playing brand new equipment! Instead I see 10 year old clubs, and maybe even 15 year old sticks in very accomplished players hands.

Tad Moore, a club designer for over thirty years is doing his part to maintain and support the great heritage of the game and has introduced a line of hickory shafted clubs that are built to last a lifetime of golf.
Appropriately called the Tom Morris Clubs this line features hand crafted original hickory shafts in full iron sets, or individual clubs. Tad tells me that the playability and distance for most players is the same as the modern shafts, but with much greater feel. The hickory shafts are a bit heavier than either graphite or steel, but the swing weight remains about the same. The fact is more mass is a good thing for those of us with slower swing speeds, since a slower swing will have more power behind it. Tad says that using this heavier club can improve your swing and tempo.

I use a few persimmon clubs in my set as it is and can tell you for a fact that persimmon has more feel, accuracy and better spin than any metal wood out there, period. And the feel and sound of a well struck shot off a persimmon head is unmatched by any modern club. It is simply more gratifying.

And I just wonder if the same wouldn’t be true for Tad’s/Tom’s ol’ hickory sticks. There is a growing legion of traditionally minded players using hickory and I am told there are tournaments that feature exclusively hickory clubs in play. That has to be a lot of fun, I would imagine. Yes, we all love the modern ball for its amazing flight and distance, but for those of you who love the game for the sensations as much as the competition, you might check out what Tad is up to, and do your part to maintain the great tradition of the game…and that is the feel of it.