People had been hitting ball with a stick since ages. Evidence is found that a game similar to golf was played in the Netherlands on 26 February, 1297. But it was in 1400s in Scotland the game of golf was started and since the gold club equipment has gone through many changes. At the beginning of the game there was no set specification for making golf clubs and anyone could have designed a golf club according to his idea. The only material that was available in that period of time was wood and all the clubs was wooden. In 1500s King James the IV made the first golf club set and William Mayne was appointed as the Royal Golf club maker. History of golf drivers makes interesting reading.
At that time a special long nose club was designed to drive the ball and that can be said to be the first golf club driver in the history of golf drivers. During this time, the shaft of the drivers and other clubs were made from the local woods available in Europe like ash and hazel. The golf club heads were long and thin made from hard woods like apple, beech, and pear. At this period of time all the drivers and other clubs were handcrafted and Scotland produced the best and most golf club in the world.
Golf drivers history
It was in the early 1800s when golf was introduced in America. In America hickory wood was first used to manufacture the golf clubs. It was the abundance of the hickory wood in America that made it the predominant material for making the drivers. The hickory wood was more durable and that made it a suitable material for making the shaft. The popularity of hickory wood arose tremendously and this led to golf club manufacturers of Scotland making clubs from the hickory woods. The smooth finish that was possible with the hickory woods gave the clubs enhanced control.
It was during the period of 1900 to 1930 that golf club design has undergone massive changes. At that time golfers used to carry around 20 to 30 golf clubs in their golf club bag. It was in 1939 that the rule of 14 was introduced and golfers were allowed to carry only 14 golf clubs during a game. After World War II all the changes in the golf driver design were primarily done through scientific research. It was in the 1950s that iron was first used to make the head of the clubs. Then came the use of steel and now titanium is the predominant metal in golf driver head.
While discussing the history of golf drivers, it may be noted that the driver is perhaps the only club that didn’t have a change in the name. While all the other clubs have gone through series of changes in their names. This is quite evident from the history of golf drivers that the changes in the structure and material and process of manufacturing came in the industry to accommodate the requirement of the golfers. The sole purpose of the modifications in the golf club driver is to enable the golfers to hit the ball longer distances and with better accuracy.
