The Hickory Hacker

11/01/2026

Not sure how to feel about what Seamus Golf is doing here. Either this is an incredibly high markup up on what I consider to be very common hickory putters or I’ve been pricing mine way too low.

In any event, if you’re a new hickory player confused as to how much refurbished hickory clubs should cost and you see this post, please shop around before you pull the trigger on one of these so you can price-compare and make an educated purchase.

Here’s a link to a YouTube video I made a while back that shares my tips and favorite resources for educating yourself on hickory club values and the current market before you start buying:

https://youtu.be/HuNjR153aZA?is=Dq9mFfrbDnQ_zxD7

Featured in Golf Digest, Wall Street Journal & CBS Sports. Makers of fine wool headcovers, pouches and tools for the purist golfer.

10/30/2026

Premiering tonight at 6pm (EST) on the Hickory Hacker YouTube channel (link in bio): The full round of 19th-century gutty golf on the beautiful links of

This was the first round of my recent trip to Scotland with , .online , and . Watch as we play our own hand-crafted long-nose woods with authentic 19th-century irons on an absolutely gorgeous evening on the east links at Dunbar. We couldn’t have written a better script for our first day in East Lothian.

Very special thanks to and for providing the 6” waxed canvas bags we used on this trip to Scotland. Now’s the time to add an S&J bag to your collection: Save 15% on any purchase over $100 with discount code HICKORYHACKER.

10/28/2026

Right before I left for Scotland, I finished cutting new grips out of four different hides and those grips are now available in my store at hickoryhacker.com (link below).

The new additions include a standard weight burgundy grip along with three different colors of mid-weight grips (blue/green, army green, and dark brown).

I also have limited numbers of older inventory still available in six colors and weights.

https://www.hickoryhacker.com/hickory-golf-supplies/leather-grips

10/14/2026

St. Andrews - this is a place I’ve dreamed about visiting ever since I got interested in golf history but I figured it’d be a while before I’d have the opportunity. So, not surprisingly, I’m still pinching myself that this visit was my second in so many years. And man, did I make some unbelievable memories this time.

No, I didn’t get to play the Old Course, though I have a friend who did and shot an all-time round with hickories, but I’ll let them share that story when they’re ready.

Rather, this visit was marked by a memorable visit to the where our small group of golf historians had the opportunity to study some very old golf clubs in an effort to better understand how they were made. While I can’t share the details of what we learned in that research room right now, I can say that the experience sent a jolt of inspiration through me and I can’t wait to get back into the workshop to apply what I learned to my Wulff long-nose clubs going forward.

To cap the experience, I had the absolute honor of participating in a joint presentation to the World Golf Museum on long-nose club making and featherie ball making by Elmer Nahum and Denny and Cathy Lane of . I’m proud to call these exceptional people my friends and truly appreciated them including me, .online and in the proceedings. Thanks so much, Cathy, for setting up this opportunity for us and a huge thanks to the staff at the for going above and beyond to help us have such a productive and memorable two days of research.

10/09/2026

Burntisland- our final round of the trip and another memorable experience.

This hilly parkland course was unlike any of the others we played on the trip and offered up more spectacular views with a thoroughly enjoyable mix of holes. It reminded me a lot of Strathpeffer Spa, which was a similarly spectacular mountainside course that Andy Grow and I played on my first trip to Scotland in 2023. The similarities between the two make sense since Willie Park Jr. played a major design role in both.

Special thanks to the club house kitchen for staying open later than usual so we could close the round with a delicious three-course dinner that only cost £12.50 and allowed me to have Cullen Skink one more time before heading back home.

Practical Clubmaking
Timewarp Golf - Gavin Bottrell

10/08/2026

Musselburgh Old Course - a bucket-list course that I was able to check off on this trip.

The Old Course is steeped in history and for those of us who enjoy learning about the history of the game and the personalities that shaped it, this was a special round at a very special place.

Equally memorable were our four nights at Mrs. Forman’s Lodge, where we added to the history of those legendary walls with late-night conversations about golf clubs and featheries.

A very special thanks to our member host, Allan, who coordinated our round and joined us along with Denny Lane and Cathy Lane.

10/07/2026

Gullane No. 3 - a new addition to my list of favorite golf courses in the world. With spectacular views, dramatic tee shots and a memorable layout of holes, I enjoyed every moment of our afternoon at Gullane No. 3. Very happy that recommended it when we were finalizing our itinerary.

10/04/2026

Kilspindie - a genuine Scottish links experience with sharp winds and rolling terrain.

The weather smiled on us once again with another beautiful day of golf. Riding the high from our opening round at Dunbar the day before, we felt Kilspindie had its work cut out but it was up to the task with a wholly different kind of links experience than the one we had at Dunbar. And, as a connoisseur of Cullen Skink, which is like clam chowder but with smoked haddock instead of clams, I can say the Kilspindie club house makes the best I’ve ever had.

Timewarp Golf - Gavin Bottrell
Practical Clubmaking