Plus Four Podcast

Precision is a word that aptly applies to Dr. David Brown, owner of McIntyre Golf Company, the leading manufacturer of replica golf balls in the world. (He even plays Nicoll Precision irons from the mid-1910s.) An orthopedic surgeon by training, specializing in knees and overall sports medicine, he meticulously crafts gutta percha balls, brambles, mesh pattern and small dimple balls appropriate for play with pre-1935 clubs. And like his predecessor, Chris McIntyre, he brings a relentless curiosity and scientific rigor to the process, from sourcing raw materials to creating the perfect systems and processes to replicate these precious items for thousands of players from here to Japan. Brown is an avid runner and bicyclist, and frequent guest at tournaments throughout the U.S. and British Isles. He has represented America at the International Hickory Cup (now Freeman Cup) and is an enduring presence at the Hickory Grail tournaments, held every other year in a true Ryder Cup format; it's Europe vs. America for hickory Golf. He's one of the true gents in the gentlemen's game, and is quietly helping new generations to experience the sport we all love with a touch of the past. Brown is a member of the Nebraska Hickory Golf association, one of the leading regional groups in the United States, and the only one that boasts a hickory golf Hall of Fame. In this episode, we'll explore the wide range of products that Dave oversees and travel vicariously through his exploits in the game.

Their 2021 Trip to East Lothian and Fife While enduring the pandemic, hickory golfers everywhere dreamed of a return to the links and the prospect of getting back to international competition, camaraderie, and travel. Many of us suffered months of travel bans and course closures. Lingering for many was the potential that the 2021 World Hickory Open in St. Andrews would be our moment—our triumphant 'return to normalcy' and the first, big international opportunity to reengage with our brothers and sisters from around the globe in a convivial and memorable summit. As they say, the best laid plans... Scotland hadn't lifted the quarantine by the time decisions needed to be made. The 2021 W.H.O. was officially canceled. Two intrepid players—cofounders of the Southern Hickory Golf Society in the U.S.A.—said, "phooey, we're going!" [Sanitized for your consumption] No W.H.O.? We'll chart our own plan. And what followed proved to be a magical experience among new friends and old, on some of the most hallowed grounds for golf, culminating in a final day on The Old Course to cap off what was already a trip of a lifetime. Join us as we relive their trip and hear about the intricacies of planning and performing for 11 straight days in East Lothian and Fife, including 36-holes at Muirfield and the resplendent lunch with their members. St. Andrews photos copyright of Foremost Golf Photography

Jeffery Ellis began collecting golf clubs at an early age and found that the literature that was available for up-and-coming collectors of antique golf instruments was sorely lacking. What is an ambitious and enterprising person to do, but set one's mind to creating the most definitive and authoritative publication of antique golf clubs and their history. Nothing stops Jeff Ellis—whether on an auction floor or in achieving his goals. Heck, he even created his own publishing company, Zephyr Productions, to make his dream a reality in 1997. Ellis has since published a two volume expanded edition of The Clubmaker's Art which features over 400 new images and extensive new information. Many exceedingly rare and historically important clubs have been added to every chapter in the book. The section on fakes and replicas is five times as large as that in the first edition. Mr. Ellis also recently published the history of Ping by personal invitation of the Solheim family (And The Putter Went ... PING). Ellis runs his own golf club auction site where we accepts consignments of authentic golf collectibles. His painstaking research and lifelong obsession is a gift to all hickory golf enthusiasts, now for time everlasting. He also published The Golf Club which features rare treasures made by Scotland's Old Tom Morris known as "The Grand Old Man of Golf" and Hugh Philp often called the Stradivarius of clubmakers. You will also find modern masterpieces by Ping, Spalding, Callaway, MacGregor, Titleist, Nike and others. In this episode, we discuss his early years in collecting, how prices and competition has changed in the last 30 years, and a few of the special clubs featured in his nearly 800 page compendium. The Clubmaker's Art is a must-have for every hickory golf club collector!

The Carolina Hickory Golf Association is dedicated to preserving the traditions of the ancient game of golf. Conceived in 2004, and formalized in 2005, it is one of the first—if not THE first—regional hickory golf association in the United States. The fortunate few who call the Carolinas their home know what it's like to play on sandy soil with whispering pines and a layer or two to keep the morning chill from your shoulders. I would argue—as I believe Donald Ross must have—it is one of the most ideal places in all of North America for the sport. CHGA grew from the legendary origins of the Mid Pines Hickory Open. In fact, the pro at Mid Pines was a co-founder of the Association, and is a guest in this episode. It was a treat to spend some time with founding captain "Lang Willie" Engelson, current captain Richard Schmidt, and PGA professional, Rob Pilewski. We spoke of their evolution, their association with LPGA member and World Golf Hall of Fame inductee, Peggy Kirk Bell, the estimable contributions of Jay Harris, Frank Boumphrey, and so much more. When a guest in the Carolinas, you're treated right. These three exemplify this culture and are a credit to the growth of hickory golf in the United States.

The Florida Hickory Golfers are a regional group of golfers dedicated to preserving the pureness and authenticity of golf by playing with hickory shafted clubs on traditional golf courses. At over 65,000 square miles, the state covers a vast territory, yet this group manages to build success upon success, now boasting a groundbreaking partnership with the Florida State Golf Association, which is exponentially elevating their presence and setting a new standard for other statewide regional playing groups in the United States. Like so many groups, FHG started as an offshoot of Golf Collector Society events. Collectors at these events would grab their 100 year-old clubs and hit the nearby links, thrilled to discover the old clubs still had quite a bit of game left in them. They now host the Temple Terrace United States Professional Hickory Golf Championship, Winter Park Hickory Classic, and the Race to Mount Dora, among many other monthly events. Captain Mike Stevens was joined by co-conspirators Bill Geisler and Rich Grula for a reflection on this progressive regional hickory golf organization that manages, in spite of their growing media presence and expanding annual events calendar, to keep it simple. Growing the game, enjoying one another's company, and welcoming new players is the hallmark of the Florida Hickory Golfers vibe. They give us all something to emulate as, as I note at the end of the conversation, they very well could become the fastest growing hickory association in the USA.

There aren't many people devoted to the craft of hand-making longnose clubs as they were made in the 19th century. Kelly Leonard is one of those rare exceptions. Based in Canada, Kelly is a one-man show. By day, he makes his living in construction, but in his free time, he's passionate about hand-shaping wood, horn, brass, and linen to create magical and modern instruments from start to finish that send the bearer back to the time before the modern golf ball was invented. A Leonard club is made for gutty or featherie golf, but as you'll hear in this episode, some have been using Kelly's longnose clubs for gutty and even casual rounds with a modern, low-compression golf ball with nothing but blissful feelings and that small connection one can conjure with players the likes of Robertson, Strath, Morris, Anderson, Park, Balfour-Melville and others. Kelly suspects every handmade longnose club has six solid hours of shaving, sanding, rasping, gluing, and finishing in them...and he's made more than 400 so far. This is serious stuff. Of late, he's been producing clubs on templates of some of the Greats, from McEwan, Forgan, Philp, Cossar, Park, and Dunn. What are you waiting for? If you love hickory golf, and you play with clubs from 1900-1935, and/or replicas, there's only a few centuries of other authentic versions of the period golf experience at your disposal! Kelly recommends using the McIntyre Park ball with his clubs, but whatever you do, look around, consider our forebears, and if you're curious, feel part of history in your hands and ears, and all of your senses, by swinging a longnose golf club. Find Kelly on Instagram

Author, inventor, craftsman, and bon vivant—Tim Alpaugh has an unassuming manner about him, but don't let that fool you. He possesses a keen eye for detail, and a passion for history. In this episode, we'll hear about Tim's journey from the fast-paced corporate world to a life-changing decision in the 1980s to give it all up and become a carpenter. Some of the same skills that propelled him in business, translate to the creation of bespoke cabinetry or to his growing popularity as a craftsman of hand-made divot tools, tees, trestle sticks, bag stands, and so much more. Tim's work is featured in the January 2021 issue of Golf Digest and he is completing a long-anticipated sequel to his first book, Claret Dreams: Historic Hickories in the Modern British Open. He's a founding member of the NY-area Metropolitan Hickory Society and has a loyal social media fan base to boot. I hope you'll gain inspiration from Tim's ingenuity and creativity, as I do. He's an original. You can contact Tim at claretdreamer@gmail.com and find him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/claretdreamer/ Images of Tim's work can also be found on the Plus Four podcast website.

As member number three in the Golf Collectors Society (Now the Golf Heritage Society), John Capers III knows a lot about the value of preserving golf heritage and has established himself as one of the world's authorities on Club archives. His personal devotion and example have set the bar for Clubs worldwide to emulate, and he's an advocate for sharing this work. Any club can, nee should, commit to conserve their history--as John puts it--it is never too soon to start on this journey, regardless of the age of your course or club. In this episode, we explore the essential steps for clubs to consider when starting an archive, how John's years of work have changed his own relationship with the members at his club and with the club's role in its community, and just a little bit about how the chase works to secure often rare and singular artifacts that are iconic emblems of one's club's legacy and past. Links to references in the pod: The Golf Heritage Society British Golf Collectors' Society USGA Museum Dr. Andrew Mutch Golf Illustrated online sample Hagley Museum and Library Society of Golf Historians: Connor Lewis

Wood-shafted golf club repair and restoration isn't always for the faint-at-heart, but those who are willing to learn, can certainly deal with a large majority of maintenance issues with our clubs. In fact, these clubs are more forgiving than we first imagine. For bigger challenges, however, there are a few “go to” craftspeople who bring a career of experience and skill to any restoration project—from a complete rebuild to custom work of any kind. One of those people is John Henry Williams. In this episode, we cover a broad range of topics related to club care and restoration and John shares some of the unique processes that he has fine-tuned to restore years of practical life to even the most battered and abused hickory golf clubs. Even if you think you know everything about club repair, you'll want to hear about his vacuum technique to infuse low viscosity epoxy into every nook and cranny of a cracked golf club head. It's possible that no one else does what John can do. We refer to several products and services throughout the episode. Links to some of those are below. Thanks for listening and subscribing to the Plus Four podcast. Brookside Golf Club Restoration Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Brookside-Golf-Club-Restoration-456802941490072 Persimmon Golf Society https://www.facebook.com/groups/189830219415 David Bass Golf Club Restoration http://www.davidbassgolf.com/DBG-Restorations Wood Brothers Club Restoration http://www.davewoodarts.com/WoodRestoreProcess.html Skidmore's Restoration Cream https://skidmores.com/product/restoration-cream/ #1 Upholstery Tacks https://www.dbgurney.com/

We've heard about B.C. and B.C.E., but what about B.S? “Before the Society!” What was the world like before the formation of the Society of Hickory Golfers? We thought we'd sit with some of the early influencers who helped create the SoHG to hear from them—first hand—what led to the motivation to start a formal society, how it all came to pass, who we've lost since then, and how they regard the evolution of the sport and its membership more than 20 years later. The ultimate outcome? It's what we all know – we play this sport for the social connections and relationships formed as a result of meeting like-minded stewards of the traditions of the game. In this podcast, you'll get a sense of the years of commitment and camaraderie that led to the formation of the SoHG. These three representatives share their insights and their personal touchpoints with the game in a wide-ranging conversation. With any luck, it'll inspire new players to join us too, and experience the game as it was meant to be played. Since 1963, Tad Moore has been designing custom golf clubs for the most discriminating amateur and professional golfers in the world. Tad is recognized in the golf industry as one of today's premier club designers. Tad was born in 1941 in Toledo, Ohio to a golfing family. Tad's parents, Thad and Hazel Moore were avid golfers along with his older brother, Bill. Tad's mother and brother saw to it that Tad learned the game and Tad won the Sylvania Club Championship in 1972, 1975 and 1977 with his exceptional putting. Tad has been active in hickory golf for many years and was a founding member of the Society of Hickory Golfers. Today this group is the most influential group in hickory golf. Tad has won many hickory championships across the USA and is a respected authority on equipment and the game. Tad is currently on the executive committee of the SoHG and hosts the Southern Hickory Four Ball golf tournament every spring. Tad's golf club designs are distinguished by their classic and timeless shape. Tad has used the Professional Tours around the world to test his club designs. At one time Tad had over 72 of the finest players using his putters on Tour. In 1991, Ian Woosnam won the coveted Masters Tournament with one of Tad's putters. Tad has also produced a driver that Sean Fister used to win the Remax World Long Drive Championship in 2002. In 2005, Tad introduced his innovative line of hickory-shafted golf clubs that today are very popular among hickory golfers across the globe. These were the first NEW hickory shafted clubs to be produced in the USA since the early 1930's. Tad's hickory club designs are patterned after the successful designs of MacGregor and William Gibson, two of the most popular brands of the vintage era. Prior to Tad's becoming totally involved in golf club design Tad designed and manufactured the shaft seals that were use on the axles of the Lunar Rover that landed on the Moon! Rob Ahlschwede is an International player with extensive knowledge of all aspects of hickory golf who first joined the Golf Collectors Society in 1984. Rob was a founding member of the Society of Hickory Golfers as well as co-founder of the Northwest Hickory Players. He has served as a board member of the GCS and the Society of Hickory Golfers, where he is the Equipment Chairperson. Rob has won numerous hickory golf events including the Championship flight of the Tad Moore Southern Hickory Four Ball on three occasions. An expert at hickory golf club repair, Rob is often sought out for equipment questions of all kinds. Rob has not played with modern clubs since 1999 and has inspired numerous players to play hickory golf. When asked about his proudest accomplishment, Rob stated, “There are many. But my work in Omaha helping grow the game there, hosting several tournaments/events through the years.” “And now, living here in the Pacific Northwest, finding a few like minded players and founding the Northwest Hickory Players. We are a great bunch, now bringing over 100 players to hickory in the northwest, hosting three major events each year–the Gearhart Hickory Classic, Pacific Northwest HickoryChampionship and the Gamble Sands Hickory Championship. This past season two of the three qualified to allow players to earn points toward the Championship series.” “Also, being asked to be the chair of the Equipment Committee for the Society has been highly rewarding and has enabled me to communicate with many in the hickory world, both newbies and old timers!!” When asked for advice on assembling a quality hickory set, Rob had this to say, “Make it fun!! Know that it will be a bit of an adjustment until you find the right equipment.” “Putting together a quality hickory golf set takes a while. From the beginning of the SoHG, replica clubs were an important part of this process as it is not always easy to put together a set of original/antique wood shafted clubs to play with.” “Finding really good equipment that matches one's game takes time; having authentic replica clubs is an important avenue for new hickory players so that they can easily find clubs to play. Then a search for quality originals can be undertaken if desired.” “And today, many hickory players have multiple sets with a mix of original and replica clubs to maximize enjoyment of this great game.” If you had asked Roger Hill in his late thirties what sport he enjoyed, he would have said hockey, tennis, cross-country skiing, and fly-fishing. He would not have mentioned golf. His involvement in that game came as he neared forty, and grew to become an abiding passion and pursuit. As often happens, it was Roger's work that connected him to the sport. As the owner of a commercial photography studio, many of his clients were furniture manufacturers. One of these clients booked Roger and his assistant at the time, Ralph Livingston III, to travel with him to the Furniture Market in High Point, NC. The client was an avid golfer and it didn't take long for him to convince both Roger and Ralph to try their hand at the game. Neither played golf at the time, and the long road home to Michigan was lined with golf courses. The two photographers became “keen” on the sport. Nearly every night after they finished their work they played as many holes as the setting sun would allow. Fate intervened when Roger's wife Chris gave him three hickory clubs for their anniversary. She had intended that they be hung in the den; instead, Roger took them to the photo studio for “show and tell.” Roger and Ralph were off! Ralph first explored the Dayton trade show, returning with enthusiastic excitement. Then, after a trip to the Ypsilanti GCS national show, both were hooked on collecting and playing with hickories. Roger joined the Golf Collectors Society and later, the British Golf Collectors Society. By 1990, he was playing hickories in earnest and began traveling to events around the United States. He won his first Stableford in 1997 at the BGCS Open Meeting at Western Gailes. Roger also finished strong in a number of hickory events including three consecutive Musselburgh Foursome championships, a 2nd and a 3rd place net in the Scottish Hickory Championship, and a number of other high finishes in GCS and US Hickory events. During the 1990's Roger became a board member and eventually, President of the Golf Collectors Society. During this time, competition in hickory golf grew immensely. After unsuccessful attempts to gain the attention of the GCS concerning the need to structure and guide this growth, Roger helped found the Society of Hickory Golfers during the annual GCS meeting held in Virginia Beach in 2000. Roger served as the SoHG's Membership Secretary for nearly 10 years. In recent years, Roger has travelled extensively to play in SoHG and GCS events, and has participated in all ten of the Hickory Grail events to date. During the beautiful Michigan summers, Roger organizes regular competitive hickory events for the devoted membership of the Michigan Hickory Tour, which he founded in 2016. The group fondly calls him the “Commissioner.” He maintains a membership at Thousand Oaks Golf Cub in Grand Rapids, and for many years was a member at Machrihanish Golf Course in Scotland. Roger lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with Chris, his wife of 45 years, and their two cats, Young Willie and Margaux. He is happily retired from his commercial photography business, Photosphere Studio. Roger is co-author of George Nicoll of Leven with Peter Georgiady, Airlie Hall Press Kernerville, NC Copyright 2003. Bios from the Nebraska Hickory Golf Hall of Fame To see Northwest Hickory Players' write-up on our visit to the Dick Estey collection, click here.