workshop experiences
Welcome to The Workshop
First you will get suited up in your workshop apron and step inside the world of hickory golf restoration. Learn about the tools, materials and traditional equipment used throughout the experience, along with a short introduction to workshop safety and clubmaking techniques.
What is Hickory?
Next you will discover why hickory wood shaped golf for over 100 years. Learn how hickory shafts were selected, shaped and finished using traditional methods, and try elements of the process yourself using period-style tools.
The Metalwork
Then you will explore the anatomy of a vintage hickory irons and putters and learn how antique clubheads were forged, assembled and restored. Take part in genuine restoration techniques including the traditional process of removing and reinstalling a hosel pin.
Gripping & Whipping
You finish your experience by completing your club with your own personal finishing touches. Choose from a range of leather grips, whipping thread, tartan and tweed details while learning the traditional finishing methods used on hickory golf clubs for generations.
Make a 'gutty' golf ball (Gutty Experience only)
Step into the early days of golf ball making by creating your own replica gutty golf ball. Using traditional-style moulding techniques and safe modern materials, you will shape, finish and take home a handmade replica inspired by the balls that transformed the game in the 1800s.
Restored. Playable. Unique.
A unique addition to your pro shop
Do you represent a golf club or resort?
Offer your members and visitors something no modern product can match, a playable piece of golf’s past, branded with your club’s identity.
Each hickory club is individually restored, and finished with high-quality personalisation aligned to your club. These are not replicas or souvenirs. They are authentic clubs from golf’s original era, brought back to life and ready to be owned.
How It Works
- Branding and personalisation are applied during final finishing
- Orders can be placed in small, manageable quantities
Why It Works in a Pro Shop
- Differentiation - no overlap with standard retail products
- High perceived value - heritage, craftsmanship, and authenticity
- Story-led selling - every club has a narrative
- Ideal for gifting - members, visitors, corporate clients
- No direct competition — each club is one-of-a-kind
This is not another product line. It is a statement piece within your shop.
A club your members and visitors don’t just buy, they keep.
WHAT IS HICKORY GOLF?
Celebrating how golf equipment used to be made, over 100 years ago
The late 19th and early 20th centuries marked a special period in the history of golf, with hickory wood being a key element; it became the material of choice for club shafts. These clubs, handcrafted by skilled clubmakers, were used by legends of the game and defined golf’s early competitive era, reminiscent of the craftsmanship seen in the early 20th century.
Clubmakers began importing hickory wood from the USA in 1862. Before this, golf clubs were typically made from British domestic woods such as ash. Hickory was stronger, more flexible, and more affordable, making golf clubs more accessible and resilient for players.
By the 1930s, steel-shafted clubs began replacing hickory, ushering in a new era of modern performance but losing the artistry and challenge that made hickory golf so special. Today, kingarrock hickory golf is enjoying a revival, with passionate golfers rediscovering the sport’s roots and embracing the skill required to play with these classic clubs.
