Bagger was a fixture at our VaHGA events until he decided to move to the Villages in Florida. He has a fascination with tinkering with wood and the hickory history–creating a number of fantastic golf accessories as shown below. Check it out! Bagger continues his love of hickory golf and is working to create a Villages group.
“Now what got me started playing Hickory golf: that was the movie THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED. I watched that movie which had several great story lines and wondered what it would be like playing with hickory clubs. Talking about how good the movie was with one of my golfing buddies he informed me he had over the years been buying them at yard sales and had a pile of them in his garage. Being the renaissance man that I am he brought them over I got some tennis grip tape wrapped the grips. Off we went we played them one afternoon I could not believe how well they hit. I was hooked.”
What’s in Bagger’s bag?
Trying to build a play set when you are first starting is way to time consuming. I have purchased every reproduction set made by Mike Just of Louisville Golf (Mike was a great help and fine gentleman, may he rest in peace) and Tad Moore (highly recommended if you are first starting out). I play the hickories within 4 or 5 shots of my modern clubs and I assure you a good score with a set of hickories will put a smile on your face a modern set will never accomplish.
Putting together a original play set is quite an adventure. Getting clubs to hit in 10 yard increments was a fun process. Taking a hickory shafted club into the club shop and telling them to bend it up 4 degrees and seeing the look on their faces was priceless. After signing a four page release of responsibility if it broke, they would reluctantly do it. I explained they were mild English steel easy to bend and not to worry if it broke I have a welding machine! I walked out with the club I needed for the distance I was looking for.
Here’s what I play now:
DRIVER, SPOON AND BRASSIE PROFESSIONAL 24
(RESTORED BY THE FAMOUS HICKORY PLAYER MR.TERRY PEMBERTON)
165 YDS CLEEK 26 DEGREE BY LOUISVILLE GOLF
150 YDS MID IRON ERNEST JONES SPECIAL
140 YDS MID IRON BURKE GOLF COMPANY
130 YDS MASHIE R FORGAN
125 YDS MASHIE THE KERNEL SOPRT MART XX WASHINGTON D.C. (MY BIRTH PLACE)
110 TDS MASHIE ERNEST JONES
100 YDS MASHIE BURKE GOLF COMPANY
90 YDS MASHIE NIBLICK SPALDING KRO FLIGHT
60 YDS NIBLICK / SAND WEDGE VICTOR TAD MOORE
PUTTER WILLIE DUNN MALLET TAD MOORE
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Contact Michael “Bagger” Hobson
email: mwhmichael1@gmail.com