The Wulff 1848 Play Club is loosely based on the template of an 1840s McEwan play club that’s included in Elmer Nahum’s book Practical Clubmaking. Its lower loft of 12-15 degrees makes it an ideal club off the tee and for long approaches on good lies. The example shown here is made from hard maple and I also make this club from European beech. When available, this club is $225.

Traditionally, the material on the leading edge of the sole would have been made of ram’s horn, but in the spirit of “embracing a history that never was,” I usually use a very dense hardwood called lignum vitae, which would have been available to a hypothetical club maker living and working on Long Island, NY, in the mid-1800s. On this example, I used another domestic hardwood called Osage orange. It’s secured to the sole with traditional hide glue and hickory pegs. The weight on the back of the head is poured and hammered lead.

The black finish on this example is inspired by a traditional Japanese finishing technique called shou sugi ban, where a flame is used to char the surface of the wood. More commonly used on outdoor wood features such as fences and furniture, the charring creates a durable and water-resistant finish. I’ve added several coats of linseed oil on top of the charring to further enhance those benefits, but in the instance of any wear to the finish due to play, a few quick passes with a propane torch will restore the char. Other finishes I use include an antique finish, which is alternating coats of oil stain and asphaltum, and a natural finish, which is simply several coats of of linseed oil and shellac.

The shaft on the 1848 Play Club is generally vintage hickory or modern hickory dowel. On premium versions of this club, I handcraft the shaft from riven hickory using the tools and methods of 15th-century bow makers, who were the original club makers.

The grips on these are generally strips of thicker leather, suede-side-out, secured to the end of the shaft in the traditional way with a bent nail. The example here shows my red grips, smooth-side-out.

The 1848 Play Club can be played with featherie, synthetic gutta percha, and modern low-compression balls.

General spec range:

• 12-15 degrees of loft

• high Cs to high Ds swing weight

• around 42 inches long

• Price when available is $225 (shipping included to continental USA)

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