Interesting Scheme to Replace Hickory: Investigations in China by Mr. H. K. B. Davis A. striking innovation is spoken of for golf clubs—bamboo for shafts in place of the present universally used hickory. This scheme comes to attention locally though the presence in Shanghai of Mr. K. B. Davis, an., a keen American golfer who created no stall sensition in Hongkong recent! gogoing round Fanling in 7: Me. Davis expresses the view that bamboo is as good if not a better material than hickory, and he announces that it is confirmed by experiments which have been cou-ducted for about a year under his direction, and he feels that he now has demonstrated the practicability of substituting built-up bamboo for hickory as a commercial venture. His company, D. W. Flint, Me, of Providence, Rhode Island, ox-peds to have bamboo-shafted. golf clubs on the market by Christmas.
The supply of hickory, which has always been considered ripeessary for golf clubs, is, Mr, Davis points out, nearly exhausted. The northern variety, which matures slowly, practically unavailable, and the more rapidly' growing southern species is not satisfactory. The problem was growing acute when the bamboo fishing rod suggested to Mr. Davis ihe use of the same material in clubs. A number of sels have been made up, using bombo for all] the shafts, and the results have been very satisfactory) a slightly greater resiliency and greeny "better feel'"" resulting.
ding professional and amateur players have tested these clubs and recommend them "highly, Maciinery 10 be Usep.
Fishing rods of this material have all been nade by hand, an expensive procedure. To make the clubs saleable machinery which will split and plane the wood so that it can be joined together as a whole has been designed and patented and it is hoped to produce the new clubs at the same price as that formerly charged for the hickory sticks.
Very tittle bamboo is available in the United States at this time so that it was necessary to make, a trip to China, and* Mr. Davis has been here since July becoming better acquainted with this invaluable product. Arriving with the idea that there were only 20° varieties he now knows of over 300 kinds, and has selected the one' special sort from which the shafts of the new golf club will he made.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.