Hickory Shafted Clubs

I have heard of hickory shafted clubs most of my golfing life, but like most golfer's today have given them little thought. I assumed they were more difficult to play, not as long etc, but other than that....well ho hum. Then I read this little piece from Walter Hagen's Autobiography and well, let's just say my perspective changed a bit. 

" I took the two-iron from my bag and was pressing the hickory shaft this way and that with my knee to straighten it. This was a habit of golfers in those days, for hickory shafts were a bit pliable and often bent out of shape from being carried in our bags. Well as I pressed the club I heard the hickory shaft click. I could not risk putting in a new shaft since the Championship (1925 US Open at Worcester)  started the next day and a new shaft required a certain amount of practice before I dared trust it." 

In this day and age of on site fully equipped club making vans, with their computer generated specifications and instant custom club fitting, Walter Hagen's blight seems almost incomprehensible. 

Walter Hagen