Golf clubs in the early days (until the 1920’s) had names not numbers.  Included below are the club names with some of the modern equivalents.

We have broken this list down into two eras: Clubs used with Feathery balls which would be clubs used prior to 1850 and clubs used with Gutta Percha balls and balata balls after 1850.

You would not find all of the following clubs in an individual's bag.  Some are almost the same club with a different name or are the same club.

Clubs Used Prior to 1850

Play Club - The play club was the driver before 1850. It had a long nosed head usually made of Beechwood, sometimes weighted in the back, with rams horn at the front of the sole.  It was used with the feathery ball.

Long Spoon - A club made of wood with a long nose similar in shape to the driver with more loft more loft at about 15 degrees.

Middle Spoon - Similar to a long spoon made of wood with more loft at about 18 degrees. 

Short Spoon - Same as a Middle spoon made of wood with at loft of about 21 degrees.

Driving Putter - A wooden club with very little loft used when a low shot was needed.

Baffling Spoon - A wooded club with the loft of a wedge. 

Baffy Spoon - Same as a Baffling Spoon.

Baff - Same as a Baffling Spoon

Grass Putter - It was more upright made much the same as a play club with a long nose.  Used prior to 1850 with the feathery ball.

Putter - Same as a grass putter.

Toe Iron - An iron with a loft of about 18 degrees.

Niblick - An iron with the loft of about 43 degrees.

Rutter - Same as a niblick with a shorter blade. Used to get out of cart ruts.

Heavy Iron - Used to get out of difficult spots with a loft of about 40 degrees.

Scraper - Used the same as the heavy iron with a loft of about 35 degrees.

Clubs Used After 1850

You would not find all of the following clubs in an individual's bag.  Some are almost the same club with a different name or are the same club.  Some of the clubs are from different eras from 1850 to 1920.

Driver - Either of the two longest hitting wooden clubs formerly in use: the play club or the grass club (or grassed driver). The modern day club is the longest hitting largest headed least lofted club, the number one wood.

Play Club - The same as the Driver.

Grass Club - Another name for the Driver.

Brassie - This club was fitted with a brass sole plate with about 15 degrees of loft. The term also applied to various lofted wooden clubs in the 1880s and 1890s. The modern equivalent would be the number three wood.

Spoon - Any of a group of early wooden clubs having graduated lofts greater than that of the grassed driver, and correspondingly shorter shafts. The name originated because the loft on early club faces, both wooden and iron lofted up to 20 degrees, was most often concave and sometimes, therefore, resembled the bowl of a spoon. In the early 20th century it was a somewhat more lofted club than the brassie. The modern equivalent would be the number three to five wood.

Wooden Cleek - A wooden headed club lofted at about 18 degrees.

Cleek - Any of numerous narrow-bladed iron clubs, variously adapted and used for playing long shots through the green, for playing from sand and rough and for putting. The Cleek was the longest of all the iron clubs, with the face only slightly lofted. The basic characteristics of cleeks were that they were narrow-bladed and relatively light. They were lofted at about 15 degrees or less. About the loft of a one iron.

Driving Cleek - The same as a Cleek.

Driving Iron - The driving iron is deeper in the blade than the cleek with slightly more loft; not as long as a cleek but more lofted. Any of various iron clubs, no longer in use, that were used for various shots through the green. They were lofted at about 18 to 20 degrees or about the same as a modern 3 iron.

Mid Iron - An iron club no longer is use, somewhat more lofted than a driving iron. They were lofted at about 25 degrees or slightly stronger than a modern 5 iron.

Driving Mashie - Similar to a Mid iron.

Mid Mashie - Similar to a Mid iron.

Mashie Iron - An iron club no longer in use, somewhat less lofted than a mashie at about 30 degrees that was used for driving and for full shots through the green

Jigger - A moderately lofted, shallow-faced, short-shafted iron club that was used especially for approach and chip shots at about 32 degrees.

Mashie - A lofted iron club, no longer in use, introduced about 1880 and used for pitching with backspin. The modern equivalent would be the number five iron with a loft of 35 degrees.

Spade - A deep-faced iron club some what more lofted than a mashie with a loft of 34 degrees. The modern equivalent would be the number six iron.

Spade Mashie - Similar to a Spade.

Mid Mashie - An iron at a loft of about 40 degrees.

Mashie Niblick - An iron club no longer in use, having a loft between those of a mashie and a niblick, used for pitching with a loft of 30 to 34 degrees. The modern day equivalent would be the number six or number seven iron.

Pitcher - An iron club with a loft of about 45 degrees. 

Niblick - A short headed steeply lofted iron club, no used for playing out of ruts and tight lies. It would be lofted at 40 to 45 degrees.

Lofting Iron - Used to hit a ball high with spin. Similar to a modern day wedge.

Lofter - Same as a Lofting Iron.

Putter - A putter was a club used on the green and was lofted at about 10 degrees. It was much more upright and stiffer. 

Putting Cleek - Same as a putter.

Sand Iron - A heavily scoop faced iron.

Track Iron - An iron at about 43 degrees or about 9 iron loft.

Rut Iron - An iron with a short blade made to get the ball out of a cart rut.

Rutter - Same as a Rut iron.

Rake - An iron that looks like a rake with vertical slots used to get a ball out of sand or water.

President - An iron with a whole in the middle to hit balls out of water. It has about 43 degrees of lolf.

Water Club - Same as a President.