What Is a Mashie?
A mashie is an old golf iron from the hickory-shaft era, with roughly the loft of a modern 5 iron. Golfers used it mainly for approach shots into the green, from about the late 19th century until numbered iron sets took over in the 1930s.
You won't find a mashie in a modern golf shop, but the name lives on in old clubhouses, in hickory golf events, and in the name of a certain pixel-art golf game.
What a mashie looked like
Early mashies were forged by hand. A blacksmith (a "cleekmaker") shaped the iron head and a clubmaker fitted it to a shaft of hickory wood with a leather grip.
- Head: a short, fairly deep blade, more compact than the long-bladed irons of the time.
- Face: often smooth at first, with dots or lines punched into it on later models.
- Loft: somewhere around a modern 5 iron, though every maker was a little different.
- Shaft: hickory, which flexed and twisted far more than steel.
Because each club was made individually, there was no standard "mashie loft". Two mashies from different makers could play quite differently, which is one reason golfers grew attached to a favourite club.
What was the mashie used for?
Before the mashie, golfers had the cleek and the iron for longer shots and the niblick for getting out of trouble. The mashie filled the gap in between: a club for hitting the ball up onto the green from a medium distance.
It was the go-to club for the pitch-and-run: a shot that flew part of the way and then ran up to the hole. On the firm, bumpy courses of the time, that was often safer than a high shot. Good players would open or close the face, choke down the grip and vary the swing to get many different shots out of the one club.
Where does the name come from?
Nobody knows for certain. A common suggestion is that it comes from the French massue, meaning a club or mace, or from an old Scots word for a heavy hammer. Treat both as theories rather than settled fact.
The mashie family
The mashie was popular enough that makers named several other clubs after it:
| Old name | Rough modern equivalent |
|---|---|
| Mid mashie | 3 iron |
| Mashie iron | 4 iron |
| Mashie | 5 iron |
| Spade mashie | 6 iron |
| Mashie niblick | 7 iron |
These are approximate. Lofts varied a lot between makers, so historians give slightly different equivalents. For the full list, including spoons, brassies and jiggers, see old golf club names.
Why the mashie disappeared
Two changes in the 1920s and 1930s finished it off. First, steel shafts were approved by the USGA in 1924 and by the R&A in 1929. Steel was more consistent than hickory, so clubs could be made to match each other. Second, makers began selling matched, numbered sets, where each iron had a set loft and length. Names like mashie and niblick gave way to numbers like 5 and 9.
Some golfers still play hickory clubs today. Hickory societies and tournaments around the world keep the old clubs in use, and players often say the mashie is the club they reach for most.
Mashy is named after the mashie
Mashy is named after the mashie. It's a free pitch & putt golf game in your browser, so it fits: a bag of irons, wedges and a putter, and no driver. The free stock set in the game's Pro Shop is even called Hickory Mashies. You swing with a three-tap meter and play nine-hole courses from a parkland to a seaside links.
Want to know what the numbers mean today? Read golf clubs explained: irons, chips and putts and what is loft in golf?
Frequently asked questions
What number iron is a mashie?
A mashie is roughly equivalent to a modern 5 iron. The match isn't exact, because hickory-era clubs were made by hand and lofts varied between makers. Some historians place a mashie slightly weaker in loft than a modern 5 iron, which is why you will see small differences between equivalence charts.
Is a mashie the same as a niblick?
No. The niblick was a more lofted club, roughly a modern 9 iron or wedge, used for high shots and for escaping bunkers and bad lies. The mashie had less loft and was used for approach shots. The mashie niblick sat between the two and is usually compared to a 7 iron.
When did golfers stop using the mashie?
The mashie faded out in the 1930s. Once steel shafts were approved in the 1920s, makers could build matched sets of numbered irons with consistent lofts and lengths. Numbers replaced names, and the 5 iron took over the mashie's job in most golf bags.
Can you still buy a mashie?
Yes, in two ways. Original hickory mashies turn up at auctions, antique dealers and online marketplaces, and some are still playable. A few specialist makers also build reproduction hickory clubs for players who enter hickory golf events, which use period-style equipment.
Why is the game called Mashy?
Mashy is named after the mashie, the classic hickory iron for approach shots. The game is a pitch & putt played with irons, wedges and a putter, so an old iron felt like the right name. The free starter clubs in the Pro Shop are called Hickory Mashies as a nod to it.