Alright, so I wanted to share a bit about my recent little project, which involved trying to get some help from Ratcliffe Golf Services. It wasn’t quite what I expected, but it was an experience, for sure.
My Old Club Conundrum
It all started with this old persimmon driver I inherited. Beautiful thing, really, but it needed some serious TLC. The finish was worn, and I just wanted to see if it could be brought back to its former glory. Sentimental value, you know?
I’d heard the name Ratcliffe Golf Services floating around, figured they were a decent sized operation and might have someone who knew about older clubs. My thinking was, they’re “golf services,” right? So, I thought maybe they could handle a few things, like:
- Refinishing the wood head.
- Checking the old shaft.
- Maybe even just giving some solid advice on restoration.
The Visit and The Chat
So, one afternoon, I grabbed the club and drove over. Place looked pretty standard for a modern golf shop. Lots of the latest gear, launch monitors whirring, folks getting fitted. Seemed busy, which is usually a good sign, I guess.
Eventually, I got to chat with one of the guys there. Showed him my persimmon. He looked at it, you know, with that expression people get when they see something properly old. Polite, but a bit like, “Huh, what’s this then?”
I explained what I was hoping for – a bit of restoration, maybe refinishing. He listened, then kinda shook his head slowly. “Mate,” he said, “that’s a classic, but we’re not really set up for that kind of work anymore.”
He was honest about it, which I appreciated. He mentioned they do all the modern stuff:
- Regripping.
- Reshafting with graphite.
- Loft and lie adjustments on modern irons.
- Custom fittings, obviously.
But stripping down and refinishing a wooden head? That was a different ball game, apparently. He suggested I might have better luck finding a specialist woodworker or someone who deals specifically in vintage golf equipment.
What I Took Away From It
So, yeah, Ratcliffe couldn’t directly help with my specific, old-school request. I didn’t get the driver refinished there. But it wasn’t a wasted trip.
It really got me thinking about how things change. These golf service places today, they’re super efficient at handling the latest technology, the newest materials. And that’s what most golfers want, I get it. They want the latest driver that promises more distance, the perfectly fitted irons.
But that craft of working with older stuff, with traditional materials like persimmon wood, it’s becoming a real niche. It’s not something your average golf shop, even a well-regarded one like Ratcliffe seems to be, keeps on the books. It’s like they’re set up for the Formula 1 cars of golf, not for restoring the vintage Bentleys.
I walked away feeling a bit like I was searching for a blacksmith in an age of robotic welders. Not that Ratcliffe did anything wrong – they were straightforward and did offer some general advice on where else I might look. It just highlighted this shift. The skills are still out there, I’m sure, but you’ve got to dig a lot deeper to find them. My little trip to Ratcliffe Golf Services just kind of confirmed that for me. Now, the hunt continues for someone who can give this old club the love it deserves!
