The owner of a hickory golf club business is hoping to build further on an increase in demand from tourists after finding a permanent venue for his former pop-up venture.
Stuart Fraser of Hickory Smoked Golf, which won an “Innovation in Tourism” category at the regional Scottish Thistle Awards, said the start-up company has received a huge boost since being added to the itineraries of package tour operators catering to overseas golfers. And having beaten off stiff competition in the central and east region, he is now looking forward to the national finals of the Thistle Awards in November.
“We were up against Mary King’s Close and Rosslyn Chapel, so for us, as a new company, to be up against big hitters like that was pretty daunting,” he said. “We weren’t really expecting much, so we were delighted to have won it.”
Previously employed in the financial services sector, Fraser set up Hickory Smoked Golf as a “part-time gig” during the COVID lockdowns. He gave up his day job in November of last year after finding a permanent home for the business alongside the St. Andrews Golf Company, whose factory in Largoward is located about six miles south of the Home of Golf.
“They are still making hickory clubs in that space, still using the old techniques and craftsmanship that would have been used 100 years,” Fraser said.
Hickory Smoked Golf in Scotland. (Photo: Gordon Terris)
Hickory Smoked Golf buys and restores clubs from pre-1935, the cut-off date set by the Society of Hickory Golfers for “authentic” hickory clubs. Its interactive workshops take clients through the refurbishment process, which includes restored grips made from different colours of suede, leather, denim or even faux snakeskin.
Those who wish to buy their club and take it home can have it personalized with laser engraving on the shaft.
The move to a fixed venue, which opened in March after several months of refurbishment, has allowed the business to significantly enhance its offering.
“We are able to offer so much more in the workshops now,” Fraser said. “It’s almost like an interactive museum – there’s simulators, there’s a putting green.
“There’s lots of things to see and do, facts and figures and things to read about the history of golf, but [visitors] can also pick the clubs up and actually use them, rather than having them locked behind any sort of cabinets. Nothing is roped off – everything can be picked up and touched and used.”
Hickory Smoked Golf still does occasional external events, but is now mainly focused on the venue at Largoward where workshops held on a pre-booked basis. Looking further ahead, Fraser said the business would like to operate on an “open door basis” where visitors can drop in, though this requires “a bit more resource than we’ve got right now”.
However, he remains upbeat about developments to date.
“We’re obviously delighted, being such a new company and so young, to get the feedback we are getting,” he said. “The recognition we are getting is amazing.
“The award last night was unexpected but incredible – just to be mentioned with some of these big hitters in the tourism industry in the same sentence is fantastic for us as a small business, but hopefully we can grow from that and go from strength to strength.”