niblick

American  

[nib-lik] / ˈnɪb lɪk /

noun

Golf.

1. a club with an iron head, the face of which has the greatest slope of all the irons, for hitting the ball with maximum loft.

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niblick British  

/ ˈnɪblɪk /

noun

1. golf (formerly) a club, a no. 9 iron, giving a great deal of lift

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Etymology

Origin of niblick

1855–60; perhaps nibble + -ick, variant of -ock

Explanation

A niblick is an old-fashioned kind of heavy golf club. The modern name for a niblick is a nine iron. When golf was brand new, all clubs were handmade out of wood, but as the sport grew more popular they became standardized and were sometimes made of iron. These iron clubs — or irons — originally had distinct individual names, including niblick, as well as "cleek" and "mashie," and were used from about 1903 until the 1930s. A niblick became known as a "nine iron," just one in a list of numbered iron clubs. The origin of the word niblick remains a complete mystery.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

niblick

It was also an impressive feat, given that Terry and his teammates were hitting rubberlike gutta percha balls with handmade wooden-shafted clubs that, instead of numbers, bore names like brassie, niblick, spoon and cleek.

From New York Times ● Oct. 31, 2021

He then had the humiliation of exchanging his putter for his niblick, and, we may assume without being unkind, that was the last seriously competitive round he ever played.

From Golf Digest ● Mar. 31, 2020

But forget about carrying the golf clubs unless your collection is limited to a single niblick or mashie.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2016

Yaya Touré turned a foot into a niblick that dinked the ball up and into David Silva's path.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 9, 2013

With the shaft of his niblick in his teeth, Windy swarmed up the side of the wall, found the footholds and planted himself solidly.

From Fore! by Loan, Charles Emmett Van