Two Mails, Mallets, Maliehamers with a ball. 18th century

Two eighteenth century 'mails' crafted by the French 'palemardier' Coste. It is not known if the earliest mails were reinforced with iron bands, as are the examples here, but it was certainly within the capability of medieval craftsmen, who included skilled coopers.

Sotheby's, London, England

Two men playing the single-club putting variant of pallemaille (malie). Using a wooden two-piece mail (also called the 'billart', 'massalotte' of 'grosse') and his own ball ('boule'), each player putts in turn to a tapered target-stake near the banks of the river Loire in France.

Illuminated manuscript calendar page for the month of February from about 1450.

Bibliotheca Nacional (ms. vit. 25. 3, folio 2) Madrid, Spain

Literature

 Golf through the ages by Michael Flannery, page 101. January 2004