Hickory hickory and woods that are harder, but the combination of strength, toughness, hardness, and stiffness found in hickory wood is not found in any other commercial wood. It is used for tool handles, bows, wheel spokes, carts, drumsticks, lacrosse stick handles, golf club shafts (sometimes still called "hickory stick", even though made of steel or graphite), the bottom of skis, walking sticks, and for punitive use as a switch (like hazel), and especially as a cane-like hickory stick in schools and use by parents. Paddles are often made from hickory. This property of hickory wood has left a trace in
Lacrosse stick for the ball to roll along as it exits the pocket. As of the 2013 season, the NCAA has passed a rule stating that shooting strings are limited to an area within a 4-inch arc drawn from the top of the plastic of the scoop.This essentially eliminates U- or V-shaped shooting strings, as they almost always cross below the 4-inch line. The pocket depth is governed by rule as well. When the ball is placed in the deepest point, the top of the ball must not be below the bottom of the sidewall. Modern handles, more commonly referred to as