One of the most important elements of
making a polo mallet lies in choosing the cane.
Zappala mallets come from remote locations in the jungles
of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Often harvesters
travel for up to 15 days into the depths of the jungle
to find the perfect canes. A plant may take up to 70 years
to mature. A typical polo cane is over 30 years old.
The principle use of Manau is for furniture,
what is commonly know as rattan. Unlike furniture cane,
the cane for polo mallets requires a taper. Once the raw
canes are harvested, they are boiled in oil, before being
washed in a mixture of sand and water.
Each cane has a natural direction and the direction it
wants to flow is called the face. The face should always
be the side towards the swing in an offside forehand.
To mark and cut the face correctly is crucial, as it directly
impacts on the performance of the mallet and its longevity!
Open Tuesday—Sunday 8:30am—6pm
Tel 01344 885697
Workshop is located:
Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club
North Street
Winkfield
Berkshire SL4 4TH
