* Note: These irons were designed by Pat Simmons and ex-pilot and engineer which also had a part in the Zebra putter design. And Spaldings ace in the hole Strata was old news by the time the Pro V1 and Nike Tour Accuracy hit the scene. Went back 10 years and got the 845s used. I was wondering if anyone had ever tried Slotline Classic Copper golf clubs. That year Albert and his brothers opened the A.G. Spalding & Brothers sporting goods company and started making baseballs. I see that a few from my list made it. One of my buddies gave me a Tiger Shark wedge the one with 3 different alignment lines, concave dimples on the face instead of grooves, and a funky dual bounce sole configuration. Wed have monthly meetings at their West 57th Street offices in New York. In the mid-80s, Spalding introduced the solid core Tour Edition, and in 1996 it came out with Strata, a true game-changer for Spalding and the first multi-layer solid core ball used on Tour. Its pretty clear KKR didnt do its due diligence. That was a great history lesson!!!!! The Pyramid Rubber Company, a maker of baby bottles, strollers, and other infant products, bought a controlling interest. The Ping Zings were the worst! He also had some copycat Browning irons in the trunk, but I refused I couldnt even look at them with a straight face. If so, are they any good? The company also announced an alliance with Bob Bettinardi to create a line of high-end Hogan putters. I surely do remember those Dot balls that my brother and I would find on OFCC in south suburbs of Chicago because we couldnt afford them but you really had to pay attention to look at those balls before you grounded your club or you would put a significant cut in them. This one in particular was interesting to me because I grew up in a Spalding family of sorts. Spalding Top-Flite In 1995 Spalding Sporting Goods reorganized its golf club division by forming the Top-Flight golf company as its premium club brand. When I was starting golf, I went to the shop and these were the clubs that I hit the best (compared to cavity backs) and bought them. Regardless, both are great sets. Iomic Golf Grips: 8 Key Facts Before You Buy. Thanks for doing the digging! Right now Ive been with the Execs 2 then 5 SW, Ram 64 wedge, 1 & 3 wood, both hybrids and putter. I owned a set of Nocklaus N1 irons (the pro versions of the bear irons?). They also made a set made entirely of woods. Known for launching the ball from a nice crisp fairway lie but it jumped the shark when it came to hitting it from any kind of fluff. Pretty or not (thats the clubs), I have played Fila Latitude irons since they came out. ), shoplifted about four dozen balls each from a failing department store in New York City. Buyers can still find Spalding clubs on some secondary sites. Especially in America. Bought a set for $25 as to help out a young lady with cancer. There are worse things. They looked like a full set of hybrids but only lasted a short period of time. We had hybrids back in the 80s. Could not beleive how well I hit this clubs. You can still buy Top-Flite and Strata branded balls at DICKS and Golf Galaxy. They also said this, Because titanium is 40% lighter than steel, yet incredibly strong, the Ray Cook design team was able to create club heads substantially larger than standard oversize irons and add significantly more mass in the heel and toe. And in 1930, it hit the jackpot. Yet again, the same fate as MacGregor had. when were spalding executive golf clubs made Nice article John! I learned the game on a set of used Spalding Execs-still have them today. Mismanagement and a growing golf market led Spalding to cease manufacturing golf products, selling off popular brands like Top Flite to Callaway in the early 2000s. The Kro-Flite in 1930 was golfs first liquid center golf ball, while the Spalding DOT was a mid-century icon. Promoting both sports and sports equipment, the lineup featured titles such as How To Play Second Base by Hall of Famer Johnny Evers, Boxing: A Guide to the Manly Art of Self Defense, and How to Play Golf by Harry Vardon and James Braid. GolfWRX_Official The products soon disappeared from shelves. There are so many different sets of irons available nowadays, Im happy with my Execs. History of Spalding Golf Clubs | Golflink.com "mainEntityOfPage": "https://swingyard.com/spalding-irons-by-year/", New entries such as Nike and Adams were turning heads as well. But, they were NOS (New Old Stock) and with Ohio State grips and headcovers; so a diehard Buckeye fan. I will admit to having a hankering for those slick lookin Zevo Lobs tho. We want your input before testing begins. Still use them. A very interesting stroll down golf history. It overpaid for Spalding and borrowed heavily to do it. 1 Iron Spalding Executive MV2 bird over ball . Goldwin was a San Diego company, years ahead of its time. !but they had a very proprietary, strange-sized grip. They owed more to its creditors than Spalding was worth. I might suggest you also include input from Tom Stites who worked for Hogan in the 1980s before heading up Nikes golf (mis)adventure. when were spalding executive golf clubs made Thats great. Within three years, it would be gone for good. MacGregor Doctor X. I had the Bears. I actually travel with it and use it at the driving range, so I dont have to rent clubs. FS - Fiberbuilt Flight Deck / GripMaster Roo pulls, New Vokey SM8 52 & 56 wedge set / New Titleist Caps (for bigger heads) / New Cobra RadSpeed 10.5* Driver, Peacoat, with premium, upgraded shaft, TSR3 ub-6x, cobra radspeed, TEE pro 721 driver and 3w, Ventus Black TR Folds of Honor 6x w/ TM Adapter, Ventus Red TR 6x w/ TM Adapter, Adidas Tour 360 22 Size 13, MyStealth2 Driver Headcover. I use them in Central Texas when the fairways are hard and the greens harder (late summer and all winter). What a mess that design was! (ENTER TO WIN) Super cool contest we have for you fellow GolfSpies today! This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, (your email address will not be published), Acushnet 2022 Financials: $2.27 Billion and Counting, Penfold Ace Golf Balls: Whats Old Is New Again, Four Testers Wanted Inesis Spikeless Shoe. Im not talking a couple of degrees, but for one shot you could make it a 5 iron and the next (with a quick adjustment) itd be a PW. Just saw a full set of them again today. I remember a set called Canon I think, possibly a Spalding brand. remove head from shaft? i just hit a 8 iron in that series last night. There was a time that Spalding golf clubs were among the best in the business. Getting sold doesnt have to be the end of the world, but it can be if the buyer doesnt do their homework and pays too much. Yes it has some smoother lines compared to some of the other clubs on the listbut you put that PowerBow as Nike says on any of those other irons and it is a dead ringer for this list of crazies. They are also said to be legendary Canadian player Moe Normans favorite clubs of all time. & Bubba Dickerson won the 2001 US Amatuer with a set of Nicklaus Bears! Sign In. Only until tomorrow until my hybrids come in and boom they're gone. Men's Right Handed. It is called a hollow wedge, but you can putt with it as well. The 300XXL Driver was so lightawesome clubhead speed ! Made from 1989-1994 and originally sold for $680. The 1968 arrival of the Executive MV2 Bird Over Ball clubs are among some of Spalding's most easily recognizable clubs. Its an interesting question to ask about a company that was a factor for over 125 years. In April, KKR sold the Spalding name and all of Spaldings non-golf businesses to Russell Athletic for just $65 million. The primary reason why Spalding halted the production of golf clubs was that they couldnt keep up with the competition. Bought the Slotlines new. Thanks for the history lesson, truly amazing how fast Spalding unraveled. As a former professional player, Spalding recognized the need of enlisting the assistance of experts to promote both the game and his merchandise. Why are Spalding golf balls called Top Flite? I have a set of Fila Solerno irons/fairway woods that I havent been able to find anything about on the internet. Basically, the new irons are all the same cavity backed design tweaked for the metal content and painted pretty for your golf bag. I am on my 2nd set.I used to lovem and had friends that bought as they loved the ball flight and were also a great set of chippers. Brilliant writing! Those are the reasons they work. I may be way off they had a a plain face -but the back was a series of round holes -like a honey comb design does any one remember these what were they called and who made themmy friend died so I cant ask himanyway thanks. I think this is the web site for me . My golfing buddy borrowed my old set, including the driver and had one of his best rounds ever. Spalding Driver Golf Clubs for sale | eBay $77.83. They preceded hybrid irons by 20 years or so. You should shoot me some pics of your new set. Here Im going to date myself a bitBack in the late 70s there was a company called Unique..The iron set design was oversized head with a deep cavity that was covered with a hard plastic. What is it for weight transfer? Went to graphite (Vulcan Backfire hollow irons). You might be wondering how the hell did a Ping iron make the listbut look againthis one definitely deserves to be on the list for Wackiest Irons. Currently play AP2s coming out of the bag for a few rounds and if the linear dynamics keep performing like they did in Vegas the AP2s will be taking a long rest. Jim also marketed the first Graphite Shafts sold under the Aldila name. #15 - Stan Thompson Ginty Irons You might remember the popular Stan Thompson woods with the unique sole design. "author": "Ned Howard", Would the F2 wedges still be legal if the crank were a few inches further up but still keeping the same angle please. These irons actually performed quite well and had many copy cats of it down the road to prove itincluding another iron that made the list at #12 Slotline Lowpro iron and the Titleist Super Slim irons. Spalding, like its old school brethren Wilson and MacGregor, simply wasnt sexy to a new generation of golfers. It was if I walked into the store from a time machine. Taylor Made Golf was my Distributor for the U.S. and Canadian market. Ive got other odd clubs, a clear/see thru 5W, 68 & 73 degree wedge (of course, they may not be considered crazy. Those and the Ram Tour Grinds that Watson played were my bucket list irons, but never could afford them. Two years prior, they sold Spalding and Evenflo to Wall Street investment firm KKR for an estimated and unbelievable 1 billion dollars. Had a set of McGregor Irons called Doctor Rx, they felt good hit in the middle, they reminded me of a Pringle potato chip. Starting in 1900, Spalding opened clubmaking factories in London and in Fife, Scotland, producing forged iron heads for Spalding clubs sold both in the UK and U.S. Almost , http://www.intheholegolf.com/store/f2is.html. and they placed it in the show. In 1910 Spalding started making fairway clubs made of aluminum, and heavier lead face putters. The company experimented throughout the 1920s and 1930s with lathe-turned hickory shafts that featured circular ridges spaced at standard intervals down the entire shaft. I dont know how people could justify any of the others. $86.40 shipping. It is the Super Stick. Copyright 2023. I think you are talking about the Spaulding Executive XE irons,ahead of their time,I played a set for a couple of years then sold them, looking back I wish I hadnt. Great looking blade and the low COG really lets one hit it high. Jerry Barber Golden Touch shank-proof irons (BeCu, ideally), Powerbilt TPS with the Goalpost Alignment System, And I agree with a previous posters suggestion of the Spalding Cannon ADVANCE. Play to a 4 6 cap. Sponsored by: GolfCircuit.com, Maxfli Tour, Tour X and Tour S Golf Balls, Penfold Ace Golf Balls: Whats Old Is New Again, Topgolf Callaway 2022 Financials: $4 Billion? Another really well done article. 2023 Genesis Invitational - Monday #1. Jackie Gleason also owned a set. Tommy Armour TI 100 need to be on the list, they were twice the size of any other iron produced ever. There was a time when Spalding was one of the biggest brands in golf. In 1993 Payne Stewart signed a multi-million-dollar deal to go full Top-Flite, a move that sidetracked Stewarts career. We will miss Jim and his innovation ! Did you forget about Zevo Golf? "url": "https://swingyard.com/wp-content/uploads/Logo-1.svg" Take the Spalding Executive line. Upload or insert images from URL. The Roaring 20s gave us Babe Ruth, Knute Rockne, Jack Dempsey, and Red Grange. They come as a set and include eleven clubs, a golf bag, and head covers. * Note: These irons were designed by Jim Flood and were considered a controversial design and are often times very hard to find. I just had a guy show me a wedge that is a small diamond shaped club with about a 3/4 hollow core in the back that goes up to the inside of the face of the club. document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Do you remember what golf websites you were shopping on back in 1995? But as you can see could cause some serious digging issues. Did KKR overpay? Looking through eBay listings, you can find a range of vintage Spalding golf clubs in various conditions to suit different budgets. My first set of irons were the Tiger Sharks.The ball seemed to jump off the face.I still have them.My second set,still in play,are the Vas+.I love them.I hit them a mile high and they feel great.When I hear them calledthe worst irons ever it makes me wonder what the heck Im missing out on. Started Yesterday at 04:29 AM, By The Top-Flite line was to feature investment-cast irons and Strata balls sold through pro shops and off-course retailers, while Spalding was to be the value/recreational line sold pretty much everywhere. Mismanagement and a growing golf market led Spalding to cease manufacturing golf products, selling off popular brands like Top Flite to Callaway in the early 2000s. Just bought a set of Nicklaus Linear Dynamics N1 Golf Irons at a thrift shop in Vegas. Find golf club trade-in and re-sales values for over 4,000 models of used golf clubs at the PGA Value Guide, from leading manufacturers such as Callaway, TaylorMade, Taylor Made, Titleist, Ping, Odyssey, Nike, Cleveland, Mizuno, Cobra, Adams, Wilson. [email protected] Finally, my number came up along with everyone else in the product management and marketing teams.. i was hitting 8 iron and was suprised how high the ball flight was. They are also perfect in a steep slope due to the curved bottom of the club head. I bought them new. I love them so much I have four sets, just a case a club breaks. Whats more, Spalding Molitor clubs currently retail at $280 for an entire set, which is a price point that is pretty hard to beat. You have any pics of the Samurai irons Neilwould love to see them. You had to turn those over to see the ugly, but the cone in the bottom was down right wacky! Youve forgotten the worst offender. His company quickly expanded into making equipment for every sport imaginable. Written by June 5, 2022 . Great nostalgia with the article. Since the Ryder Cup is shortly upon us MyGolfSpy & GolfCircuit.com thought it[]. In that year, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) took shape, and many of the fledgling tour's stars already had endorsement deals with Spalding. Please put any questions or comments here. I recently tried an old Jack Nicklaus 7 iron made by MacGregor many years ago. "url": "https://swingyard.com/wp-content/uploads/Spalding-Irons-by-Year.jpg" Oddity? Albert Spalding was a superstar. }. Kind of reminds one of the Hogan radial but not near as wide on the soul. At the time of the sale, it was considered the lowest cost and most efficient operation in the industry. Very well researched and well done, as someone who is not super well versed in some of golfs history, it was a great, informative read! Previously, they manufactured equipment for golf, American football, and baseball, but they have downsized considerably in recent years. I bought my first set of real golf clubs around 1991 or 1992, the Spalding Executive. I remembered them from this article. The remaining golf company was re-named Top-Flite. jazzbone, September 4, 2006 in Equipment. The range is for form anyway. Or maybe it was just wacky that a German car company decided to start selling $1500 golf clubs that sucked. In 1938, the USGA passed an edict limiting players to 14 clubs. Peter F. Stevens is an award-winning author and journalist whose 10 books include "The Voyage of the Catalpa." Norman credited the extra spin of the Tour Edition for winning the 1986 British Open. * Note: These irons were designed in Belgium by the Belgium-Browning company. Spalding released multiple iterations of its Executive clubs throughout the sixties and seventies, and they became popular with professional golfers and recreational players alike. ENTER NOW! In 1895, Spalding started making golf balls. Any of you still have a set of these beauties laying around? lol! In addition to being a prolific golf club designer and inventor of innumerable gadgets and gizmos, I have led a fascinating life, as you can see by a brief look at a summary of my biography.. FIND A SET! #PowerToThePlayer. By the following year, Spalding began making clubs in the U.S. Callaway had been making balls but never turned a profit. What the hey. Amazing how so of the old stuff works better than the hyped up new stuff! You can buy a set in good condition on eBay for around $100. Pretty sure that was the first major won for a solid core ball. Man crush on Nicklaus led to this purchase. { Ugly. "sameAs": [ The only thing a golfer needs is more daylight. - BenHogan. but fairly forgiving. Is my equipment holding me back? Started Thursday at 03:24 PM, Please put and questions or comments here, Please put any questions or comments here, Please put any questions of comments here. But more trouble was coming for Spalding. They are nearly in perfect condition. Im sure Scott White would love to contribute. Maybe it is a good idea or maybe it is not. when were spalding executive golf clubs made - reklamcnr.com Wanted them when I was in college but couldnt afford them then. LOL. Titleist has been the Ball King for so long, its hard to remember a time when it wasnt. Top Flite is now synonymous with bargain or cheap instead of being the club of choice for the greatest golfers on tour. I saw the Cisneros brothers maybe once in my time there, he says. I got an incomplete set at the Salvation Army for $15. Those were real whacky.. bent shafts and roughly milled heads. Duclos, a former flight engineer worked on the Skylab and S-IVB (third stage of the Saturn V rocket, responsible for getting the Apollo module from the Earth to the moon). As a former pro athlete, Spalding saw the value of using professionals to help promote both the game and his products. This is the story of Spaldings Final Countdown. what is spanish colonial music? Happily, I can say that I have seen these over the years, but none of them ever made it into my golf bag. Some of the most popular Spalding Club models were: At one time, Greg Norman used the Spalding Tour Edition irons, now a collectors item, on Tour. Great list! An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. In 1906 Bendelow designed the expansion of Atlantas East Lake Club, the eventual home club of one Robert Tyre Jones, Jr. Well spare you the decade-by-decade rundown of Spalding innovations (and there are many). It was just crazy how many golf balls we would sell through Wal-Mart in 18-ball pack, adds White Wed get orders on the fax machine for 50,000 18-ball packs, and theyd want them in two weeks.. Had 3-PW plus 1, 3, & 5 woods. The Spaulding Executive XE for me never looked right They were available in 1-SW (I believe) A friend used to play these and I always suggested using his pitching wood :o) My $.02. I still have several sets of Hogan forged irons, Hogan/Bettinardi putters, several dozen Apex, and Tour Deep balls. When Did Spalding Stop Making Golf Clubs. I was told they only made a few hundred sets. I have a left handed set that I got from a guy on the senior tour, Bob Carson, who also owned a golf course in Titusville FLA. "name": "Swing Yard", http://www.geekgolf.com. When I was first introduced to golf in the mid 70s, spoiling was still a player in the recreational market. In 1977 while having molds made for my new line of Irons at a mold makers in Oxnard California, I spotted a very interesting club in a bag at the rear of the shop. I bought a set of blue-backed Uniques back in the early 80s. Even tho I play with graphic shafts I really like the way those play. Each has a special place in my personal golf journey and is still some of the best equipment Ive ever used. I would hand stamp #7 on all irons. Still, the Uniques are the best irons I have ever hit! This is because Spalding stopped manufacturing golf clubs in 2002, and most of the clubs available online today are vintage sets. When I eventually found a set of Magnums with regular shafts, I bought them but had been addicted to the graphite. They are a blade from the early 80`s. BombTech Golf Reviews (These Golf Clubs Any Good? Today its hard to fine a wooden golf club in a bag!!!! The Black Dots were longest (for me) but that cover would smile back at you with the slightest mishit. The Executives were the bomb back in the day. Your email address will not be published. In 1880, Spaldings League Ball became the official baseball of the National League (and later of the American League), a position it held until 1976. Today we are going to be spotlighting the crazy, the absurd, and some of the wackiest irons the golf world has ever seen. I would appreciate any help you could offer! Great collection I remember many of them in the past 30 years often thought of buying some of them, but luckily, I didnt, Ive purchased dozens of iron sets in the last few years (Big Bertha,FTI, Taylor Made, Cobra, Nike V series) NOne of these work as well as my Ping Zings, Hey, what about Shakespeare and fiberglass. However my 6 iron had twice as much offset as any other iron in the set. Ive got a crazy iron set that is one telescoping iron with a blade that changes position to vary the loft. They also specialized in unique clubs like the Cran Creek. Within weeks, Top-Flite filed Chapter 11. I am surprised no one ever mass marketed them. At the same time, the Spalding Top-Flite Syncrho-Dyned irons (released in 1953) were well received, thanks to their flex shaft and copper undercoating. Though he is a footnote in the PGA history he was briefly on tour in the 50s. Of course, it is the Indian not the arrow to some extent, but he does well. Finally, I think a distinction needs to be made between the wackiest looking and worst irons made. We used to say three-quarters of the golf balls manufactured in the world came out of the state of Massachusetts, says Ben Hogan CEO Scott White, who started his career as a golf ball product manager for Spalding in the early 90s. This new construction was a major technological advancement in golf balls. I still think there were others that deserved some consideration. when were spalding executive golf clubs madeoregon dpsst training calendar. It was a low loft club used for poor lies and putting. Love them oldies. Windtree Golf is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Havent been able to give them up since my Dad died in 99, Does anyone remember a set of irons made in the 80s (I think) that were actually a bunch of small woods, even the PW was made from wood. Perhaps you are thinking of the Browning 440 Plus which had more of a standard face depth. With long-term debt in the neighborhood of $600 million, KKR found itself in a negative equity situation. About Spalding I am a self-admitted admirer of Mr. Hogan having owned more than 2 dozen sets of various Hogan iron sets over the years and a former member of the only club to have a Hogan-designed course (actually 27 holes). Are Spaulding good golf clubs? - Wise-Answer
Conjugate Despertarse,
Kevin Doyle Edinburgh Net Worth,
Articles W
when were spalding executive golf clubs made