Spalding Golf Clubs: Do Still Make Them & How Much? - Windtree Golf Thanks. The old Spaulding Executive set I had back in the early 1980s. I know that this is a very late reply but I actually knew the designer of these irons and spent time speaking with him. Purespin (diamond face)? Thanks for you4 diligence and reporting. Im surprised that nobody has mentioned the Wilson Fat Shaft irons for ugliness. The original Strata ball was amazing when it came out spin for days! By then the Cisneros brothers had taken the money and ran. I just found a set of Slingers at the thrift store for $10. Former Proctor & Gamble chief Edwin Artzt came on as chairman, with former Kraft, Inc executive vice president James Craigie becoming CEO. #15 - Stan Thompson Ginty Irons You might remember the popular Stan Thompson woods with the unique sole design. 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. Finally, my number came up along with everyone else in the product management and marketing teams..
They are also perfect in a steep slope due to the curved bottom of the club head. The Endo-forged Hogan Apex Plus cavity back irons came soon after, along with a solid-core Hogan Apex ball. Within three years, it would be gone for good. MacGregors ownership carousel started in 1978 when it was sold to lumber conglomerate Wickes. When he would get ready to play, he would hold the club so that the sole was visible to everyone. There are worse things. 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.. Callaway had long wanted Top-Flites ball factory and patents but didnt want to assume any debt. Those Slinger Irons were the brain child of Jim Flood. spalding golf clubs any good. #PowerToThePlayer. Those and the Ram Tour Grinds that Watson played were my bucket list irons, but never could afford them. Autore dell'articolo: Articolo pubblicato: 16/06/2022 Categoria dell'articolo: fixed gantry vs moving gantry cnc Commenti dell'articolo: andy's dopey transposition cipher andy's dopey transposition cipher HellI know I dont and I have been involved in some type of internet golf business since[], THE WINNER OF THE CONTEST: Farve The Looper (CONGRATS!)
You can buy a set in good condition on eBay for around $100. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. I have a set of clubs with Belmont Power on them. I love them so much I have four sets, just a case a club breaks. Great stuff. The 1999 Hogan Apex, forged by Endo Manufacturing in Japan, remains a sought-after collectible, and a very playable blade, to this day. They looked like a full set of hybrids but only lasted a short period of time. Still bagging their wedges. MacGregor Doctor X. I had the Bears. About half of our sales are with personal names or corporate logos in the back and given as gifts. Under Chapter 363, it bid $125 million for Top-Flite. I owned a set of Nocklaus N1 irons (the pro versions of the bear irons?). Play to a 4 6 cap. During that time, Spalding ownership changed hands a half dozen times, and saw the same fate as MacGregor Irons. The pro-shop who had them could not find a buyer. Yes, it sold a ton of golf balls, but as one former employee told us, the brand was decidedly blue-collar and not focused on the golf professional.
It was in A Disordly Compendium of Golf I cant find my copy (actually havent seen it in a few months) but I know it was in there. I'm 25 years old and I've been playing with my grandfathers Spalding executives for 10 years now, and I shoot about a 80-85. Oddity? 1968 Spalding developed the first 2-piece performance golf ball, the Spalding Executive. I see that a few from my list made it. If so send us some picsdont worry we will keep it 100% anonymous . Hope you all enjoyed a look back at some of the craziest irons ever made. Its high point came in 1998 when Mark OMeara won the Masters and the Open Championship for Spalding. Men's Right Handed. 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. My woods are Taylormade Burners 1 & 3, and I have two Mizuno hybrids. Acushnet has been sold twice since the 1970s, and each time the buyer took the same approach: be profitable, and well leave you alone. I just searched eBay right now and saw a set for $139. We are here to help educate and empower golfers. 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. I believe Robert Molitor was the fellow who developed the Top Flite. No. You can still buy Top-Flite and Strata branded balls at DICKS and Golf Galaxy. I accidentally broke it in the late 1970s the shaft was installed over a milled section of the hosel! pend. beneath. Maybe it is a good idea or maybe it is not. Is it worth getting a new set of clubs, or should I focus on getting spikes and a gloves, ( I currently golf in thing sandles) 0. At the 2003 PGA Show, Hogan introduced the Apex 50 blade commemorating its 50th anniversary, the game improvement CFT irons, and the Carnoustie and Riviera wedges. Take the Spalding Executive line. It kept some of those out of my bag Im sure. I have had many pros in proams hit them and fascinated by how the ball comes off the club face so fast,,good distance. We want your input before testing begins. document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Do you remember what golf websites you were shopping on back in 1995? maybe EVER. Pasted as rich text. 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. Windtree Golf is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. It is the Super Stick. I still have several sets of Hogan forged irons, Hogan/Bettinardi putters, several dozen Apex, and Tour Deep balls. 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. I asked him about it and he said he had shown it to Spaulding, Wilson and MacGregor and their response was It will never sell!!!! I speak with Nat Rosassco, former owner, of NorthWestern golf at least every 7 to 10 days and he holds Pat Simmons as one of the best club designers of all time as well. I had a friend who worked for Gary Player and he sent me his brand called iGNITORS Those were fairly strange and not particular long! Those were first made around the end of the 19th century during the hickory era. 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. The Titleist were a bit longer lasting but I (a poor college student) could afford the Spaulding balls. But more trouble was coming for Spalding. "datePublished": "2022-05-12", OK. Ive got some irons sets you have up (Fila, Cleveland, Slotline, and the Tiger Shark). "https://www.facebook.com/swingyard/", Theres even premium urethane cover options (Pro V1 and X styles) for ~$15 a dozen. He re-gripped them and beats the Taylormade hand-me-downs of his friends. Executives were my first real set of golf clubs. The company stayed the course, and the result is a thriving, profitable company. You had to turn those over to see the ugly, but the cone in the bottom was down right wacky! today. When Did Spalding Stop Making Golf Clubs. spalding executive irons- does anyone remember these? Was a fan of the TopFlite XL. 6. PING was still PING, and Tiger was becoming Tiger. The VAS are ugly, but they work. Money put a few of these clubs on touralthough that does not mean they were worth a penny. Now I need some crazy Loudmouth pants and a pink ball. Can anyone ballpark an estimate on the value of a set of Samurai clubs? Would you make an iron set out of stone? The Ping Zings were the worst! I played them for years, they were solid, and they looked really good at address for their time period. Starting in the early 1900s, Spalding started making golf balls before manufacturing clubs. Just terribleand never sold thruas well it shouldnt. Starting in 1900, Spalding opened club-making factories in London and in Fife, Scotland, producing forged iron heads for Spalding clubs sold both in the UK and U.S. "image": { You can check it out at http://www.adjustablegolfclub.com. It was an excellent article and some of the follow-on comments from industry stalwarts like Jack Wullkotte, David Hueber, Tom Wishon, etc. This one in particular was interesting to me because I grew up in a Spalding family of sorts. Made from 1989-1994 and originally sold for $680. * Note: These irons were designed by Jim Flood and were considered a controversial design and are often times very hard to find. Ive owned. I had a VAS 5 iron. I had read your original 2018 article about why Hogan still mattered. when were spalding executive golf clubs made. Wanted them when I was in college but couldnt afford them then. He changed from forged blades and balata balls to cavity back, investment cast irons and sold core balls, White tells MyGolfSpy. "width": "645", That was a great history lesson!!!!! It is my Go To clubmy favorite. "@context": "http://schema.org/", Spalding club-makers paid as much scrutiny to shafts as heads. Balata covers. and had a driving range there for many years. Actually, we used to produce more golf balls than Titleist. Love it or hate it the Nike Slingshot irons made the list. Yes, it did. At the turn of the 20th Century, golf had stirred mild interest in the United States, and A.G. Spalding & Brothers sporting goods saw an opportunity. Weird thing was I could hit the XL-4 long irons better and the Executives better from 7-PW. The Zing2s were the first set I bought when I started playing golf. The woods were the strangest looking things. my 5w distance matches my friends new drivers in distance off tee,,they are amazed. Make Request. Although lots of factors influence how much golf clubs are worth, you can typically pick up a set of Spalding golf clubs for less than $100. Thanks for doing the digging! Model: Tour Pro Offset I played Spaulding Black Dots back in late 60s. "https://twitter.com/_swingyard_", ), Phat Golf Scooters Reviews (Good or Waste of Cash? I recently tried an old Jack Nicklaus 7 iron made by MacGregor many years ago. By the Roaring '20s, A.G. Spalding & Brothers was using the process of "drop forging" to manufacture metal club-heads. Jones famously retired from golf after winning the 1930 version of the Grand Slam. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. MyGolfSpy is jumping into the DeLorean and taking a 1.21 jiggawatt-fueled look at the long life and quick death of Spalding Golf. Im not sure how rare they are, but youd think there would be a trace of them somewhere. I completed the set off of eBay for around $100. Spalding, like its old school brethren Wilson and MacGregor, simply wasnt sexy to a new generation of golfers. Executives were my first set as wellI thought they were a great starter set. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. but fairly forgiving. No copy for them. But $1 billion is a lot of cabbage, and KKR borrowed heavily to make the deal. Tom Farrell. Thanks! they were a good iron, that looked good at address, and were easy to hit. ), Takomo Golf Clubs Review: (As Good as Expected? The range is for form anyway. 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. Kind of reminds one of the Hogan radial but not near as wide on the soul. Ugly. 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. 1 Iron Spalding Executive x EZ Oversize. Therefore, the Top Flite clubs produced in the nineties and early naughts are technically Spalding golf clubs. You find them on eBay Gary? Only until tomorrow until my hybrids come in and boom they're gone. That means providing you with equipment reviews you can trust, Mr. Adams had just formed Taylor Made Golf in late 1978 and this was their first showing in the market. He also had a head for business and knew a good opportunity when he saw one. Haha my dad had a set of these and I ended up bagging the 3 and 4 irons as I hated the hybrids that came with my new set. Quite honestly, we werent ready for that.. Might need to get a full set of Tiger Shark irons to match the wedge!! This is the story of Spaldings Final Countdown. Taylor Made Golf was my Distributor for the U.S. and Canadian market. And I remember drooling over those Tour Edition Custom blades in the pro shop. It made its mark in the 80s through leveraged buyouts buying undervalued or poorly managed companies with other peoples money, improving their bottom lines, and then spinning them off at a profit. Zevo was a great brand and I played a Zevo Zv2 hybrid for almost 6 years because it was so easy to hit and had incredible feel. Got the 3 PW for 3.99 a club, bought the 5- PW first, played two rounds and went back and bought the 3 & 4. I gave those up quickly only because they were really odd looking. I have the entire set of samurai woods and irons,,,driver,3wood,5wood,7wood,,irons,,2-pw,dont believe they ever made a sw,,,,and I still use them,,,my fellow golfers are still amazed at the distance I get,,if you want a picture of the set,,let me know,,ill take one and send to you,,, I have the whole set of samurai irons,2-pw and woods1,3,5,7,,still use them,,i have had pros hit them,,and be amazed at the distances over their irons,,,i would like to find another 5wood,if anyone knows where or who has 1,,i, neil,,do you have a samuarai 5 wood,,,hard to find,,,id like one. I didnt realize Spalding was still a player as late as 2000. It wasnt the shank that bothered me, it was waiting for it to happen that was the problem. I still have them and as a matter of fact I still use a copper Zing2 sand wedge 54. Great list of wild clubs. "https://www.linkedin.com/in/swingyard/", No sir, they are in my bag and are still being used after all these years. my Dad is still pulling new 90s & 2000s Top Flights from the closet to play lol. Great set. Though he is a footnote in the PGA history he was briefly on tour in the 50s. You can actually play Spalding golf balls again!
Spalding Irons By Year - Swing Yard I finally gave it to a friend of mine who is a beginner and he says it is the only club he can hit reliably. They play as well as any other set Great nostalgia with the article. Dynamiter wedges featured deep grooves, often in unusual shapes, that ultimately prompted the USGA to outlaw them. The Black Dots were longest (for me) but that cover would smile back at you with the slightest mishit. The VAS irons have finally been dethroned from their previous top spot as Worst Iron Ever Made! Although from a phone-in interview Mr. VAS told us, I feel robbed. Among Jones innovations: the first matched set of steel-shafted irons, the first set of irons with the sweet spot in the center of each club (denoted by a circle of dots on the clubface), and an iron set where the scoring irons were one length, the mid irons were one length, and the long irons were one length. Basically, the new irons are all the same cavity backed design tweaked for the metal content and painted pretty for your golf bag. The Top-Flite, Strata, and Hogan brands stayed alive for a while, but Callaway eventually mothballed them all. I have a old slotline cigar putter I still use,,no loift at all,looks like a big tootsie roll,but puts great,,friends still get amazed at how it puts,,. They had fantastic fairway woods that I still take out for a spin every once in a while. As a designer, the design is perfect and although they look funny, they were a great club, ask Cory Pavin. They are similar to the Nike slingshots as they have a powerbow looking thing on the back of them. Just saw a full set of them again today. They preceded hybrid irons by 20 years or so. Do You have any idea? "@type": "ImageObject", What you like is what you like. what is spanish colonial music? I have a set of Spalding exec XE love them- I dont play more than 5-6 rounds a year now, but they are so consistant , I could go a year between swings and still play the same- got them back in 1980- ish. GolfWRX_Spotted posted a topic in Tour and Pre-Release Equipment, Tuesday at 04:47 PM, GolfWRX_Spotted posted a topic in Tour and Pre-Release Equipment, February 20, GolfWRX_Spotted posted a topic in Tour and Pre-Release Equipment, February 13, GolfWRX_Spotted posted a topic in Tour and Pre-Release Equipment, February 6, GolfWRX_Spotted posted a topic in Tour and Pre-Release Equipment, January 31, By Get10% offat Global Golf with Code:SwingYard. Spalding sponsored Vardons 1900 tour of America, culminating in Vardon winning the U.S. Open in Chicago. But, you raised an interesting question: If Top-Flite Elite Professional irons with the Bird on Ball logoare rated by the MyGolfSpy Forums resident vintage club expert Big Stu as the third greatest pure forged blade of all time. Then what irons are #1 and #2 best ever forged blades? Today, Spalding golf clubs still exist, but theyre nowhere near as popular as they once were. I'm 25 years old and I've been playing with my grandfathers Spalding executives for 10 years now, and I shoot about a 80-85. vicunas. Wide sole. The Sounder irons could be on the list-and are the best irons I ever had (have). 2023 Genesis Invitational - Monday #1. However as a caddy the Spaulding staff bag was a real trunk!! Its impossible to overstate Albert Spaldings vision and ambition. ), Finn Scooter Golf Reviews (Are These the Real Deal? Fascinating how these once great brands essentially disappeared altogether. Decided it was time for me to get some cavity back irons. "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjT3UiJflw60ZD31-6yC4mA", They all looked like mini woods. One of my favorite balls back in the late 80s was the Top-Flite Plus. That debt burden, however, finally proved fatal. Today, Spalding focuses nearly all of its commercial interests on basketball, producing balls, hoops, rims, and nets. They definitely arent the prettiest of clubs but I did enjoy playing them. Titleist and PING were established competitors, while TaylorMade and Callaway were flexing their muscles. It is more of a you gotta be kidding me), an Integra 650 cc driver (you have to dig a ditch before you swing), etc. I dont think I paid more than $300 for all four sets combined- Im a Salvation Army searcher. Im sure Scott White would love to contribute. The success of Spalding golf clubs had compelled the USGA to act, but this success was not destined to last forever. "mainEntityOfPage": "https://swingyard.com/spalding-irons-by-year/", worst time to visit costa rica; apartments for rent in fort pierce with utilities included; sunshine plaza opening hours sunday; photosynthesis and cellular respiration kahoot Spalding hired Tom Bendelow as his designer, and Bendelow went on to develop many courses still in use today. I still think there were others that deserved some consideration. As the 21st Century dawned, it had impressive sales and deep-pocket owners, but in reality, it was staring down the barrel of a gun. From the 1950s to the 1990s Spalding was in the bag for many major victories, and was played on municipal courses across the country. the only problem I have had{although the have to be at least 30+ years old},is graphite cracks. In 1876 Spalding was the manager and ace pitcher of the Chicago White Stockings. Much cheaper than renting. "https://www.pinterest.com/Swingyard/blog/" And if the Nicklaus Bear irons were used to win the US Amateur, they shouldnt be on a worst irons list either. Not sure if the Black Knight, Gary Players endorsement sucked allot of buyers into buying.LOL. My high school graduation present from my parents back in 1973 was a set of Executive clubs (back when the irons were forged before they were cast). Lots of wackiness.
Was: C $107.89. With Spalding's mass-market success breeding scores of imitators, players could pick and choose from countless club lines. I have a 3-15 wood set that are fun to play with. Whats more, Spalding Molitor clubs currently retail at $280 for an entire set, which is a price point that is pretty hard to beat. 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. Say what you will but I own a set of Ray Cook Titanic irons. The set I found is 2-9, but the 5 iron is gone. jazzbone, September 4, 2006 in Equipment. In one sense, Spalding suffered the same fate irrelevance as did fellow legacy golf brands Wilson Staff and MacGregor. These were great clubs. If you have a vintage set of Bobby Jones Spalding irons that are in great shape, you might be able to sell them at a slightly higher price, but theyre not worth a great deal of money in the current market. To maintain the limit of 14 clubs in the bag, I change off now and then.
About Spalding If it works for you use it. Design the future of bad golf! TaylorMade, by comparison, has been sold twice in the past four years. Their original design was a smaller headed Tony Penna model Innovator, they became the n1 and then the Bears came out when oversize irons hit the market. In 1895, Spalding started manufacturing golf balls. I was wondering if anyone had ever tried Slotline Classic Copper golf clubs. And Spaldings ace in the hole Strata was old news by the time the Pro V1 and Nike Tour Accuracy hit the scene. The Kro-Flite in 1930 was golfs first liquid center golf ball, while the Spalding DOT was a mid-century icon. "height": "342", Irons made during that time are distinguished by an anvil cleek mark. The "New York Times" frequently syndicates his work. } Wilson never really recovered after Pepsi bought it in 1970. Another really well done article. But, the #1 weird club goes to the Slingeryour #1 choice. It means the Son of a Scottish brood that keeps getting into trouble only to easily find his way out of trouble! For more info on Stan Thompson click here. The likes of Callaway, TaylorMade, and PING all enjoyed good commercial success in the late nineties, and Spalding couldnt match the same feats achieved by the biggest brands. Keep up the great work. Sign In. For more than 25 years, he has contributed to a wide array of publications including "American Heritage," "American History," "Yankee," "VFW," "Golf," and "Golf News." Its obvious that the maker of the Slingers spent SO much money on R&D that he had to use STICKERS instead of stamped lettering. "author": "Ned Howard", What about Pax (Paul Goydos promoted them)? I have a full set of Exec XE irons. TaylorMade then entered the bidding but, after 30 rounds, Callaway wound up buying Top-Flite free and clear for $175 million. I bought a set of blue-backed Uniques back in the early 80s. I have one of those!
when were spalding executive golf clubs made Shortly thereafter, Spalding signed him as spokesperson, vice president and director of research. "@type": "Organization", I played a lot of Spaulding equipment as a kid in all kinds of sports. he is a cleveland iron man now, but he still owns the spalding executives. Ive got other odd clubs, a clear/see thru 5W, 68 & 73 degree wedge (of course, they may not be considered crazy. Man, some of my favorites on this list. unbelieveably so..!!
The company also announced an alliance with Bob Bettinardi to create a line of high-end Hogan putters. The remaining golf company was re-named Top-Flite. Back in the day (early-60s), I caddied at a CC in so. As a former pro athlete, Spalding saw the value of using professionals to help promote both the game and his products. He could not believe the smoothness of the Driver. not just the American side , some of Europe and some from Japan makers also wacky !!! They are exactly like the Cleveland Ironwood set you see now, but it was made y..e..a..r..s ago. The shelves are full of the latest and greatest technology (hybrids, woods the size of a frying pan, dozens of shaft offerings), in 20+ years people will be laughing at those funky sticks as well. In an effort to keep golf a game of skill, the USGA implemented the 14 club rule that we see today. Within weeks, Top-Flite filed Chapter 11. I became a +2 handicap using those irons, and a lot of people scoffed at them early ontill they saw me hit them. You cannot paste images directly.
1977 Spalding Executive Irons - The Vintage Golfers - YouTube A set of wedges were introduced several years ago claiming to be New and the best thing since sliced bread, but they looked strangely similar to the Golden Touch irons. 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. Spalding is a big name in American sports, having manufactured equipment for basketball, American football, and golf over the years. The companys lead-faced putters also provided better touch for players. The Black Dots and Red Dots were equivalent to the Titleist black numerals and red numerals. Throughout the 90s and into the early 2000s, Spalding and Titleist were running neck and neck in golf ball production. Spalding introduced the Vardon Flyer, a golf ball that was popularized by Harry Vardon. The design gave the clubs an exotic bamboo look; the underlying message being that these clubs offered players bamboo's legendary flexibility and whip-like strength. Today its hard to fine a wooden golf club in a bag!!!! Norman credited the extra spin of the Tour Edition for winning the 1986 British Open. Spalding got so inventive with their clubmaking, they had golf bags around America sporting 20-30 clubs. They also specialized in unique clubs like the Cran Creek. You can post now and register later. Buyers can still find Spalding clubs on some secondary sites. And although Spalding would show operational profits, debt service kept turning those profits into losses.