Imurg
The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
Nice going Nick....
There's a very minor itch that might get scratched in the Vintage arena next year....
There's a very minor itch that might get scratched in the Vintage arena next year....
Vintage Golf
- Thread starter Crow
- Start date
Digger
Assistant Pro
That's great shooting. More evidence that it is indeed the Indian, not the arrow for the most part anyway.
Crow
Crow Person
Make it so Ian!
I'll be looking to arrange a Vintage meet around March, I was thinking that I could loan sets out to those who can't source their own for a fiver donation to the 2018 H4H fund.
fundy
Ryder Cup Winner
BubbaP
Occasional Player of Golf
Well played.
I think I want to hear about you turning up at courses where you'd be paired up. Expect some interesting looks as your fellow golfers clock your gear, and then go and put a score together.
I think I want to hear about you turning up at courses where you'd be paired up. Expect some interesting looks as your fellow golfers clock your gear, and then go and put a score together.
Crow
Crow Person
Out again today and back down to earth.
Playing the same woods as yesterday but switched to Wilson DynaPower irons 3 to SW, and a Leatham "Hotblade" putter.
I started great and had 9 points after three holes but then things went a bit pear shaped and I finished on 31 with a couple of shanks thrown in, still nice to be on the course though and the evenings are drawing out!
Playing the same woods as yesterday but switched to Wilson DynaPower irons 3 to SW, and a Leatham "Hotblade" putter.
I started great and had 9 points after three holes but then things went a bit pear shaped and I finished on 31 with a couple of shanks thrown in, still nice to be on the course though and the evenings are drawing out!
srixon 1
Journeyman Pro
Do you use an old style bag too?
Crow
Crow Person
If the weather is dry then I certainly do.
Crow
Crow Person
Latest acquisition (well, apart from a set of MacGregor irons and woods my son collected for me a month or so back and dropped by with last week) is a set of Swilken "Eric Brown" irons together with a nice Slazenger "Bobby Locke" 3 1/2 wood and a GT-400 putter, not sure who made the latter.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
Assistant at our place did a driving workshop in our Swing Studio and as part of it compared performance using a vintage 1984 persimmon (Macgregor Eye-o-matic) driver and his own driver - using current vs old 1.62 (Penfold Ace) and 1.68 (Dunlop 65) balls.
Apart from the distance difference between persimmon and his driver, with his driver he found about 30yds difference between the old balls and current - but not much difference between old 1.62 and 1.68 balls.
Wondering if the same would be found for the tour pros. Have them using balls 'like' the old ones - and they'll be losing 30yds from their distance. In fact I'm thinking that they'd probably lose quite a bit more as ther swings and clubhead speed will make maximum leverage from modern ball technology. Would they be able to get the same leverage using 'old' balls?
Apart from the distance difference between persimmon and his driver, with his driver he found about 30yds difference between the old balls and current - but not much difference between old 1.62 and 1.68 balls.
Wondering if the same would be found for the tour pros. Have them using balls 'like' the old ones - and they'll be losing 30yds from their distance. In fact I'm thinking that they'd probably lose quite a bit more as ther swings and clubhead speed will make maximum leverage from modern ball technology. Would they be able to get the same leverage using 'old' balls?
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Crow
Crow Person
Another big difference between old and new balls is the spin generated on the longer clubs.
Modern balls are designed to minimise spin when hit with driver etc to maximise distance, a downside of this (depending on your point of view) is that side spin is also reduced and so the flaws in a swing aren't so obvious.
I've said before that we should all go back to "spinnier", shorter balls but there'd be an uproar from the social golfer.
I can see it happening for the Professional game sooner rather than later though.
Hey, we might even see the return of that glorious low, rising ball trajectory when hit from a driver!
Modern balls are designed to minimise spin when hit with driver etc to maximise distance, a downside of this (depending on your point of view) is that side spin is also reduced and so the flaws in a swing aren't so obvious.
I've said before that we should all go back to "spinnier", shorter balls but there'd be an uproar from the social golfer.
I can see it happening for the Professional game sooner rather than later though.
Hey, we might even see the return of that glorious low, rising ball trajectory when hit from a driver!
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
A thing of great beauty compared with the seemingly almost ballistic trajectory we see from most pros blasting the ball off the tee.
mikejohnchapman
Challenge Tour Pro
So is there a market for old clubs?
I have some McGregor woods in the loft but no idea if they are worth anything.
I have some McGregor woods in the loft but no idea if they are worth anything.
Crow
Crow Person
There is but it's limited, even more so in the UK when compared to the US.
Talking woods, the most collectable clubs aside, you should be able to purchase any classic club for considerably less than a new Epic, 917, M2 etc.
MacGregor are considered to have made some of the best drivers ever in their Persimmon offerings from the 1950s/60s. By the end of that time most of the best available persimmon blocks had been used.
The first thing you need to do is check that it's a persimmon block and not laminated, see below. If you can tell me what model you have, or even better post a picture of the sole, top of head and face, I'll try and give you a steer.
Persimmon heads (this group cost me £21 delivered, top to bottom; unnamed, MacGregor, MacGregor, Peter Broadbent and John Letters):
Laminated heads (basically plywood, much less collectable but very playable, these cost me £1 each):
Crow
Crow Person
An interesting YouTube video here featuring Arnold Palmer & Gary Player vs a youthful Jack Nicklaus & Mike Souchak.
With Dustin Johnson recently almost getting a hole in one on a 400+ yard par 4 it's sobering to see the drives on the opening hole where Palmer is the longest at 250 yards out. The hole is a dogleg 529 yard par 5 and none of them reach in two, Jack cuts the corner but even he ends up short and bunkered.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1e14KZRl4U
(And don't miss Palmer drilling a 2 iron in to 2 feet at 11 min 50 secs, how often do you see that in modern golf?
)
With Dustin Johnson recently almost getting a hole in one on a 400+ yard par 4 it's sobering to see the drives on the opening hole where Palmer is the longest at 250 yards out. The hole is a dogleg 529 yard par 5 and none of them reach in two, Jack cuts the corner but even he ends up short and bunkered.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1e14KZRl4U
(And don't miss Palmer drilling a 2 iron in to 2 feet at 11 min 50 secs, how often do you see that in modern golf?
)
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Crow
Crow Person
Took delivery of these today as part of two mixed sets.
Slazenger Johnny Miller JM63 irons 3 to 9, from 1974
George Nicholl Pinsplitter irons, 3 to 9, I'd guess 1950s
A Slazenger Jack Nicklaus JN2000 putter and a Wilson Staff 8813 putter
Slazenger Johnny Miller JM63 irons 3 to 9, from 1974
George Nicholl Pinsplitter irons, 3 to 9, I'd guess 1950s
A Slazenger Jack Nicklaus JN2000 putter and a Wilson Staff 8813 putter
Crow
Crow Person
I was given some early metal woods by a club member last week and thought I'd post a picture out of interest as they're not necessarily what might be expected. (They were a 1, 3 and 5 and date from the late 1980s.)
When the first metal wood drivers came out they were actually smaller than wooden ones, roughly 150 cc compared to a typical 180 to 190 cc for wood.
I assume that this was due to the fact that the basic steel alloys used were pretty heavy so head size was smaller to give standard swing weights.
It wasn't until Callaway introduced the stainless steel Big Bertha in 1991 with perimeter weighting that metal head sizes started to balloon, and this was only 190 cc!
The Great Big Bertha was introduced in 1995 and used much lighter titanium, head size had crept up to just over 250 cc and the cat was out of the bag.
In no time at all head sizes had rocketed to 500 cc and over and the ruling bodies stepped in to cap it at 460 cc from 2004.
The woods below are:
When the first metal wood drivers came out they were actually smaller than wooden ones, roughly 150 cc compared to a typical 180 to 190 cc for wood.
I assume that this was due to the fact that the basic steel alloys used were pretty heavy so head size was smaller to give standard swing weights.
It wasn't until Callaway introduced the stainless steel Big Bertha in 1991 with perimeter weighting that metal head sizes started to balloon, and this was only 190 cc!
The Great Big Bertha was introduced in 1995 and used much lighter titanium, head size had crept up to just over 250 cc and the cat was out of the bag.
In no time at all head sizes had rocketed to 500 cc and over and the ruling bodies stepped in to cap it at 460 cc from 2004.
The woods below are:
- Tour Classic persimmon 1 wood
- Titleist steel 1 wood
- Titleist 909D2
fundy
Ryder Cup Winner
remember having a taylormade driver when the metal woods first came about that had a head that was probably smaller than a modern day hybrids!!!! not the most forgiving of beasts but good fun
Crow
Crow Person
Jack Berry Golf Co, "It-sits" putter.
The head is Stainless steel with a coated steel shaft and an Avon Track-Line grip
It’s an ebay purchase I’ve just had delivered. It was hiding in the pictures amongst a few other clubs and while I could see that it was a low profile I wasn’t prepared for just how low!
The head is Stainless steel with a coated steel shaft and an Avon Track-Line grip
It’s an ebay purchase I’ve just had delivered. It was hiding in the pictures amongst a few other clubs and while I could see that it was a low profile I wasn’t prepared for just how low!
