Vintage Golf

[Crow]

I've had my eye on a set of "collection only" irons on ebay for what must be over a year now, I didn't think anyone else would bid for them so I was prepared to wait, hoping that one day soon I'd be down in that area, but it never happened.

So, inspired by the recent generosity of Oddsocks and other forummers in the past who have collected old golf clubs from ebay, I made a request to see if anyone was able to collect on my behalf and parcel them up so I could arrange for a carrier to collect. In a very short time I had two kind offers!
The first from a forummer who posts little these days but was extremely helpful in collecting the clubs and did a fantastic job in parceling them up, thank you sir!

So what are these clubs?
Nothing of worth, in fact I'm sure I paid over the market value, but I was happy with the price.
They are a 1950s set of Harold Bird irons, he of the Harold Bird & Son fame but these are from before his son joined the company.
2 to 9 plus wedge.

They're a copy of the MacGregor MT Tourney irons from 1950, and as anyone will know who watches my videos, I have a weakspot for wingbacks!

The shafts on a couple of the clubs have lost quite a bit of chrome but I think they'll be okay for dry summer days! Most of the original leather grips have been replaced and the replacement rubber grips are now crumbling so I'll need to regrip those.

Picture below and their inspiration, the MacGregor MT Tourney.

 

[garyinderry]

First set of adult clubs. Aged 13.

My da took me down to nevada bobs. They had a hitting bay into a net. I can still remember hearing the saleman say to my da. "He's got a great natural swing".

Only in later years with the advancement in video recording equipment did I realise he was a lying bugger and a great salesman.

 

[Oddsocks]

A bit of a random eBay search today saw a lovely 92 TM pacesetter stand bag land in my purchases, exactly the same colour/model that I used in 94 the year I started playing.

Not overly retro but, about 6-8 weeks ago a found a set of system 2 tour preferred woods (still complete with the icw grips) which I believe were 91/92 and ironically the exact driver I started with although not with the same shaft. Wind back a further couple of months and a miss communicated text resulted in a set of ICW’5 irons being purchased. A friend mistook them for KVD’s and purchased on my behalf, but the they were the irons I wanted when I started but could never afford.

So - Oddsocks, 92 TM staffer!!!

 

[sjw]

Hi @Crow, out of interest, which clubs did you have in the bag when we played?

 

[sjw]

Those look super smart. Love that finish on the crown

 

[Crow]

Hi @Crow, out of interest, which clubs did you have in the bag when we played?

That was a few weeks ago, clubs have changed several times since then so I'm not sure!

I think it was these Dunlop Sixty Five irons and some laminated maple Walter Hagen woods.

 

[sjw]

Yep, they look familiar! That's the 1 wood that outdrove my 2022 driver

 

[Oddsocks]

Those look super smart. Love that finish on the crown

While they’re nice I’m a little gutted. About 3-4 years ago I sold the system 2 driver that I’d had since 94 all locked away. It had the flex twist shaft and the sky mark from the November junior medal which a painfully remember.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Well, I wasn't asked, but then my golf was instantly forgettable, not least by me.
Anyway, what I played with was,
Forgan Powerpakt 2-wood
Harold Bird and Son 6-wood
Forgan Powerpakt irons 3,5,7,9
Macgregor MT sand iron and a John Letters Golden Goose putter.



I also hit a few shots with a Cobra F Speed driver and Cobra hybrid that didn't seem to help me in the slightest in those 40mph winds.

 

[sjw]

Well, I wasn't asked, but then my golf was instantly forgettable, not least by me.
Anyway, what I played with was,
Forgan Powerpakt 2-wood
Harold Bird and Son 6-wood
Forgan Powerpakt irons 3,5,7,9
Macgregor MT sand iron and a John Letters Golden Goose putter.

View attachment 51678View attachment 51679View attachment 51681

I also hit a few shots with a Cobra F Speed driver and Cobra hybrid that didn't seem to help me in the slightest in those 40mph winds.

I didn't mean any offence by the omission! I just hit a couple of Crow's, that's all!

It only took a couple of shots but I can totally understand the enjoyment of playing with older equipment; they're certainly pretty to look at!

 

[garyinderry]

5 shaft challenge. Great idea.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Took a bit of a risk with an Ebay purchase recently. A bag of old clubs.
Poorly photographed, seller unknowledgeable, collection only, etc.
Seller's main photograph

There were a few more photos of the clubheads and it appeared there might be a full set of Eye2 BeCu in there plus a few others.

When I arrived the bag looked awful, dirty and the zips did not move. Obviously never touched or cleaned since the last game in 1988, I imagine. The same can be said for the clubs inside.

Spent nearly two hours this afternoon with the Marigolds on, scrubbing away with Cif and loosening those zips with WD40 and wishful thinking.
Never been a fan of white bags, but I feel we have bonded after the toil.
Tough sturdy things these old vinyl bags.



Shall be working on the irons next few days. They are indeed a 3-SW Ping Eye2 BeCu set. Slazenger Eaglet putter was included and a couple more junk clubs for the charity shop.
Photos of the irons later, after some serious cleaning.

 

[RichA]

Took a bit of a risk with an Ebay purchase recently. A bag of old clubs.
Poorly photographed, seller unknowledgeable, collection only, etc.
Seller's main photograph
View attachment 52053
There were a few more photos of the clubheads and it appeared there might be a full set of Eye2 BeCu in there plus a few others.

When I arrived the bag looked awful, dirty and the zips did not move. Obviously never touched or cleaned since the last game in 1988, I imagine. The same can be said for the clubs inside.

Spent nearly two hours this afternoon with the Marigolds on, scrubbing away with Cif and loosening those zips with WD40 and wishful thinking.
Never been a fan of white bags, but I feel we have bonded after the toil.
Tough sturdy things these old vinyl bags.

View attachment 52054 View attachment 52055

Shall be working on the irons next few days. They are indeed a 3-SW Ping Eye2 BeCu set. Slazenger Eaglet putter was included and a couple more junk clubs for the charity shop.
Photos of the irons later, after some serious cleaning.

Wow. What a find. Careful with the BeCu though. Polish but don't grind - the dust is harmful.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Wow. What a find. Careful with the BeCu though. Polish but don't grind - the dust is harmful.

Thanks.
Looking forward to the warmer weather and taking them out on the course with the Eye2 woods you so kindly gave me.

 

[Oddsocks]

BeCu irons…. Find of the century!!!

 

[Crow]

I wouldn't polish them at all, could effect the resale value as most people like the patina.

 

[Mel Smooth]

Picked these up this evening, be worth the £20 I paid watching the youth trying to hit that driver.....

 

[Crow]

Picked these up this evening, be worth the £20 I paid watching the youth trying to hit that driver.....

The George Nicoll CLIK came out in 1976, period advert below.
Slazenger PLUS ran for quite a few years and models, through the 1970s and into the 1980s.

The Slazenger Hogan is hard to identify from the Equalizer but looks like what Slazenger called the FR7, 1967.
I've no idea what the unmarked blades are but they have a nice shape!
Progen weren't a UK brand, so off my radar.

In the bag that John Letters Gary Player Mark II came out in 1968.

 

[Mel Smooth]

The George Nicoll CLIK came out in 1976, period advert below.
Slazenger PLUS ran for quite a few years and models, through the 1970s and into the 1980s.

The Slazenger Hogan is hard to identify from the Equalizer but looks like what Slazenger called the FR7, 1967.
I've no idea what the unmarked blades are but they have a nice shape!
Progen weren't a UK brand, so off my radar.

In the bag that John Letters Gary Player Mark II came out in 1968.

View attachment 52081

Yeah the blades have an interesting story. The guy I bought them off lived in a village called Overton, just down the road from Horbury - where his dad worked at the Slazenger factory.
He apparently was given the clubs to go and use, to test them out. If the clubs were deemed satisfactory then they’d be produced and stamped with the required branding. Seems plausible and from a quick search they do look similar to these below.
He would have had a full set originally but the guy was explaining how his dad split the set in half to share between him and his brother.

The progen is definitely a random club that’s somehow ended up in the bag.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Seems convincing as a prototype from Slazenger.
The font type of the numbers is distinctive. Elongated characters with no other markings on the sole.
Compare with these Slazenger Ben Hogan round sole irons.
Straight serifs at the top of the 5 and 7.
Circular blob at curly end of the 5.



I'm sure @Crow could tell a bit more from the ferules, grips and shaft bands, if there were pics of these.