Pat Simmons of Tiger Shark fame (and others) is the most underrated club designer of all time! 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. Does Spalding make golf balls? 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 ball was introduced in 1900. Get10% offat Global Golf with Code:SwingYard. * Note: These irons were designed by Duke Duclos. Its impossible to overstate Albert Spaldings vision and ambition. I used to have a set of Ajay Pro Classics that were my dads. Those and the Ram Tour Grinds that Watson played were my bucket list irons, but never could afford them. The pro-shop who had them could not find a buyer. Thank you for your research efforts. I have a set of Fila Solerno irons/fairway woods that I havent been able to find anything about on the internet. lots of memories here. Great set. I am surprised no one ever mass marketed them. With Spalding's mass-market success breeding scores of imitators, players could pick and choose from countless club lines. Its an interesting question to ask about a company that was a factor for over 125 years. They are awesome clubs, very well-weighted, with a great center of gravity for high loft shots. What about Pax (Paul Goydos promoted them)? Amazing how so of the old stuff works better than the hyped up new stuff! Those are the reasons they work. 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. "mainEntityOfPage": "https://swingyard.com/spalding-irons-by-year/", They actually play pretty well. 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. Their president at the time said this about the newly released irons, Titanic irons are the first long irons even God and you can hit. Now that is a bold statement that should of had you guys flocking to purchase these beauties. These irons were designed in Belgium by the Belgium-Browning company. Each has a special place in my personal golf journey and is still some of the best equipment Ive ever used. Play to a 4 6 cap. "@type": "Organization", Jones famously retired from golf after winning the 1930 version of the Grand Slam. Great list! WITB Albums. Hope you find this one interesting!!!! He also was one of the best designers in the golf biz. I owned a set of Nocklaus N1 irons (the pro versions of the bear irons?). Ugly. It kept some of those out of my bag Im sure. I just love them! So, if youre looking for a decent set of golf clubs without breaking the bank, theres no reason not to invest in a used set of Spalding clubs if you see a set that you like online. Jim also marketed the first Graphite Shafts sold under the Aldila name. and I firmly believe the demise of Spalding was because a number of CEOs with little or no knowledge of the golf industry were appointed It was an excellent article and some of the follow-on comments from industry stalwarts like Jack Wullkotte, David Hueber, Tom Wishon, etc. ), Finn Scooter Golf Reviews (Are These the Real Deal? Men's Right Handed. If you are a beginner and are looking for a . New entries such as Nike and Adams were turning heads as well. Just found and bought a set of Lil David Slingers. I shoot mid-80s like OP. "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjT3UiJflw60ZD31-6yC4mA", 6. Thus, the USGA implemented the one ball rule, Thanks John for another great piece of history. 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. 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. Are these considered weird? Does anyone know anything about them? The player would then conveniently cover the top of his bag with a towel so that no one would see the length of the irons. Say what you will but I own a set of Ray Cook Titanic irons. 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. Estimated resale value today:. The company's unique "baseball mark" A.G. Spalding had helped put baseball on the map--was stamped on the clubs and below it "Made in Great Britain" appeared. Im not sure how rare they are, but youd think there would be a trace of them somewhere. Current owner FILA Korea Ltd took Acushnet public, and the company has thrived ever since. The primary reason why Spalding halted the production of golf clubs was that they couldnt keep up with the competition. In fact, one of Spaldings most popular models was the Bobby Jones collection, selling two million sets between 1932 and 1973. Over two million Bobby Jones sets were sold in America. "@type": "Article", Jackie Gleason also owned a set. spalding golf clubs any good. The Black Dots were longest (for me) but that cover would smile back at you with the slightest mishit. Spaldings contributions to modern golf are considerable. MacGregors ownership carousel started in 1978 when it was sold to lumber conglomerate Wickes. My wife says I never met a strange-looking golf club I did not want to own and play with. werent as good. what is spanish colonial music? Another really well done article. The new club are really pretty, but no better than the original slotlines which I used to have. Shortly thereafter, Spalding signed him as spokesperson, vice president and director of research. #14 - Spalding Executive Irons These were actually a pretty good iron for the time and I think Trevino had something to do with this designbut not sure. i just hit a 8 iron in that series last night. Norman credited the extra spin of the Tour Edition for winning the 1986 British Open. Iomic Golf Grips: 8 Key Facts Before You Buy. Is my equipment holding me back? The biggest of them all, however, may well have been the aforementioned Bobby Jones. By then the Cisneros brothers had taken the money and ran. Placing the hosel behind the face eliminates the occasional `shank, creating forward-face progression. The Browning 440s took my game from the 150s (Wilson clubs) to the low 70s. It was a time-consuming, costly and inconsistent process. Goldwin was a San Diego company, years ahead of its time. Spalding took off with sales and production with Bobby Jones joining the team. Perhaps they were a little ahead of their time (3-PW). 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! but worth a kings ransom, Great post thanks mgs but i agree with dj ,The doctor rx has to be on the list. The Early Years of Spalding Golf 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. I completed the set off of eBay for around $100. I actually have a set of 440s I bring them out every year or two when I am hitting the ball poorly. The 300XXL Driver was so lightawesome clubhead speed ! GolfWRX_Spotted posted a topic in Tour and Pre-Release Equipment, February 13. The solid core Strata now had competition from the Titleist ProV1. Im surprised that nobody has mentioned the Wilson Fat Shaft irons for ugliness. Spalding Executive Registered 3 4 5 Driver Wedge P Golf Clubs Set Made In USA $26.21 Local Pickup or Best Offer SPONSORED Vintage lot of 3 Woods Top Flite Spalding Model 133 Professional 1 3 4 golf Club $29.95 $17.95 shipping or Best Offer SPONSORED PERSIMMON Spalding Robert Jones Jr Percussion Woods Set Golf Clubs Driver & 3 $60.00 $15.00 shipping Thanks, John. About half of our sales are with personal names or corporate logos in the back and given as gifts. The RB880 s by Northwestern are also knockoffs of the Browning 440 s. Spalding stopped making golf clubs in 2002, and their last clubs were branded as Top Flite Oversized irons. In 1900, Spalding released the Vardon Flyer, the golf ball used by Harry Vardon. LOL. He re-gripped them and beats the Taylormade hand-me-downs of his friends. 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. I think all the readers as well as the golfspies would love to learn as much about these past designs as possible. Press J to jump to the feed. Both are really great. Thanks. It was the mold makers attempt to make at a hollow head, wooden shape club. I have a full set of Exec XE irons. Forward-face progression creates a hitting surface 20 percent larger than standard and 5 percent larger than over-sized irons. But more trouble was coming for Spalding. Ive owned. . In 2001 Spalding launched a $17 million ad campaign for Hogan and Strata. By the Roaring '20s, A.G. Spalding & Brothers was using the process of "drop forging" to manufacture metal club-heads. The Early Years Starting in 1900, Spalding opened clubmaking factories in London and in Fife, Scotland, producing forged iron heads for Spalding clubs sold both in the U.K. and U.S. The stickers are silver, but the Slinger logo is a black heavy type face and says pat. i used to work in a golf shop in ohio and we had the worst set i ever saw. The Strata, however, proved to be a gold mine for Spalding. Can anyone ballpark an estimate on the value of a set of Samurai clubs? "logo": { it was at my range's rental bin. I am still playing with my set every week! Read on to learn more about the history of Spalding clubs and what you can expect from various models. I was wondering if anyone had ever tried Slotline Classic Copper golf clubs. we closed and then were just screwing around with some of the rental clubs. Non-Tapered Golf Grips: 8 Facts to Know Before You Buy! By 2002, players such as Hal Sutton, Bernhard Langer, and Luke Donald were playing the Hogan Apex ball. "name": "Swing Yard", One day, I was caddying for him and he crushed a drive, but about 100 yards out, it just fell out of the sky. Lots of wackiness. I think I actually played one of them 150 holes before I gave up. OK MyGolfSpyers, its time to get creative! It wasnt the shank that bothered me, it was waiting for it to happen that was the problem. Brilliant idea? Another great history piece. I still have several sets of Hogan forged irons, Hogan/Bettinardi putters, several dozen Apex, and Tour Deep balls. Both were smart, competent leaders but had little golf experience. But $1 billion is a lot of cabbage, and KKR borrowed heavily to make the deal. 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. unbelieveably so..!! My golfing buddy borrowed my old set, including the driver and had one of his best rounds ever. Please put any questions or comments here. Youve forgotten the worst offender. a beginner could really benifit from the Nike slingshot, they are easy to hit. (Everything To Know). Spalding is a big name in American sports, having manufactured equipment for basketball, American football, and golf over the years. MyGolfSpy, Inc. All Rights Reserved. That was a great history lesson!!!!! Great list of wild clubs. They had fantastic fairway woods that I still take out for a spin every once in a while. 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.. In an effort to keep golf a game of skill, the USGA implemented the 14 club rule that we see today. Keep up the great work. Ever hear of Belmont (internal, removable sole weighting)? Finally, I think a distinction needs to be made between the wackiest looking and worst irons made. This technology is a shank-proof hosel. I played Spaulding Black Dots back in late 60s. From 1932 until 1973 two years after Jones death Spalding sold over 15 different models and two million sets of Bobby Jones clubs. Spalding developed the first liquid center golf ball, the Kros-Flite. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. How about Hogan Magnums and Magnum Plus irons big cavity backs from the 1970s. "description": "List of all the Spalding Irons by the year each set was released", By 1910, the company was selling aluminum fairway clubs and its Gold Medal series (1910 to 1919) featured aluminum bronze. Why are Spalding golf balls called Top Flite? 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. Throughout America, the affordable Spalding clubs flew off the shelves and reaped huge catalog sales. 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. Spalding was the leading manufacturer of golf clubs in America throughout the mid-twentieth century, highlighting just how popular the brand was. Spalding Executive clubs were established in the 1960s, with the Top Flite Executive Synchro-Dyned golf clubs being the first in a super popular series. In 1910 Spalding started making fairway clubs made of aluminum, and heavier lead face putters. Box 4666, Ventura, CA 93007 Request a Quote: comelec district 5 quezon city CSDA Santa Barbara County Chapter's General Contractor of the Year 2014! Wanted them when I was in college but couldnt afford them then. However my 6 iron had twice as much offset as any other iron in the set. Spaldings buddy Wright had been doing the same thing since 1892. Purespin (diamond face)? I accidentally broke it in the late 1970s the shaft was installed over a milled section of the hosel! Decent? I still have the samurai irons,2-pw and woods,driver,3w,5w,7w,,and still use them. Many of which might have even found there way into a few of your bagseven if you dont want to admit it. Tom Farrell. The chrome Just bought a set of Nicklaus Linear Dynamics N1 Golf Irons at a thrift shop in Vegas. Spalding led the way with such deep-grooved designs as the "waterfall" and waffle-face irons. *chuckles* Maybe its a good thing I took a 30 year golf hiatus. The company was already selling golf balls when, in 1905, it became the first in America to offer its own brand of golf clubs. We have a new #1 For Craziest Iron Ever Made! For years the #1 spot for craziest iron ever made was held by the infamous Cleveland VAS irons (now #2). Nice article John! I demand a re-count!, He went on to say, and as owner of MyGolfSpy you should feel ashamed since you were given a set as a gift 15 years ago and I remember you putting me in play for a few rounds, how could you do this to me?, Slotline had a hit on their hands with their Slotline Inertial puttersthey sold over 2 Million of those flatsticks. The early Top-Flites were juast the opposite; you couldnt cut one of them with an axe. They are also perfect in a steep slope due to the curved bottom of the club head. I cannot find any information on this club, maybe they were a golfsmith thing from early 2000s?? Acushnet has been sold twice since the 1970s, and each time the buyer took the same approach: be profitable, and well leave you alone. Spalding, seemingly, was on top of the world. Needed a set of clubs to play for a few days and found these. Dynamiter wedges featured deep grooves, often in unusual shapes, that ultimately prompted the USGA to outlaw them. During that time, Spalding ownership changed hands a half dozen times, and saw the same fate as MacGregor Irons. Did you forget about Zevo Golf? Cleveland was giving them away for free if you send in some coupon from golf digest. Anyone hear of them? Anyone ever hear of anything like that? Now I need some crazy Loudmouth pants and a pink ball. I just picked up 6 thru 9 of the Browning 440 Plus irons at the Goodwillcant wait to try them out. Still use them. You should shoot me some pics of your new set. 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. Why is that I have the Tiger Shark 7 iron and the Spalding Exec XE 5 iron in my golf collection??? He would hold up the club so they could see the 7 on the bottom and with a big grin say I hit a 7 iron. Do You have any idea? why did patrice o'neal leave the office; why do i keep smelling hairspray; giant ride control one auto mode; current fishing report: lake havasu Irons made during that time are distinguished by an anvil cleek mark. info@pgatradein.com Mon-Fri: 9AM - 5PM EST . And if the Nicklaus Bear irons were used to win the US Amateur, they shouldnt be on a worst irons list either. These were actually a pretty good iron for the time and I think Trevino had something to do with this designbut not sure. Never met a set of strange clubs I didnt want to try. Seemed like big headed design with half the head chopped off to produce a bigger face!!! Reach and the Wright and Ditson sporting goods companies. You might remember the popular Stan Thompson woods with the unique sole design. 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. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, (your email address will not be published), CONTEST Adams Pro Black Giveaway! Even tho I play with graphic shafts I really like the way those play. "@type": "ImageObject", My first clubs were Spalding top flites. The remaining golf company was re-named Top-Flite. 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!!!! Your link has been automatically embedded. I had some Staff FG-17 and my friends dad had the Executives. "https://www.facebook.com/swingyard/", In 1993 Payne Stewart signed a multi-million-dollar deal to go full Top-Flite, a move that sidetracked Stewarts career. 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. }, Club-makers traditional method had been to shape metal heads with an anvil and forge. Scott was a highly respected individual in the golf industry during this period and he had the respect of both his staff and golf professionals Like its sporting goods brother-in-arms MacGregor, Spalding ownership changed hands in 1958. Spalding introduced many variations of hickory-shafted clubs to bring distance and control to the professional and duffer alike. *We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Thanks. 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. Really solid clubs. Copyright 2023. 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. Callaway wound up suing Spalding for using its imagery on Spalding packaging. In 1895, Spalding started manufacturing golf balls. Learn how your comment data is processed. The name was acquired by the folks behind Nitro golf balls and they now have a full line you can buy on RockBottomGolf. Instead, well hit the highlights. This stuff is really interesting.. We had hybrids back in the 80s. He has provided some keen insights from his time with Mr. Hogan in other articles and podcasts. The woods were the strangest looking things. Don't let scams get away with fraud. If so, are they any good? "@type": "ImageObject", 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. 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. Bought a set for $25 as to help out a young lady with cancer. So we thought if it was as crazy looking as the original it had to be on the list but a little further down. Spalding had a long history, terrific heritage, and healthy topline sales of over $500 million. If you have any you think we should include or have any additional info about the clubs listed feel free to post your comments. And continuity, leadership, and smart decisions matter. I traded in some Titleist Acushnet blades for themI had only paid $99.00 for the set of Acushnets (used)they gave me $139.00 in trade value, and wanted another $100 for the UniquesThey were some of the easiest to hit irons I have ever ownedout of the 40 50 different sets I have had. Would you make an iron set out of stone? Tommy Armours ownership circus eventually turned it into the Sports Authority (and now DICKS) house brand. The Spalding brand, however, is still alive under the Russell Athletic umbrella, making basketballs and apparel. TaylorMade, now owned by adidas, was rising, and Callaway was a major force. 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.
when were spalding executive golf clubs made