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Playing a round or two with vintage clubs?

Tennessee

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I got this bright idea a couple months ago - to take some of my classic club collection and put together a bag of playable clubs. So I keep on collecting clubs, both for hat racks and just cause I like golf clubs, when I run across this set of Hogan Magnum Irons in a thrift shop. I also picked up a set of knockoff Copperheads last summer, which had the putter in the set, of all things.
I'm all excited when one day I walk into a thrift shop and score a 1974 Cobra Baffler for $1.99, and about a week later, find a Cobra Baffler Steel Classic 3 wood in another forlorn barrel in another thrift shop for 80 cents. Got plenty of old putters in my putter collection, so I start looking at woods. I finally get down between a set of Walter Hagen Ultradynes I've had for about six months, and a full set of PowerBilt Citations, 1,3,4,5,9. (Who knew PowerBilt built a 9 wood back then?)

So the temps here finally get back into the 50's, and I head for the range.
WHAT WAS I THINKIN'...
I took the Magnums, the two Cobras, a funny driver called an Iron Stinger in an old bag, and my regular set of modern day clubs in my regular bag.
After a medium bucket, I have to say...Hogan Magnums 1, me 0.
I hit the Cobras well, and actually am looking for a spot in my bag for the original Baffler, but if I want to punish myself with old clubs, I can think of easier ways of setting off my arthritis and other maladies. Boy, was that a hard bucket!
 

limpalong

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Gotta be careful talking bad about Hogan Magnums. We had a poster on the board a few weeks ago that contended those irons were the best thing since sliced bread. I remember them. Extremely wide bottom flange. No feel. The Magnums were one of the contributors to Hogan's decline in the industry... and ultimate being picked up by Callaway and trashed.

I had a set of the 'Copperheads' in the mid-80's. Mine were Eye 2 knockoffs, available through Golfsmith. I had a local builder make a set with R400 shafts and probably should have held on to them. Fond memories. Of course, I now have a set of the Ping Eye 2+ BeCu's that see lots of play.

Your post has me stoked to head out to visit the local pawn shops over the next couple of days. We got hit with about a foot of snow over last night and today. Gonna be another month, now, before we see the course. Good time to see if I can find anything of interest in the pawn shops and thrift shops.
 

Fairwaysplitter3320

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I've always wanted an old set of forged blades and persimmon woods with leather grips. I would have to fill the bag with balata balls too. They would be reserved for walking only.

I'll probably never put a bag like that together but it sounds cool.
Many many years ago, ok like 10, I gamed a set of forged macgregor VIP blades. They were my grandfathers, probably the most beautiful irons I have ever had. Hard as hell to hit.
 

azgreg

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My brother-in-law has a set of hickery shafted clubs. Believe it or not he hits them every once in a while.
 
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Tennessee

Tennessee

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Fairwaysplitter my father carried those same clubs. The forged blades. And he had a set of black persimmion matching woods in a MacGregor bag. I think my first set was a cheapie set of some brand of shorter clubs. He used to hound me relentlessly. My brothers had both washed out, and he was determined to make a golfer out of one of us. By the time I was 15 I was in the low 80's, another year and I was in the upper 70's, but my heart just was not in it. He started me out at Madden country club in Dayton, Ohio. Then we moved, and joined Maryvale Country Club in Phoenix, which I believe is now in a really bad part of Phoenix. Then we moved to Laramie, Wyoming and we played courses in SE Wyoming. That was where I kind of gave up. Ironically, I became a scratch golfer for quite a while in my 20's and early 30's, till the family got in the way of golf.
He was actually a plus handicapper and had more than one chance to try out for the tour, but he didn't have any real distance off the tee. Maybe 230 yards, but never off the fairway. Heck of a short game.
He made his money as a hustler on the course instead. I had to caddie and shag balls. I could always tell when he had turned it on and started making his money back. I don't think I ever saw him lose. I once saw him win a putter from Karsten Solheim in Phoenix on a weekend. This would have been 1962-65, can't remember. Obviously Solheim was already in production with putters, but he still made a few for friends in his garage. My dad wanted one of those. My brother has it now. It has my dad's initials on it and the original logo, with a serial number of 007 on it. Rings like a bell.
 

eclark53520

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I hit quite a few with my uncles blades from the late 80's. Titleist something or others...It was obvious the sweet spot was small, but I didn't have too much trouble hitting them well.
 

anonymous golfaholic

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Fairwaysplitter my father carried those same clubs. The forged blades. And he had a set of black persimmion matching woods in a MacGregor bag. I think my first set was a cheapie set of some brand of shorter clubs. He used to hound me relentlessly. My brothers had both washed out, and he was determined to make a golfer out of one of us. By the time I was 15 I was in the low 80's, another year and I was in the upper 70's, but my heart just was not in it. He started me out at Madden country club in Dayton, Ohio. Then we moved, and joined Maryvale Country Club in Phoenix, which I believe is now in a really bad part of Phoenix. Then we moved to Laramie, Wyoming and we played courses in SE Wyoming. That was where I kind of gave up. Ironically, I became a scratch golfer for quite a while in my 20's and early 30's, till the family got in the way of golf.
He was actually a plus handicapper and had more than one chance to try out for the tour, but he didn't have any real distance off the tee. Maybe 230 yards, but never off the fairway. Heck of a short game.
He made his money as a hustler on the course instead. I had to caddie and shag balls. I could always tell when he had turned it on and started making his money back. I don't think I ever saw him lose. I once saw him win a putter from Karsten Solheim in Phoenix on a weekend. This would have been 1962-65, can't remember. Obviously Solheim was already in production with putters, but he still made a few for friends in his garage. My dad wanted one of those. My brother has it now. It has my dad's initials on it and the original logo, with a serial number of 007 on it. Rings like a bell.
That's awesome, man. Cool story.
 

VA Park Ranger

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Want to play a round with theese? Sweet spot is exactly the size of a gnats ass 20140127_202432.jpg20140127_202402.jpg
 
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Tennessee

Tennessee

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You're right about that, VA...take a couple "classic" clubs to a range and see how far you hit em'.
It's a real wakeup call on just how good the old pros really were.
 

VA Park Ranger

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IMO those are all way too new. I would like to go way back, hickory shaft and leather grips.
I've got a couple of sheep testicles stuffed with goose down if you want to try them out too. Watch out though, they don't carry well, and bite like hell around the green.

who else has one of these? I'd like to have a tournament with only this club.th-3.jpeg
 
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TrickyPutt

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that is getting there. I have a mammoth niblick from about 1927 thats probably a midge earlier. I would love to hit the set that had that niblick in it.
 

VA Park Ranger

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TrickyPutt said:
that is getting there. I have a mammoth niblick from about 1927 thats probably a midge earlier. I would love to hit the set that had that niblick in it.
You should try the one iron setting on the super stick
 

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