I am still playing with my set every week! I gave the set to my nephew, and he loves them. Image: Central Press/Hulton Archive via Getty Images. I think all the readers as well as the golfspies would love to learn as much about these past designs as possible. Way ahead of their time in the perimeter weighted genre. Protactic Golf in Chicago. I still have the samurai irons,2-pw and woods,driver,3w,5w,7w,,and still use them. The 15 wood is only a little longer than an 8 iron (in my 70 yr old hands) so I put a 9 iron through sand wedge in the bag and away we go They are straight and land incredibly soft. 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. In 1984, Questor sold off Spalding/Evenflo to a Venezuelan group headed by Gustavo and Ricardo Cisneros. In the late 70s I also had a set of Unique irons which were great apart from the plastic covers covering the cavity back constantly falling out. I played them for years, they were solid, and they looked really good at address for their time period. The 300XXL Driver was so lightawesome clubhead speed ! They all looked like mini woods. Why are Spalding golf balls called Top Flite? An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. They are similar to the Nike slingshots as they have a powerbow looking thing on the back of them. Make Request. The Pyramid Rubber Company, a maker of baby bottles, strollers, and other infant products, bought a controlling interest. "mainEntityOfPage": "https://swingyard.com/spalding-irons-by-year/", "https://twitter.com/_swingyard_", What about the Porsche irons? Written by June 5, 2022 . It wasnt long until Spaldings Executive golf clubs were launched, which were prevalent at all levels of the game. But the funky look kept me from ever thinking about buying a whole set. Now I need some crazy Loudmouth pants and a pink ball. What you like is what you like. 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. "https://www.facebook.com/swingyard/", I know that this is a very late reply but I actually knew the designer of these irons and spent time speaking with him. Does Spalding make golf balls? The Roaring 20s gave us Babe Ruth, Knute Rockne, Jack Dempsey, and Red Grange. I recently tried an old Jack Nicklaus 7 iron made by MacGregor many years ago. Say what you will but I own a set of Ray Cook Titanic irons. I have a set of Browning 440s and a set of Browning 500s I was in the midst of restoring them but Browning would not sell me original grips! He actually manufactured a set of irons whose heads were literally upside down take an iron, turn in upside down, your top edge now hits the turf, the sole having a hosel. 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). It was a time-consuming, costly and inconsistent process. Great research John with some very interesting history facts about the company and its equipment. So for those of you who own a set and are fellow collectors of the ridiculoustoday is your day to shine. How about Hogan Magnums and Magnum Plus irons big cavity backs from the 1970s. We (and tour players) figured out it was very stable in the wind and was 2 clubs longer with the irons. All are memory refreshing .. have been in golf clubhead design , manufacturing 25 years , familiar with the designs ! Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. I learned the game on a set of used Spalding Execs-still have them today. 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. Seu lugar para proteger o seu capital. The strangest set I play with at the moment is a matching set of 3 through 15 fairway woods made by Protactic Golf in Chicago (part of the remains of Northwestern Golf, I think). You cannot paste images directly. Is my equipment holding me back? By the early 1920s, Spalding began using a mechanical hammer to drop-forge heads in an assembly line, making the process faster, more consistent, and considerably less expensive. That debt burden, however, finally proved fatal. Great collection I remember many of them in the past 30 years often thought of buying some of them, but luckily, I didnt, Ive purchased dozens of iron sets in the last few years (Big Bertha,FTI, Taylor Made, Cobra, Nike V series) NOne of these work as well as my Ping Zings, Hey, what about Shakespeare and fiberglass. I have a set of both the 440s and the 500s, and there is no difference in face depth. Well these irons which were designed out in LA by Stan Thompson were made to capitalize on that same concept. Spalding used to own Top Flite before selling the subsidiary to Callaway. Great stuff. Finally, I think a distinction needs to be made between the wackiest looking and worst irons made. I have one of those! What you supposed to do, cut your head off!!! The plan was to position Hogan as the premium forged line sold through pro shops. However my 6 iron had twice as much offset as any other iron in the set. but fairly forgiving. I have a full set of Exec XE irons. Odyssey to Callaway In July 1997, Callaway Golf purchased putter maker Odyssey for $130 million, or nearly four times the company's annual sales of $35 million at the time. "name": "Swing Yard", unbelieveably so..!! Spalding lost $27 million in 2000 and another $20 million in 2001. CA License # A-588676-HAZ / DIR Contractor Registration #1000009744 I believe Robert Molitor was the fellow who developed the Top Flite. "@type": "ImageObject", Really solid clubs. Every time I take it out of my bag for some new modern wedge, I go back to it a few weeks later. In 2001 Spalding launched a $17 million ad campaign for Hogan and Strata. Whats fun is to find one of those old sets, regrip them and beat your friends with them! That year Albert and his brothers opened the A.G. Spalding & Brothers sporting goods company and started making baseballs. TaylorMade then entered the bidding but, after 30 rounds, Callaway wound up buying Top-Flite free and clear for $175 million. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. They looked like a full set of hybrids but only lasted a short period of time. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. I think this is the web site for me . 2023 Genesis Invitational - Monday #3. The greatest golfer at the time plays Spalding? 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. Another great history piece. We will miss Jim and his innovation ! Well done. Right now Ive been with the Execs 2 then 5 SW, Ram 64 wedge, 1 & 3 wood, both hybrids and putter. The Browning 440s took my game from the 150s (Wilson clubs) to the low 70s. Spalding was the big name in women's golf clubs by 1950. All that creativity has led to the great clubs we have today. What a mess that design was! single, replacement or add-on golf irons and wedges for Spalding Executive x EZ Oversize Irons. It was first shown at the PGA dealers show at Disney World, Orlando, Florida 1979. The products soon disappeared from shelves. Scott Stallings - WITB - 2023 Genesis Invitational. An excellent article well researched Great set. I actually have these clubs. The Spaulding Executive was just too far ahead of its timegreat club! I still think there were others that deserved some consideration. What are the Most Forgiving Forged Irons? PING was still PING, and Tiger was becoming Tiger. And if you did not have the exact lie to match your swing could cause issues with the toe or heel diving down at impact. Men's Right Handed. Get the best deals on Spalding Executive Irons when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. BogeyPro Golf (T-Shirt Design Contest), RYDER CUP CONTEST! Design the future of bad golf! Spalding introduced the Vardon Flyer, a golf ball that was popularized by Harry Vardon. 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. The Top-Flite acquisition made it a player. Spalding decided it would be good business to provide golf course design services free of charge to anyone with the money and inclination to build one. 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 The early Top-Flites were juast the opposite; you couldnt cut one of them with an axe. The real prize for Callaway was the Chicopee ball plant. 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 company also announced an alliance with Bob Bettinardi to create a line of high-end Hogan putters. Money put a few of these clubs on touralthough that does not mean they were worth a penny. Paste as plain text instead, Jones famously retired from golf after winning the 1930 version of the Grand Slam. I would like to repay you with mine. & Bubba Dickerson won the 2001 US Amatuer with a set of Nicklaus Bears! You can actually play Spalding golf balls again! 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! By 1970, the ownership group morphed into the Questor Corporation, and Pyramid Rubber was rechristened Evenflo. What is it for weight transfer? From the 1950s to the 1990s Spalding was in the bag for many major victories, and was played on municipal courses across the country. There are still folks around from when Mr. Hogan ran the company and I am sure you can get some keen insights not only of the company but of Mr. Hogan himself. "author": "Ned Howard", 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.. Played dots a bit but later played a lot of Top Flites because I was a teenager, and the balls did not cut (this was back in the days of balata balls that cut if you looked at them hard). #15 - Stan Thompson Ginty Irons You might remember the popular Stan Thompson woods with the unique sole design. jazzbone, September 4, 2006 in Equipment. By the following year, Spalding began making clubs in the U.S. Its a great story that needs to be told. Theyre awesome. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, (your email address will not be published), CONTEST Adams Pro Black Giveaway! I have a set of Ben Hogan AHS Hybrids and the SW is even a hybrid! Not sure if the Black Knight, Gary Players endorsement sucked allot of buyers into buying.LOL. But just because it was wacky did not mean it was not a hellova seller. 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. By the Roaring '20s, A.G. Spalding & Brothers was using the process of "drop forging" to manufacture metal club-heads. Learn how your comment data is processed. Tommy Armours ownership circus eventually turned it into the Sports Authority (and now DICKS) house brand. 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. Actually, we used to produce more golf balls than Titleist. OK MyGolfSpyers, its time to get creative! Really enjoyed them. I owned a set of Nocklaus N1 irons (the pro versions of the bear irons?). Clare. The latter is notable as the Wright of Wright and Ditson is one George Wright, a Hall of Fame shortstop for the Boston Red Stockings and a major mover and shaker of turn-of-the-century golf. It came with Driver, 3W, 5W and 3-PW. 6. By reducing our debt and consolidating our operations, we enhance our abilities to drive growth behind our prestigious group of golf brands, CEO Jim Craigie said at the time. In 2012, Callaway sold Top-Flite to DICKS and Hogan to Perry Ellis. Two years prior, they sold Spalding and Evenflo to Wall Street investment firm KKR for an estimated and unbelievable 1 billion dollars. or Best Offer. But, they were NOS (New Old Stock) and with Ohio State grips and headcovers; so a diehard Buckeye fan. 1968 Spalding developed the first 2-piece performance golf ball, the Spalding Executive. The Titleist were a bit longer lasting but I (a poor college student) could afford the Spaulding balls. What about Pax (Paul Goydos promoted them)? Fantastic article John! At the same time, the Spalding Top-Flite Syncrho-Dyned irons (released in 1953) were well received, thanks to their flex shaft and copper undercoating. Slotline Inertial E-Max irons laying around ? "image": { To maintain the limit of 14 clubs in the bag, I change off now and then. 5 Testers Needed! He changed from forged blades and balata balls to cavity back, investment cast irons and sold core balls, White tells MyGolfSpy.
