Anyone else have an affinity for clubs from the "lesser known" manufaturers? - Page 2

I actually have tough time to look for the replacement for my KZG ZO

If you look at my signature.. obviously I've been very happy with the Snake Eyes line of clubs, especially their irons and wedges.  I've had a set of Nike and Adams irons mixed in there, but always seem to go back to the Snake Eyes.

Not a problem so far, but I do tend toward the softer balls like Noodles, Laddies, and currently trying the Bridgestone E5. Both of the manufacturers say they are ok with modern balls. Really if the old Top Flites and Pinnacles we used back in the day didn't hurt them, I don't think a Noodle will. I don't know how old my Joe Powells are-I bought them out of a bucket at a pawn shop for 8 dollars each but they still make the same model. I also have some older vintage (80's) persimmons and have noticed no ill effects.  Of course, I probably don't hit it hard enough to hurt them anyway!
 

 

 

Don't know why you'd want to replace them. I have never played them but they look like they'd play great.
 

 

Living in Southern California I would think that mom & pop golf stores that sell lesser known brands of good quality, and do REAL fittings would be all over.

 

I can't find them!

 

The super stores carry the same things and fit the club to you......as much as the design will allow.......which is not that much. :(

It doesn't make them necessarily bad either. I wanted a set of Cleveland blades (or Hogans) since the mid-80s because I thought they were cool. Their popularity has gone up and down depending on who had them in the bag, but I always wanted a set of Tour Actions. Even if they brand had officially gone under, I still would have picked up a couple sets off ebay because I think they're awesome.  Sure there are still a few guys on Tour with Clevelands in the bag, and their wedges rock, but Cleveland also made some of the fugliest players and SGI irons ever (Vas and Hibores).

 

Having a strong Tour presence doesn't make a club inherantly good or bad any more than a defunct brand (e.g. Nickent) or one who's glory days were > 30 years ago (e.g. Wilson Staff).

I do think some companies strength varies by region.  Is Wilson a larger presence in Europe?, Yonex in Japan etc.  Hopefully I am keeping an open mind and not letting marketing dominate my decisions.  Reviews like the ones on this site are good places to start.  I do try to wait a bit for purchases.  Last years models are often discounted heavily and if an upgrade for me, fit my budget better. If you trade clubs frequently and do a lot of EBAY  name brands do retain their value better.

I have a Ben Sayers 4 iron hybrid, its the best club in my bag and a 1/3 of the price of its competitors  

The only real name clubs I have is my driver which is a Cleveland and my putter which is a Ping. Beyond that our local golf pro custom builds all of my clubs and he buys directly from the manufacturer. I get the same kind of clubs as any of the big brands but pay next to nothing for all of it. My irons are the same specs as Taylormade R7's, my wedges will be the same specs as the Cleveland CG15's, and my hybrid is the same spec as a Ping.

When I used persimmon woods and forged blade irons,I used wound balata balls.  When Taylor Made 1st came out I switched to Metal woods and Cast irons and 2 piece balls.  Technology won over Tradition!!

I would definitely give the mp 63's a shot
 

 

 

Agree.  Thats why when shopping for clubs you need to just buy what you like and forget about what the so-called, "#1 ball/club on tour" is.
 

 

Yonex is pretty big in Japan.  It is their home market though, so you would expect that.

I think the new Tour Edge Bazooka Hybrid irons are amazing. Quality and value-wise. Picked up a set 5-PW. 

Lifetime warranty too. 

I'm playing clones manufactured by Sun Valley golf that are 304 Steel and Awsome.... I have been testing out the Integra SooLong 175 grm driver 460cc 9.5* with a 45grm shaft and Winn Soft Lite grip... I bet the entire driver is 250grms.... I'm testing it and booming it way better then the OEM driver I was hitting....  but I'm also a 14 hdcp... so maybe I got lucky and my swing fits the build of the club 

I love RAM irons made in the 80s.  I have a set of Golden Ram Tour Grind forged blades (stiff steel shafts) I play in the summer when I'm playing a lot and a set of Ram FX Pro Set forged progressive cavity with blade 8-P and reg flex graphite shafts for winter and spring when I'm just getting back into playing.  There's nothing else in the world that feels quite like these old forged irons.  Too bad the company underwent so many sales, bankruptcies, etc. to where now the name belongs to a Canadian holding company and is usually associated with low-end cheap stuff.  Not the case from 1980 - 1990.

 

I bought each of these sets (2i-sw with frequency matched factory shafts) years ago off of eBay for less than $100 each.  New (in the 80s), they both sold for over $1,000. 

I put in a vote for Wishon Golf as well. I'm gaming the Wishon 550C irons. An older model I picked up used, except for a minor scratch on sole of 5 iron they looked brand new, I was lucky to find them. I then had them fitted to my swing using KBS Tour steel/stiff shafts, new grips, length, loft and lie standard for me.

I think they're great. I love the feel and sound of the ball as it contacts the face at impact. The best part is they go straight and long for me. When struck pure they are shweet!

I also game the MacGregor NVG driver. Its a good driver, a little long, need it trimmed to 44 or 43.5 inches. I want to get a Wishon 919THI driver and Eidolon wedges.

Also gaming a Cleveland Classic Black Platinum #2 putter, while Cleveland is not a small company, they aren't huge and their putters aren't gamed much, mines perfect for me
Edited by JesseV - 6/15/11 at 11:55am

I agree.  What marketing and tour presence does make is a well know club that may or may not be great in my hands.

 

My signature tell my thoughts.  I only bought the Callaway driver because it was one my first instructor let me use, and I got used to playing it so I bought it.  I have kicked around the idea of building one, but I hit this one too good right now to change.

 

Bobby Jones by Jesse Ortiz 3 hybrid, 4 fairway metal and S and L wedges.  All beautiful clubs!  I've gone through and/or tried several well known names and settled on these because they worked better for me than any of the others.

 

Maltby irons and 4 hybrid custom built.  After getting the irons done and playing a couple rounds with them, I ended up giving my Callaway X-22 irons that I bought in November 2010 to my brother.