My self built irons

When I was playing and started playing in the mid 90's I got into the game so much that I decided I should try and put together a set of irons.  Had a local guy that was a known club builder give me a few tips and watched a bit as he put together several sets of irons for fella's over the course of a week.

So I ordered a set of MARS 1969 muscle/cavity back heads(at the time these were expensive) and had him tip some TT lites for me.  Not quite stiff but not reg. flex either.  R+ we'll say.  I just recently had Dick's SG the pro there bend them 2 deg flat for me.  Put new grips on them a few weeks back and played a few rounds with them.  Actually a very nice set of irons.  Never really played them cause of the upright or standard lie angle.  These are soft s.s. heads.  Nothing spectacular when playing them save for the 8-sw.  A nice high ball flight and the face of the clubs seem to impart decent spin on the ball.  The mid irons 5-7 you have to be on your game cause the sweet spot ain't that big.  Didn't try the 3 iron and the 4 and 5 when hit on the sweet spot have a ball flight much like my Hogan's.  Nice and boring.  But like I said you need to be on your game with them.  And is typical of this type of iron the sweet spot is about 3/8" from the hosel.  Pretty tight.

Now the other set I made back in the day is a set of Pro Force Ping knock offs.  These have TT lite stiff shafts, these were 2 deg flat from the vendor as I recall.  Nothing special about these irons save for the fact that I literally knock the snot out of them.  These are at least a club longer than my Callaway X16's.  PW is about 120 carry, SW is right around 105 and the other irons you can add 10-15yds.  Now if you all have been reading my lamentations on loosing distance with my sticks these Pro Force are an exception to the rule.  These along with the MARS have been sitting in the back of the garage for literally years.  I am kind of torn with the PF mentioned above.  I mean I have some of the best commercially made sticks at my disposal gathered over the past 2 years and here it is a cheap knock off beats them all.  Matter of fact I bought grips to regrip the PF's but now I'm telling myself not to change a thing with them cause it just might kill the mojo in them.  I wore my rain gloves when I played with these cause the grips were just to slick.  Worked well too.  So there ya go.  A puzzle for sure.  thanks for reading.

My Ping clones are Pro Tour not Pro Force.  Here is a pic of the MARS and Pro Tour.

Longbow,

We're kindred spirits. I played the Pro Tour Blacks, 2* flat, from 1994-2008. They were custom-fit for me by a guy in Denton, Texas (north of Dallas). They had TT Dynalite (high launch) Stiff shafts.

The heads and grooves were very durable, and would shave a bit of the ball off on a very solid hit. They cost about $5 a head more than other clones available, but it was worth it. Only problem was the Dynalites got the ball up too much on short iron shots in the Texas and later Oklahoma wind.

Another Pro Tour player told me that Pro Tour lost a lawsuit to Ping in the late 1990s, and all the remaining PT Black heads were melted down. (I lost the 7-iron in 2008, and have been unable to replace it. Have a chance to get an Eye2 7i from a used club barrel for $10).

These are TT lite stiff shafts.  I am tellin ya these hit very long and you are right about the ball thing.  These really skin it.  You get a nice fuzzy ball after playing it a bit, like 9 holes.  I wished I had put better shafts in them though.  My X16's hit long as do my Titelist DCI over size irons. The DCI's have the tri step shaft which may be just a tad to whippy for me.  But I have the full set of them as I do the Pro's and my 981's.  I should probably just put some of the sets I have up for sale but it is hassle shipping them.  thanks

I think I am going to quit screwing around with changing out irons etc.etc.  These Pro Tours are going to stay in the bag for now.  These are ridiculous for really how good of a club they are.  My 6 iron down to the 4 iron really have a nice ball flight.  Just a nice ark to the ball when sweeted and decent roll.  What I am really impressed with though are the 7-sw.  I mean I don't hit my normal sw more than 80-85yds on a good day.  I can comfortably hit this sw 110 yds and I ain't kiddin.  Kind of cool.  The ball flight is sky high too and the ball bites when it hits.  Just a couple of small bounces and checks up.  Not really back spin per say like it will spin back but it does check up.  So there ya go.  thanks

Aloha Folks-

Presently selling a set of "Pro Tour" Ping clones. Believe red series (?-or at least insert which reads "pro tour" was at one time red or orange).

Any value for these clones ?