Wilson Staff Gooseneck

[immts007]

I found a set (sw-3i) yesterday on craiglist for $35 (including a bag, bagboy and 2 putters), went over to the guy's house after work and bought them. I had two thoughts: I would be nice to have an extra set of clubs for out of town guests, and I thought practicing and occasionally playing with them might improve my ball-striking in general.

I can find almost zero information on these online - they are a bit of a mystery. They are NOT the FG-53. I've found a few on ebay and surprising they seem to go for a pretty high prices, individually and as sets.

Anyway, I can't find any reviews and Wilson seems to deny their existence. Can anyone fill in the blanks? Basically are these good clubs? The grips are in shitty condition and I wonder if its worth regripping the clubs and shafts themselves seem in very good condition.

[sandtrap]

They are probably 15 years old, forged with an offset thus Goose neck. If I recall correctly, the heads are pretty big for a forged iron. Change the grips and give them a rip.
For $35 how could you go wrong. They were $500 15 years ago.

[mikelz]

IMHO, classic Wilson Staffs are the best blades ever produced.
You got a steal.
I do not even entertain offers for my 1964s.
If I still hit it on the button more often than not, they would still be in the bag.

[obsessedgolfer]

Those look like mizuno cut mussle's

[immts007]

Based on what I've heard here, and the fact that a never played set of these is asking $600 on ebay... I'm thinking I picked up a pretty nice set of clubs for next to nothing.

I'm wondering if it would be worthwile for me, a relatively new (2 years) high-handicap (22ish) golfer to get this set bent, reshafted and regripped to fit me.

They (the wilsons) currently have stiff graphite/boron aldila shafts and old, hard as rock golf pride grips. My swing speed is in the 80 to 90 mph range and I think I'd be better off with a regular shaft as I'm not getting very good distance on my current set of clubs with stiff shafts. The guy in the pro-shop at my local course said he would charge me approx. $13 per club for labor (including bending) if I got the grips and shafts and brought them in.

I'm thinking of buying a set of Lamkin crossline grips (about $25 for 10) and a set of True Temper R flex shafts ($33) - (do I need the significantly more expensive dynamic gold tapered??)

So, for a total of about $210 (including the $35 I paid for them) I could have a set of Wilson Goosenecks with new shafts, new grips and bent to fit.

Opinions on whether this is a good investment?

[mikelz]

It's a darned good investment.
However, at a 22 index, I would wait until until I was hitting it on the button at least 60% of the time to do it.
Stick with some cavity backs until then.

[M2daRizzle]

what putters came with the irons?

[immts007]

  M2daRizzle said:

what putters came with the irons?

Shitty ones: a zebra mallet and some bizarre "golfology" thing.

[RMD]

I have/had a set of these years ago with steel shafts. I loaned them to my brother-in-law three years ago. He seems to have forgotten.

[immts007]

I think I'm in love. I had them regripped (Golf Pride cord tour wraps), and bent to fit. They are a joy to hit. At least SW - 6i are... I'll learn to hit the rest - if not, I'll just keep the hybrids in the bag.

They looks so dang pretty in the bag!!!

[Blades4me]

  immts007 said:

I found a set (sw-3i) yesterday on craiglist for $35 (including a bag, bagboy and 2 putters), went over to the guy's house after work and bought them. I had two thoughts: I would be nice to have an extra set of clubs for out of town guests, and I thought practicing and occasionally playing with them might improve my ball-striking in general.

Great old clubs. I reshafted a set of Wilson Staff tour blades, 1-pw and enjoy playing them. Yes they will clean up your swing b/c they only work when you use a smooooth full swing. They will be very furstrating at first so just focus on hitting the ball with a smooth full swing. Also, IMO, they seem to be more controlable and versitle around the green than modern clubs and feel EVEN better than modern blades or mb's when pured.

[glenntwo]

  immts007 said:

I found a set (sw-3i) yesterday on craiglist for $35 (including a bag, bagboy and 2 putters), went over to the guy's house after work and bought them. I had two thoughts: I would be nice to have an extra set of clubs for out of town guests, and I thought practicing and occasionally playing with them might improve my ball-striking in general.

If you are still following this I found an identical set, only its just the 4-9I. I checked with Global Golf, I think it was, and they looked up my serial #s and they were from the 1991 model year. Other than that, I am also having a hell of a time trying to get information about them.

Like yours, my grip were all rotted out so I had them replaced and have actually been using them for a couple of rounds. If you can hit a blade you will loooove these things. I am seriously thinking about building a whole set around what I have. Let me figure out how to upload pic on this site and I'll send along what I have.

[LBlack14]

RAM Zebra Mallet's not a shitty putter. I have an original and Nick Price was #1 in the world using one if I'm not badly mistaken.

[Bogey317]

I also have a set of Wilsons like these that were my dad's and i inherited them after he past away. I am getting back into golf and I am also thinking about regripping mine (I think they still have the original grips, my Dad was cheap...)

[glenntwo]

I sent an email of to Wilson with pics of the clubs and the serial #s off the shafts two days ago. I'm hoping to hear from them early next week. I'm still wondering about these things, since the iron number font on mine is different from normal WS fonts.

[oogiesfaded]

  glenntwo said:

I sent an email of to Wilson with pics of the clubs and the serial #s off the shafts two days ago. I'm hoping to hear from them early next week. I'm still wondering about these things, since the iron number font on mine is different from normal WS fonts.

I have a set of these too and i would like to know what they tell you man. I would like to know the email u sent them too so i can try to get some info on mine too! hey, do any of you guys not use a 2 or 3 iron from this set that you would be willing to sale?

[glenntwo]

  oogiesfaded said:

I have a set of these too and i would like to know what they tell you man. I would like to know the email u sent them too so i can try to get some info on mine too! hey, do any of you guys not use a 2 or 3 iron from this set that you would be willing to sale?

Sorry all I could get was the 4-9 irons, so I'm building a set around them. As soon as I get word from Wilson I'll post so keep an eye on the forum.

[BigRedMachine]

The Goose neck was Wilson's entry into the forgiving forged iron arena back in the early 1990's. It was considered the oddball in that field because it was a "channel back" design in a field of newly introduced forged cavity backs. Its competitors were the Ram Laser, the Macgregor JNP, Hogan Edge, and Mizuno Grad (not a true cavity either). Evidently, Wilson thought the forged cavity back design was a passing fad.....Wrong!

Having said that, I currently own/have owned all of the above sets as well as two sets of Goosenecks . Believe me, those Wilsons are as good or better than any forged iron on the market today. Game them and enjoy!