Does Anybody Else Ever Play With Their Old Persimmon Woods and Blades?

[Jenks465]

As a little personal experiment I decided that i'd play all of my winter golf this year with my old persimmon woods (Wilson Tour Block driver, Joe Powell three and five woods) and Macgregor Jack Nicklaus Muirfield blades (2 iron to SW, No gap or lob wedge of course!). The result has been suprisingly positive. Driving distance only 15-20 yds shorter (appox. 230 yds) with similar accuracy (65% fairways, 58% GIR) and average scores only 2 shots higher (74.3 compared to 72.5) much of which could be put down to dodgy winter greens (31.3 PPR compared to 29.7 during the summer), so much for modern technology hey, LOL!
Just wanted to know if there are other people who do these types of strange experiments and if they get similar results to me? Cheers, Jenks!

[lumpuckeroo]

That's very good, I have not tried that but would find it very interesting. I will say that I hit, what I believe to be my longest drive ever, with a persimmon driver. It was a driver from Louisville Golf, had the corked head and a graphite shaft, however.

[RocktimusPryme]

As a little personal experiment I decided that i'd play all of my winter golf this year with my old persimmon woods (Wilson Tour Block driver, Joe Powell three and five woods) and Macgregor Jack Nicklaus Muirfield blades (2 iron to SW, No gap or lob wedge of course!). The result has been suprisingly positive. Driving distance only 15-20 yds shorter (appox. 230 yds) with similar accuracy (65% fairways, 58% GIR) and average scores only 2 shots higher (74.3 compared to 72.5) much of which could be put down to dodgy winter greens (31.3 PPR compared to 29.7 during the summer), so much for modern technology hey, LOL!

I dont but my stepdad prefers to play with persimmon woods. He will slice a titanium driver or 3 wood all day but can hit the old ones straight.

[M2daRizzle]

I have a vintage set that I play with every once in a while for fun. My driver/ 3wood is an ofer 3 in 1. Its the size of a driver with about 13* of loft. I have a set of macgregor mt step soles from the 70's. a couple of old wilson wedges and a macgregor response putter. All of this is in a black and gold wilson staff bag from the 70's. Its a lot of fun and my scores with these clubs are usually about the same as with my normal clubs.

[David in FL]

I've got a set of Titleist persimmon woods up in the attic......driver, 3, 4, 5 IIRC. I've been meaning to pull them out and play with them one of these days just for the heck of it. Wish I had still had some balata balls too, though.......I think the combination of the two would really show how far we've come.

[glebert]

I used to play my Hogan Apex and Ram Axial Tour grind blades, but gave them up when I found that steel shafts were aggravating my tendinitis. I have the Rams as my parents house as a vacation set. I have a very nice Hogan persimmon driver but the loft is too low for me to play without giving up 50 yards.

When I was playing the blades I found my scores were the same as playing GI irons.

[wachesawgolfer]

This thread to me understates, what I have thought forever, that the new technology is new but it may not be better, even though we have been brainwashed to think it so, to keep restocking our bags. We should all be under 80 with all the new great technological advances we have.

[elchene]

As a little personal experiment I decided that i'd play all of my winter golf this year with my old persimmon woods (Wilson Tour Block driver, Joe Powell three and five woods) and Macgregor Jack Nicklaus Muirfield blades (2 iron to SW, No gap or lob wedge of course!). The result has been suprisingly positive. Driving distance only 15-20 yds shorter (appox. 230 yds) with similar accuracy (65% fairways, 58% GIR) and average scores only 2 shots higher (74.3 compared to 72.5) much of which could be put down to dodgy winter greens (31.3 PPR compared to 29.7 during the summer), so much for modern technology hey, LOL!

That's a very interesting experiment. Do those blades feel much better than today's blades?

[Jenks465]

The old Muirfields actually feel almost identical to the new Macgregors that I got last year and are fractionally softer feeling than the Mizunos (MP33) I had in the six years before! Maybe thats why I went for the Macgregors, old memories coming back!

[elchene]

The old Muirfields actually feel almost identical to the new Macgregors that I got last year and are fractionally softer feeling than the Mizunos (MP33) I had in the six years before! Maybe thats why I went for the Macgregors, old memories coming back!

Hmmm... If Macgregors are softer than Mizuno MP-33s, then I really need to give them a try.

[denver_nuggs_15]

This thread to me understates, what I have thought forever, that the new technology is new but it may not be better, even though we have been brainwashed to think it so, to keep restocking our bags. We should all be under 80 with all the new great technological advances we have.

The new technology is better. If he lost two shots per round by using older club, is that not proof? With harder and harder courses on tour, has the average score been relatively constant year to year? I read that the average score for golfers has improved by two shots in x number of years. I forget how many years, but that proves how technology has helped.

To the OP, that's a pretty cool idea. For our golf team, our coach will be having us (hopefully I'm part of it...knock on wood) be hitting some of those older drivers for practice. I'm a pretty good ballstriker for my driver already, but it should be pretty interesting. I'm really surprised by the accuracy numbers. What were they during the summer? Did you use an old Balata, too? That would be pretty cool. It's a really cool thing to do though. Was the distance loss with the irons pretty big (because of the delofting of newer irons)?

[Jenks465]

Last summer my stats were 64% Fway, 59% GIR. I did try to find some balatas but couldn't find any that were in playable shape, so had to stick to the trusty Pro V1 (now i'm not going to argue with anyone, the balls are a lot better these days!). Iron distances were almost identical (maybe five yards shorter with 8,9,Pw), I think the muirfields came with 'tour lofts' even in those days, and the clubs I usually play tend to have fairly traditional lofts anyway!

[Sherlockian]

I have been playing my vintage/old clubs alot lately. I have a set of Titleist AC-108 irons(2-SW) and Titleist by Acushnet 1,3,and 5 woods that I are sweet. I still mishit them occasionally, but on solid contact, they are great. For some reason, I enjoy playing these clubs more than my newer ones and I tend to have better ball striking. I think it may be the nostalgia and the difference in lofts compared to modern clubs. I also play my high school Walter Hagen blades, but the grooves are so worn that they are difficult to control. I have a set of the Muirfield irons and woods, but they are still in the box. Maybe I'll get them out this spring for a round or two.

[BigBaffy]

Hi.

I play golf about 8 -12 times a year, on the weekends.

I have some old persimmon drivers I bought off eBay, mostly because they looked so nice and delusions I had of restoring them (although I did restore one successfully).

Short answer: Yes, I play them, and I find them a lot easier to swing and a lot easier to make solid contact with. Also, I don't feel I loose more than a few yards, if any in distance, because they roll so well after landing. I'd say my average drive is around 240 yards, and that's an honest figure.

Although they are heavier than my newer titanium driver, I don't find that a problem. In fact, I think it helps me swing more in tempo. I find with the lighter, newer drivers, I swing way to fast, putting my hands out in front too far at impact, which pushes it to the right. Not so much of a slice as a straight shot to the right.

I have a MacGregor Mike Souchak model driver/3W combo which I like, and a Spalding driver and 4 1/2 fairway that I like too. These are all solid persimmon, not laminated, which does seem to make a difference. They seem more elastic to me, if that's the right word. I also have a driver/3W/4W MacGregor Tourney combo that's laminated and, while these are also fun to use, they do feel different from the persimmon woods.

One last thing: I don't find their smaller size getting in the way of hitting the sweet spot. I'd say I miss more shots with the larger, newer clubs than I do with these old woods, which I attribute to problems with swing speed and tempo.  I think most people who play older woods would agree.

[guywoof]

I still play with my persimmons, new and old. And my Wilson fg51 blades..........also play hickory. The old clubs have great feel. I never liked the big headed drivers. My misses took away any presumed length I got from ti drivers, The driver I use now is from Louisville Golf, the "smart " driver. I seem to get more distance with it than with my best ti hit. Still play pings, too.

[Archie Bunker]

Interesting to read that they gave the pros a chance to reach the green that Arnold Palmer did on his famous "charge" at Cherry Hills in Denver. All were given a similar-era, steel-shafted persimmon driver and a modern ball. None could reach the green, with Rory MacIlroy hitting it the furthest, but coming up 45 yards short. Arnie wins the long-drive contest again. However, MacIlroy was able to hit the green this week, using his current 3-wood. Technology can make some golf courses "obsolete"!

[guywoof]

I've read that Bobby Jones recorded a 360+ drive at a tournament with his hickory shafted driver. I think that making courses "obsolete" with technology serves no useful purpose. Of course modern equipment can hit it longer, but not that much longer. my guess its mostly the ball.

[WUTiger]

Bobby Jones and others in the hickory days played on courses which lacked center-pivot sprinkler systems. (Center-pivot came in post WWII). Playing in the summer, you could get lots of roll on hard fairways - especially if you hit a shot off an elevated tee.

Back in the 1980s, I worked in Guthrie, OK, north of Oklahoma City. Just east of Guthrie was Cedar Valley Golf Community, built on hard red clay. On two of the par 5s, I regularly got drives of 300+ yards (carry and roll). The holes had dogleg left designs, with a banked area on the outside of the dogleg, much as you would find on a curved auto racetrack. Curve a draw off the bank, and you could catch the hillside and roll out another 50 or 60 yards.

So, it depends in part on the turf and weather conditions.