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Posted
I used Powerbilt clubs back in the early 80's.

-Jerry

Driver: Titleist 913 D3 (9.5 degree) – Aldila RIP 60-2.9-Stiff; Callaway Mini-Driver Kura Kage 60g shaft - 12 degree Hybrids: Callway X2 Hot Pro - 16 degree & 23 degree – Pro-Shaft; Callway X2 Hot – 5H & 6H Irons: Titleist 714 AP2 7 thru AW with S300 Dynamic Gold Wedges: Titleist Vokey GW (54 degree), Callaway MackDaddy PM Grind SW (58 degree) Putter: Ping Cadence TR Ketsch Heavy Balls: Titleist Pro V1x & Snell MyTourBall

"Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots but you have to play the ball where it lies."- Bobby Jones

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Posted
I used Powerbilt clubs back in the early 80's.

Powerbilt clubs were made by the Hillerich & Bradsbury company in Louisville, KY. H&B; makes Louisville Slugger bats and baseball gloves. H&B; started making golf clubs in 1916, and eventually created a separate Powerbilt division. During the 1960s up to the 1980s I saw a lot of PowerBilt golf clubs, especially in drivers and woods.

In 8th grade, I weighed about 110 lbs., and bought a used set of Powerbilt women's 1, 3, 4 and 5W from the club  pro for $15. Because of my size, they worked quite well.

Later in HS, I got some Wilson Staff 1, 2, 3, 4W set that I used until my early 20s when I switched to stiff shafts overall.

The PowerBilt woods such as the Citations were good solid clubs, and held their own against MacGregor and Wilson. Fuzzy Zoeller still played Powerbilt clubs into the early 2000s.

GolfWRX website had an interview circa 2007 with the Powerbilt president, but I couldn't tell from text what PB's longterm plans are in golf.

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Driver:  :touredge: EXS 10.5°, weights neutral   ||  FWs:  :callaway: Rogue 4W + 7W
Hybrid:  :callaway: Big Bertha B16 OS 4H at 22°  ||  Irons:  :callaway: Mavrik MAX 5i-PW
Wedges:  :callaway: MD3: 48°, 54°... MD4: 58° ||  Putter:  image.png.0d90925b4c768ce7c125b16f98313e0d.png Inertial NM SL-583F, 34"  
Ball:  :srixon: QStar Tour - Divide  ||  Bag: :sunmountain: Three 5 stand bag

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Posted

Dunlap must have more of a presence in the UK - Lee Westwood's shirts always have the Dunalp logo.   I have never seen a new Dunlap golf club in the USA.    I've played their budget LOCO golf balls - actually better than most budget balls I've played.

John

Fav LT Quote ... "you can talk to a fade, but a hook won't listen"

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Posted

Dunlap must have more of a presence in the UK - Lee Westwood's shirts always have the Dunalp logo.   I have never seen a new Dunlap golf club in the USA.    I've played their budget LOCO golf balls - actually better than most budget balls I've played.

I cracked a new LOCO once during a regular round, warm weather. Put a great swing on it and it just dropped like a rock about 70 yards short of where it should have gone.

I think Dunlops best strategy to get back into higher end golf products would be to start in the shaft business. They still make a lot of high quality tennis rackets so I would figure their graphite R&D; is still cutting edge.

:callaway: Big Bertha Alpha 815 DBD  :bridgestone: TD-03 Putter   
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Posted

Dunlap must have more of a presence in the UK - Lee Westwood's shirts always have the Dunalp logo.   I have never seen a new Dunlap golf club in the USA.    I've played their budget LOCO golf balls - actually better than most budget balls I've played.

They have a HUGE following all over the world for their Motorcycle road racing tires, or tyre's as they say abroad..I use but tons of their tires, but I seriously doubt I'd buy any of their golf stuff..

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Posted

XXIO is the 2nd most popular brand in Japan (so I've read), and is owned by Dunlop.

Lately, I've been exploring the Japanese OEM's and have assembled my own Japanese bag.  Once I receive all the clubs I've ordered, I'll post a WITB photo.


Posted

XXIO is the 2nd most popular brand in Japan (so I've read), and is owned by Dunlop.

Lately, I've been exploring the Japanese OEM's and have assembled my own Japanese bag.  Once I receive all the clubs I've ordered, I'll post a WITB photo.

Not sure the XXIO are lower end, the driver on TGW is $599. :-O

-Jerry

Driver: Titleist 913 D3 (9.5 degree) – Aldila RIP 60-2.9-Stiff; Callaway Mini-Driver Kura Kage 60g shaft - 12 degree Hybrids: Callway X2 Hot Pro - 16 degree & 23 degree – Pro-Shaft; Callway X2 Hot – 5H & 6H Irons: Titleist 714 AP2 7 thru AW with S300 Dynamic Gold Wedges: Titleist Vokey GW (54 degree), Callaway MackDaddy PM Grind SW (58 degree) Putter: Ping Cadence TR Ketsch Heavy Balls: Titleist Pro V1x & Snell MyTourBall

"Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots but you have to play the ball where it lies."- Bobby Jones

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Posted

The problem for most brands is that they are bought and sold by parent companies, which most often, have little understanding of quality golf equipment. That's how you see Dunlop, Spalding, Ram and others rise and fall. Even Titleist, while its ball line has always been strong has seen fluctuations in its equipment. I think the major distinguishing factor when comparing low and high end isn't research and development - Sorry golf equipment has not changed that much (even though it seems like it has) and if there was ever some break through that did make a change, the USGA would be all over it. No, the real difference is in quality and the consistency that comes from it. The top manufacturers build to rather tight tolerances. Whether you are talking a well matched set of irons of a dozen golf balls that all fly the same way, that kind of precision requires money and that is why two clubs looking very similar can be priced so differently. Even when the components in two different clubs come from the same factory (in China) how they are finished and assembled have a huge impact.

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