The Vintage Movement

[Tim S]

We've all heard about the so-called hickory golf teams who wield hickory sticks and who-knows-what-kind of balls for an afternoon of knickers and frustration.

But what I'm hearing (on forums, on Sirius/XM shows, on TV) is that people (aka 20-somethings and 60-somethings) are crazy to play 1960s-1970s clubs in their mini tourneys. I would make an exception for Ping Eye 2s (actually the Ping Eyes are great) and a few key forged clubs, but it does sound like a party. Maybe something the PGA tour should embrace for a PGA/LPGA competition retro event.

I recently took my set of Mizuno T-Zoid MX-20 forged irons to the range and did great. Really a whole new experience. Then I took my Titleist Accu-Flo irons (weird looking) and did even better. Amazing how old tech can work. So there is potential -- if everyone is playing these clubs -- for a lot of fun in a tourney.

Any of you have experience with this fad?

Edited August 19, 2016 by Tim Schoch

[Psyber]

Hipsters have invaded golf now?! I'd try it though.

[David in FL]

No thanks.  I played them once.  Modern technology allows me to hit it further today than I did 40 years ago.  I'll stick with that!

[imsys0042]

I've played Louisville golf woods, modern persimmons and when I was younger persimmon woods when metal woods were common.  It's a lot of fun.  And it's nice to see people still playing with older equipment.  I can still remember some of my persimmon 4w shots 25 years later.  And I'm only 42.  Fun stuff!

[Patch]

I have some Ping Eye 2 wooden woods I drag out of moth ball every so often. Driver, 2, 3, 4, and 5 woods. They are fun to knock balls around with. They still do the job for the most part. Folks give me some strange looks when I have them out. 

They are in a bag with a full set Bazooka Iron Woods, and a 2 Ball putter. Yeah I know. Way too many clubs in that bag, but the bag does have 17 club sleeves in it, so what the heck. 

[mchepp]

I played with persimmon clubs on occasion a few years ago. A group of us would play 18 and bet a little. It was fun.

The problem was the current balls with the urethane covers are too hard for the persimmon drivers. Urethane is a cover put on bowling balls and golf balls to make them more durable. Balata balls were much softer and didn't do as much damage to the drivers.

I blew up a couple of drivers with the insert falling out or portions of the head falling off. 

To do this long term you need to find some balata balls.

[Piz]

If technology has improved my game; it has done so with a degree of subtlety an approaching epoch would admire.  When balls named Acushnet wore smiles; the greatest shots were no less mesmerizing.  And the clubs didn't look ancient when they were brand new.  If there is any one thing consistent about golf; it is the enduring appreciation for the occasional wonder.  That sentiment traces back to the first "gud'un."

[stealthhwk]

I cant go quite that far back, but to me I thought the pinnacle for golf equipment was the very early 2000s. Mainly 2000-08 I think. Big Bertha, Nike sq, Nike slingshot, odyssey white hot putters, some great stuff from Ping and Taylormades best gear I seem to think came from this time period as well. The newer stuff just seems to be new. The wow factor has really disappeared for me    But thats probably a good thing for me as it cuts down on the ho'in, if ya know what I mean. ;)

[Piz]

I think I know.  Golf clubs can be divided PKS/AKS.  That is: pre-Karsten Solheim and after Karsten Solheim.  All the moment of inertia stuff began with that first putter of his...as did the idea of the insanely expensive golf club.  The Newtonian logic supporting his designs is just as valid as it ever was, and will remain so, until such time as club head speeds approach that of the speed of light.  If you think quantum mechanics is tough to get your head around...try carding a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6...all at the same time.

[pganapathy]

Still got a set of Dunlop irons that my dad bought in 1986 which I occasionally use.  It is a back up set for me at my parents place in Coorg because I prefer not carrying clubs back and forth if practical.  I have the wooden woods that my dad bought with that set.  Can't remember the brand though it might be Dunlop.  The driver is in cold storage now because my father has my old Cleveland Hi-Bore and I have an R5 driver.  The 3 wood was stolen but my father still uses the 5 wood from that set.  He is happy with it and the distance is not too bad for him.  I assume if he were to get new woods, the bulk of the improvement would probably come from the shaft for him.

I do use the 1986 irons but woods are more modern purely because of the shafts for me.

The pride of my collection, that I don't use though, is a hickory shafted putter that is at least 60 years old.  It might be close to 80 or so.  Will get a photo of it and upload it one day for you guys.  My mother won it in a golf competition at least 40 years ago and even then it was not a new club

[DaveP043]

12 hours ago, mchepp said:

The problem was the current balls with the urethane covers are too hard for the persimmon drivers. Urethane is a cover put on bowling balls and golf balls to make them more durable. Balata balls were much softer and didn't do as much damage to the drivers.

I blew up a couple of drivers with the insert falling out or portions of the head falling off. 

To do this long term you need to find some balata balls.

I've thought about the golf ball change in relation to wood drivers before.  I wonder if the newer trendy "soft" balls might react a little like the old balata, with less chance of damaging the clubhead.  I have my old Cleveland persimmon RC 85 driver and DG43 3-wood in the garage, might be interesting to play with them again.  I think I've "loaned" most of my old iron sets to new golfers.  I said loan, but really I never expect to get them back.  I hope they continue to get loaned to new golfers down the line, helping someone get to know the game.

[Aflighter]

Ive used some old clubs and themwoods really hit good but the problem is the shafts in them cant keep up with head so you cant really swing too fast.Maybe a persimmon head in graphite shaft would be interesting. 

[mchepp]

11 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I've thought about the golf ball change in relation to wood drivers before.  I wonder if the newer trendy "soft" balls might react a little like the old balata, with less chance of damaging the clubhead.  I have my old Cleveland persimmon RC 85 driver and DG43 3-wood in the garage, might be interesting to play with them again.  I think I've "loaned" most of my old iron sets to new golfers.  I said loan, but really I never expect to get them back.  I hope they continue to get loaned to new golfers down the line, helping someone get to know the game.

In our group we all had the impression that the lower compression balls like the Wilson Duo where better for the clubheads than some of the other balls. We would all play with that ball.

It did seem to help. But even I used that ball eventually I'd still have a problem. It would take longer, but it would still happen.  

[DaveP043]

1 minute ago, mchepp said:

In our group we all had the impression that the lower compression balls like the Wilson Duo where better for the clubheads than some of the other balls. We would all play with that ball.

It did seem to help. But even I used that ball eventually I'd still have a problem. It would take longer, but it would still happen.  

In that case, those collector's clubs are staying in my home.  

[stealthduffer]

My first "real" irons were McGregor Tourney Dx2's that were hand me downs from my father. I got them around 1973 or so and he must have gotten them in early to mid 60's. They sat in the basement for a lot of years and sometime in the mid-80's I had the heads redone for my dad. By then they were too heavy for him to use so they sat around again until 2015 when I reshafted them. Have since used them on occasion and they feel great when you get one in the sweet spot. Problem is that the sweet spot is pretty small. Found a set of McGregor woods at Goodwill for $2 each that I paired with them. They are newer vintage with aluminum inserts which seems to hold up better with the modern balls. Don't use them a lot though since I'm worried about shaft integrity. 

[CarlSpackler]

Dang. I just donated a set of McGregor blades that my grandpa gave me before we moved. probably could have sold them for $1000 to a bearded hipster.

[DaveP043]

On 8/19/2016 at 0:47 PM, Aflighter said:

\Maybe a persimmon head in graphite shaft would be interesting. 

Way back when I was doing a little club assembly on my own, I put one together like that,  Golf Works was selling finished Powerbilt Citation heads, and I used an Aldila shaft, may have even hand-wrapped a leather grip.  It worked pretty well for a while.  I think I traded it for a couple of tickets and a party bus ride to a Jimmy Buffett show.

[Aguirre]

I'm as interested in this as I am in leeching.