Foozle

Managed to hit a few on the range in a head to head with my Wilson Fg55's. The Precision's were a delight when hit well but really dig if you get it wrong! Unless my club needs fairways reprofiled I think I will avoid playing them when the ground softens! Could swear I saw some oil at the bottom of one of my divots! Hitting 6 irons, visually the lofts looked the same with the Hogan about 1" shorter in the shaft. I was averaging about 155 yards into a zephyr of a wind with the Fg55 and around 135 yards with the Precision. Guessing the Hogan must be higher lofted so the info gives me around a 2 club adjustment for when I play the Precisions on the course. Look forward to it but hope I don't do any irreparable damage to the course on my way round.

@Jiggered thanks! I wonder if, without Mr Hogan standing over their shoulder, the paintfill by Slazenger was more random? @bcstones info looks robust but I am sure this set was originally red over blue as there were speckles of red in the top line which I followed. As said in my post, I have seen examples of each colour way so think the mood of the painter on any given day, or simply different painters, may have been a factor at the Slazenger plant! 🤪

No great story I am afraid, they popped up on line looking rather sorry for themselves, poorly pictured and lacking any real description beyond "old golf clubs". I could see what they were and that the "bones" were good in terms of ferrules, shaft bands etc and knowing that, as stainless irons, they would respond well to cleaning so I pulled the trigger. It is vulgar to discuss money and likely to cause upset if I told you what I paid. I am pleased to say they are better than expected, I honestly don't think they have seen much play. Rust speckles on the shafts cleaned off and the heads only needed light work to remove crud and restore some shine. Grips are tacky too and quite playable. I think this is my third set of Slazenger Hogan Precisions and overall probably the best. It is a while since i last played Precisions so hope to get these out over the weekend.

Yes, mine too. I have always said that Hogan came close to perfection with the Precision and achieved it with the Starburst / Sabre model. The loss of the high pointed toe, for me, made the aesthetics unmatched.

Many thanks. So red line closest to the sole of the club? The opposite of the way I have it!🤣 It was very hard to tell on these. I could see no evidence of blue but convinced myself I was seeing specks of red on the upper line so that is what I went for. I remember being picked up for having the colours the wrong way round on my Starbursts when I did blue over red! Sounds like I maybe got that one right after all? Easy change to make if I feel so inclined. Thanks again for the helpful info.

I don't usually believe in fate but shortly after posting this comment these fell into my lap! These are the UK Slazenger version and are pictured after a light clean up. Ferrules all present and correct as are most shaft bands. In re doing the paintfill, i tried to follow the residual colour scheme for the parallel flash lines. I have seen both blue over red and red over blue. Does anyone know which is correct or could it be it varied year to year? Grips are replacements but that just makes them a great use able set of classic irons. Looking forward to re experiencing that axe like turf interaction!

Just draw a pencil line, you will get the idea!😂

I like the Penna's, very clean and simple. What model is that based on? Keen to see more pics of the Congdon M85 SEOM? Everyone loves an M85!

For your delight, a Clarence Doser M85 and set of Chick Rutan 905's.

The T simply refers to the grip in this case being rubber or cord. 693 had leather grips.

I can't be of a lot of assistance. Several names used a crown cleek mark in various forms including Forgan and Gradidge but not in the style of yours so a bit lost on who the maker was. It is a niblick so the most lofted club in what would have been a matched set 1-9 with the putter as No9. Date wise, I would say 1930's, early steel, pyratone coated shaft. Matched sets with numbers replacing traditional names like niblick started to come in the early thirties, in the transition, often combined with the traditional name so, only having the 8, I would err towards later '30's. The Duo Flange puts it in the style of Sarazens R90 so again I would guess following that 1933 design. Punch dot face, again typical of the 1930's. Finally, the number on the grip cap is a nice touch. It appears to have a reminder grip with the butt shaped to help you place your hands in the correct position. All in all, an interesting club which will clean up well and be surprisingly playable today. Sadly, nominal value.

Great to see some Ram love coming out in this thread and not just from the usual suspects of @NRJyzr and myself! Great shout on the Mizuno's too. I understand the MS201's are very similar, if not identical, to the MS11 which are my favourite of the Mizuno offerings and also mentioned by @NRJyzr?

Welcome to the club! You will probably find your question has been covered here before and what you are likely to get is quite a confusing plethora of different responses. I my experience there as many "favourite irons" as there are people playing golf! My collection has got out of hand, as yours will too if the bug has really bitten! Every set was bought for a reason and virtually every set has a claim to favourite status either in playability, looks, historical significance or personal nostalgia. To try and keep my answer short, my overall favourite irons are the original 1980 - 82 Ram Tour Grinds. For me they come pretty close to top in playability, looks and personal nostalgia. I played my best golf with those and eventually wore them out! Historical significance would go to Ben Hogan Precision; very near perfection straight off the bat and the origin of many of the later "great" irons.

I am with you on that. If players want to improve they should use blades. "Getting away" with poor shots through game improvement tech is the road to no where. In terms of communication, one reason I stayed with blades and persimmon when I returned to golf around 2013 after a 17 family enforced break, was that communication. To elaborate, I suffered vision problems, ultimately having both retinas detach and be super glued back on! During that period I could not see a golf ball more than perhaps 20 - 30m away. For once in my life I could genuinely say I was hitting the ball out of sight!🤣 Trying to play with "modern" clubs I had not a clue where the ball had gone. With my original blades and persimmons I knew exactly where it had gone by feel alone and could pretty much walk up to my ball everytime. Thankfully my vision is now fully restored but I have no intention of playing anything other than blades and persimmon; I enjoy the honesty of them even when the truth hurts!

I am in the camp of believing that a putter is a flat stick and it's performance, given the limitations of the person holding it, are down to how it sits and feels. Age is not a determining factor. I have been practicing with this Benny putter and it putts beautifully! People, in particular technology geeks, may laugh but it is going in the bag!

I couldn't agree more! Well said! I think the Starburst/Sabre/Personal model is possibly the most beautiful iron ever made. It is a slight refinement on the Precision notably softening the rather sharp snd high toe of the Precision but wow, did Hogan get it near perfect right off the bat! This model achieved that perfection. The 965 is, as I see it, a refinement of the TA Silver Scot Tourney 3852 which predates even the Precision by at least a decade. Despite being 85 years old, these look modern. Both are landmark sets in the history of golf and as @ezgoersays, set the template for the modern blade. I shun the term "players iron" as they should be enjoyed and appreciated by all. I am no "player" and I love these clubs.

My Benny collection has grown further, this is the latest addition; I think I need help! Not the number of Benny putters - that is quite normal surely? No, because this one putts beautifully! I have hung onto the sides of the Hickory Rabbit Hole for sometime now, determined not to slip and fall in. I fear the rabbit hole is now a sink hole with a gravitational pull well beyond my resistance! I have tried all the Benny putters but never really fallen in love but this one is sweet! Sits just right, long blade makes it easy to line up and feels incredibly soft! On the long putts you can feel the "kick" of the shaft, just wonderful! The shaft had a crack just above the hosel. The previous owner "repaired" it with Gorilla glue! I dressed that down as best I could and added the whipping to reinforce the crack. We have a 12 hole practice green, holes probably average 30' a part. Quite heavily contoured, not the Himalayas but closer to that than a billiard table. I play a par 48 round of 12 holes clockwise then 12 anti clockwise. I have just gone round in -2. I NEVER get round under par! Fascinating to see how hickory shafts work, this one quite different from the others. I can now understand an eternal search to build a hickory set that works for you! I now think any resistance on my part to begin that search is futile!

Also keen to see @Pinkypanther Peter Rogers but meantime, here are my two. Also Rogers 2 iron at the top of this picture.

Good spot! I think it was the 4 groove as it has a slight grain mark òn the crown that can be seen in the video with Rory.

It is whipped in final form. Simply stunning!

Fabulous work and a beautiful club. I am curious about the soaking in linseed oil. Do you mean it sat in a linseed oil bath for 2 weeks and, if so, is there any movement/swelling in the head as a result which then reduces through curing? What is the finishing coat and how is that applied? I am assuming no lead in the head as the only place would be under the front slip or behind the insert? In which case it must be a particularly solid block to need counter weighting? Very special club which I am sure Rory will treasure. Credit to all involved, well done!