Am I evil for not liking Hogan irons?

[BIG STU]

[quote name='ScooterMcTavish' timestamp='1433812828' post='11715270']
[quote name='Nollster' timestamp='1433774306' post='11710674']
I'd have to agree with you that something on this chart should appeal to my eye and I think I'd really like the '99 Apex which should also mean I would like the '72 Apex, which I kinda do, but I've seen so few Hogans in person that it's hard to say. I can't imagine hitting what you have in your bag -- they just look brutal and unforgiving -- very scary! I wish all the manufacturers had a chart like this to see the evolution of their products through the years.
[/quote]

If memory serves correct, the chart was put together by Jeff Sheets when he was commissioned to come up with new Hogan clubs while it was owned by Spalding. As someone who appreciated the history of the Hogan brand, he wanted his 99 Apex blades to be a fitting tribute to the Hogan forged irons that came before. So, he laid out the heads and took photos which turned into this rather legendary chart.

I believe more than one member here has suggested that this poster has solely been responsible for the creation of more Hogan collections than any other single thing.

And not, my clubs aren't totally unforgiving. They were just unforgiving today. I seem to have lost the sweet spot and can't find it again.
[/quote]
[quote name='ScooterMcTavish' timestamp='1433812828' post='11715270']
[quote name='Nollster' timestamp='1433774306' post='11710674']
I'd have to agree with you that something on this chart should appeal to my eye and I think I'd really like the '99 Apex which should also mean I would like the '72 Apex, which I kinda do, but I've seen so few Hogans in person that it's hard to say. I can't imagine hitting what you have in your bag -- they just look brutal and unforgiving -- very scary! I wish all the manufacturers had a chart like this to see the evolution of their products through the years.
[/quote]

If memory serves correct, the chart was put together by Jeff Sheets when he was commissioned to come up with new Hogan clubs while it was owned by Spalding. As someone who appreciated the history of the Hogan brand, he wanted his 99 Apex blades to be a fitting tribute to the Hogan forged irons that came before. So, he laid out the heads and took photos which turned into this rather legendary chart.

I believe more than one member here has suggested that this poster has solely been responsible for the creation of more Hogan collections than any other single thing.

And not, my clubs aren't totally unforgiving. They were just unforgiving today. I seem to have lost the sweet spot and can't find it again.
[/quote]I would love to see a Macgregor one done like that. In fact if you could buy the Hogan poster like that I would not be against putting one up in the shop

[BIG STU]

[quote name='Nollster' timestamp='1433773726' post='11710636']
[quote name='astamm8' timestamp='1433281357' post='11677314']
I'm not a Hogan man, myself. The quality is top notch, and I do like the Apex shaft. All these pictures of the backs are misleading, they look great! [b]The problem for me is that almost with out exception I don't like the leading edge and toe shape.[/b] Those are two of the most important aspects for me and probably why I'm much more of a MacGregor man.
[/quote]
Bingo!! I think that's it for me, too. My very first set of Rams were TW282s I picked up on special from Edwin Watts for $200. They looked awesome with their brushed finish, but had a very square toe -- hated it and never even tried to hit them. The pro shop of one of our local clubs had a mint, used set of Golden Ram Tour Grinds in nice, shiny chrome and no funky toe. Traded them straight up for my TW282s and never looked back!!
[/quote]I have a lifelong friend of mine that all he ever played up until a couple of years ago were Ram Tour Grinds. He wore out probably 4 sets of them in the course of 30 years but he either played or hit balls EVERYDAY if it was raining he had a hitting net in his house. In fact the last set he got I got for him. I found a pristine used set for cheap with new grips for $35 and got them for him and sent them to him. He wore those out and got a set of Bridgestone J-40 blades new on a deal because they were "non-conforming" but he does not care about all the USGA BS anyhow. This is the same guy who played the same Cleveland 588 60* wedge for 20 years until he wore the face concave with no grooves what so ever and the sole was so worn out that you could barely make out "Cleveland" on it

[Tin Whistle]

Yes...evil...but, to an extent, forgiven because you are in the classic club forum

Hogan Personal 2-E
Hogan Apex PC 1-E
Hogan Ft Worth 1-E
Hogan 99 3-E
Hogan BeCu Wedges 52 56 60

[bullrambler]

Bit of an update on my post #29 on the 68 Hogans Bounce with Rocket shafts. These shafts remind me of graphite shafts. I was quite surprised to find that I hit them well. I have only played with them twice and have the irons dialed in to the 5 iron. I need to try the 4,3,2 irons on the range to see if I can get the timing of the kick of the shaft down pat. I usually don't pull these out on the course I play most frequently. I let you's know how it works out.

[RobotDoctor]

Ok, played a couple rounds with the '88 Redlines I just picked up. The heads have been re-chromed but really nicely done. Shafts are DG X-100s which isn't a far cry from S-300s (mainly a higher kick point on the shaft). To be honest I like my '99 Apex blades better. Now I have to figure out if I'm going to reshaft these or see if they would be wanted in another home. Hmmmmmmm

[fluffy265]

Most Hogans are something that I willI never pass on if they cross my path at the right price, however there are only a few models that I'm drawn to ( 73 Apex, Cameo's & the 80's Apex PC).
Generally speaking I've absolutely loved the long irons in most Hogan sets I've tried, yet I've never really gotten along with the Apex shaft in the short irons, though I'm yet to try out the elusive Apex 5's.
The 60's & 70's era of hogan equipment seems to suit my eye better at address.
As good as some of the later heads look, I've "issues" with the increased offset and shorter hosels.

Case in point was a recent BH Grind build. After some work I finally got the clubs feeling right in hand, yet I constantly found myself sub consciously adjusting my setup to compensate for the offset.
Now these heads don't really have a lot of offset by todays standards, nor do they in comparison to some of the other sets I played. All I could put it down to was that the comparitavely shorter and possibly fatter hosels "appeared" to exaggerate what little offset there was.... if that makes any sense.

So now there's another box of nice looking heads in storage.....

J

[BIG STU]

[quote name='fluffy265' timestamp='1435479655' post='11848510']
Most Hogans are something that I willI never pass on if they cross my path at the right price, however there are only a few models that I'm drawn to ( 73 Apex, Cameo's & the 80's Apex PC).
Generally speaking I've absolutely loved the long irons in most Hogan sets I've tried, yet I've never really gotten along with the Apex shaft in the short irons, though I'm yet to try out the elusive Apex 5's.
The 60's & 70's era of hogan equipment seems to suit my eye better at address.
As good as some of the later heads look, I've "issues" with the increased offset and shorter hosels.

Case in point was a recent BH Grind build. After some work I finally got the clubs feeling right in hand, yet I constantly found myself sub consciously adjusting my setup to compensate for the offset.
Now these heads don't really have a lot of offset by todays standards, nor do they in comparison to some of the other sets I played. All I could put it down to was that the comparitavely shorter and possibly fatter hosels "appeared" to exaggerate what little offset there was.... if that makes any sense.

So now there's another box of nice looking heads in storage.....

J
[/quote]Your terminology makes perfect sense to me. Every one's eye sees things differently. Now as I have stated before Hogan Irons in general never fit my eye but I love the wedges

[birly-shirly]

Fluffy - I know what you mean. The Redlines I have, the offset isn't huge - and once I've weakened the lofts to a 52* E and 4* gaps from there, it's reduced some more which is all to the good. I really like the E as it's now set up, but not so much in its original specs.

Like you, I very much like the earlier Apex IIs and PCs. This thread prompted me to dig the PCs out again as I've not played them in a while. The overall face profile is very similar to the Redlines, but I did notice that the transition from hosel to the heel portion of the face seemed much cleaner looking in the PCs and the overall effect is of a simpler looking blade which I like. I love how the '88s hit, but if the contest were solely on looks, I think the PCs would shade it for me.

It's unfortunate, but it does seem like the trend from the mid-80s onward was to add offset (and strengthened E lofts), and I'm probably less interested in the Grinds and later irons as a result.

I also agree that the hosels on Hogan irons appear quite meaty. The Macgregor irons I have appear slimmer, especially in the lower portion of the hosel. Purely a matter of personal preference, but I'd previously worked out that this was actually one of the features that made me more of a fan of hogan irons than macs.

[Eidolon]

What are we talking about here? All are good. Some fellows like the look and feel of small girls, some like the larger size, i can play with either as long as they are nekked!!

[fluffy265]

[quote name='birly-shirly' timestamp='1435488976' post='11848644']
Fluffy - I know what you mean. The Redlines I have, the offset isn't huge - and once I've weakened the lofts to a 52* E and 4* gaps from there, it's reduced some more which is all to the good. I really like the E as it's now set up, but not so much in its original specs.

Like you, I very much like the earlier Apex IIs and PCs. This thread prompted me to dig the PCs out again as I've not played them in a while. The overall face profile is very similar to the Redlines, [b]but I did notice that the transition from hosel to the heel portion of the face seemed much cleaner looking[/b] in the PCs and the overall effect is of a simpler looking blade which I like. I love how the '88s hit, but if the contest were solely on looks, I think the PCs would shade it for me.

It's unfortunate, but it does seem like the trend from the mid-80s onward was to add offset (and strengthened E lofts), and I'm probably less interested in the Grinds and later irons as a result.

I also agree that the hosels on Hogan irons appear quite meaty. The Macgregor irons I have appear slimmer, especially in the lower portion of the hosel. Purely a matter of personal preference, but I'd previously worked out that this was actually one of the features that made me more of a fan of hogan irons than macs.
[/quote]

You nailed it there, it's that transition line that screws with eyes!
Also FWIW I couldn't get along with the BH GRIND "E" but the GRIND SW is really something else, that hasn't left my bag since it's first outing.

J