Where to start?

[TheMackDaddy]

Hello, I'm interested in playing and collecting older golf clubs, and I've got a few questions:

 

1. Where do you go to learn about the history of golf clubs, name brands to look out for, etc. ? Are there books out there that would be good for a beginner? I'm 22 and have never played a club pre-2000.

2. How old of clubs can you realistically still play? I have no problem moving up a tee box or two so long as I can still navigate the course.

 

Any help is appreciated, thank you.

[scomac2002]

Kaplan put out a series of catalogues for the various major manufacturers during the blades and persimmon era (1940-1990); MacGregor, Spalding, Wilson, Hogan, RAM, etc.

 

There are plenty of hickories still in play and some of those can be over 100 years old. It's a bit tricky to get good players though as many have too light a swing weight, perhaps due to the shaft drying out. As a minimum hickories need to be reset before play or reshafted if there are cracks. It's a lot less hassel working with steel shafted clubs plus you get the benefit of them being cheap and plentiful, although that maybe waning to some extent.

 

In my own situation, I just kinda hung around here and read all I could. You soon get a feel for what might work for you and what may not. I happened to have an old set to start with and the desire to refurb them brought me here to check out this corner of the interwebs. Since that time, I've acquired a few sets and enjoyed playing them, some of which I have moved on from while others sit at the ready. It's always good fun sleuthing for old clubs at yard sales and thrift stores. Once in a while you will actually run across something special. The hunt is half the fun I think.

[tstephen]

The best MacGregor persimmon drivers from the early 50's go nearly as long as today's best drivers when properly struck. Even those with their original shafts. Less carry just because of 45-46" graphite vs 43.5" steel but I get more roll with persimmon and there isn't a 3 wood on the market today that I can carry as long. Start with "wish list persimmon Golfwrx" google. Mid 60's to early 80's very few good persimmons but I'm very partial to Orlimar. Cleveland, Wood Bros, Powell, Louisville persimmon from mid 80's to early 90's would be good choices.

 

Irons are a different animal altogether. The irons from the 50's to 60's maybe MacGregor, Wilson, Spaulding much different from 70's to 80's Ping, Wilson, Ram, Hogan, and again 90's to early 2000's Mizuno, Hogan, Cleveland. Good luck and you'll find that you've made the best discovery for maximum enjoyment of the game.

 

 

[James the Hogan Fan]

You can realistically play clubs of almost any vintage. There are guys playing original and reproduction hickory, pyratone, and classic irons from the 40’s through today. Expect from weaker lofts and shorter shafts, but you might not even need to move up a box, depending on how you get on.

 

Just pick a manufacturer and peruse ebay. Find something you like for cheap. These clubs don’t need to be fit really, my philosophy is a swing exists to hit the club well, and you can find that swing for the vintage clubs. Let the help and fitting be for the modern stuff you pay 10x for anyway. You can also go the thrift shop route, or one of our members just opened up a site for this kinda thing and is selling new old stock stuff. There’s plenty out there. I’ll write some more when Im done with work.

[NRJyzr]

In spite of being in my mid 50s, my golf experience is closer to MackDaddy than to my fellow 50+ golfers. I didn't start playing golf until the end of the 1990s, and therefore missed out on the prime years of persimmons or laminates. My first set of clubs had steel drivers/fairways.

 

My start with the classic golf came in finding a Louisville Golf Smart Driver in the miscellaneous driver rack at a local 2nd Swing shop. I was intrigued, not realizing at the time that a company still made persimmon woods, and not having hit a driver or fairway made from wood. After a bit of research, and hitting it a couple times at the store, decided to buy it.

 

On the course, I found I really liked hitting real woods, enough that I picked up several fairway woods and drivers from one of Uncle Bob's predecessors in hoard acquisition. And off I went.

 

I'd already been playing Golden Ram blades, as well as 8802-ish putters, so the woods end of the bag was my only real change.

 

IMHO, that's the key, finding a driver or two, seeing how you like it/them, and working from there. There are plenty of reasonably priced options around, even on fleabay.

[smashdn]

Ebay or facebook marketplace has been handy for me. My personal attempt is to pay no more than about $30 per club including shipping. I like to have my stuff matching. I guess I am OCD about my old stuff. I have an all Hogan bag, an H&B Bag and clubs minus a putter for a Mac bag.

 

I have found the Mac's, even the reproduction stuff, to be pretty hot actually. Like was already said, the biggest difference is not distance but height. You just aren't able to get height and distance with persimmons like you can modern stuff. You can get excellent roll however.

 

I have found the purchasing process to be hit and miss. You might get a great club on the first buy but more often you may need to cycle through clubs a bit to find one that really fits you. Really puts the modern ease of changing shafs, lofts and lie angles into perspective.

[Zen_Golfer]

You can still play clubs of just about any era. I recently picked up a set of Spalding irons with pyratone shafts that are from the '30s and they play just fine. They are a little shorter than modern irons due to the weaker lofts and shorter shafts but theyre also more accurate and have more feel.

Ive also got a set of persimmon woods from the '50s with steel shafts and they work just fine. They are a bit shorter than a modern driver but thats really more to do with the shorter shaft and weaker lofts than it is anything else.

Ive lately been looking into getting into hickory golf and if people can make clubs with wood shafts work that are 100 years old, you'll be fine.

[Terreb]

Mackdaddy,

I think you found the right spot. You can find bits and pieces around the internet on persimmon, but this forum has the most info to offer in one place. I would start by reading as many threads as you can and you will get a feel as to what clubs are collectors and which clubs are good players. Don't be afraid to ask questions, someone usually has the answer. As mentioned there are some good books by Jim Kaplan that covers each of the manufacturers lineup through the years. Ebay is a good source also, do a search on persimmon and start by window shopping. You will get an idea on what's available along with pricing. For me the look of the club is just as important as anything, so shopping on Ebay may help with finding what appeals to the eye. I have to love the look before I will buy. This may help you to narrow down your favorite manufacturers.

 

As previously stated you can play any era, but for getting started I wouldn't go back any further than 1950. I think you will find the best clubs where made from that period on, and you can certainly be competitive playing those clubs. You can always go to earlier clubs such as hickory later. Sounds to me like you want to buy some clubs that you can play and be somewhat competitive.

 

A quick overview of my story is I played persimmon very late 70's and through the 80's. I took a hiatus from golf after getting married and raising a family. I got back in about 5 years ago and purchased modern clubs. That lasted about 2 years and I found myself in the same situation you are in, looking for persimmon era clubs. So in 2017 I found this site and I am now playing persimmon woods again. I was drawn to the Macgregor line, mainly due to the availability, the history, and the look of the clubs. My first purchase was a set of Macgregor Tourney 653's, Tommy Armour model, which is early 50's. My favorite driver right now though is a Macgregor 653T Eye-O-Matic which is an 80's remake of the earlier 653's. I buy different sets (driver and 3 wood) and give them a try. My current set I am playing is a Macgregor T85 Eye-O-Matic Velocitized. If I like them I keep them, if I don't then I resell them. I'm now expanding out and have been looking at and buying Cleveland Classics. My latest purchase is a Cleveland Classic T15 model driver. There are certainly many more manufacturers who made great clubs, because I started with Macgregor doesn't mean you need to. As I learn more I will certainly go more outside of Macgregor and try different manufacturers. I would narrow it down to a few clubs and then do more research and you will probably dig up more info.

 

Irons, well that's another story as was stated. I still play the modern irons, but I am buying and trying individual clubs in hopes of putting a set of irons together to play. I am mainly trying the Ben Hogen line of Apex models right now, but am open to many other manufacturers as well.

 

Good luck and let us know what you find..........

[ChronicSlicer]

> @TheMackDaddy said:

 

> 1. Where do you go to learn about the history of golf clubs, name brands to look out for, etc. ?

 

You found it. These guys know their vintage stuff. Welcome aboard.

[BburtTexas]

I just bought a set of MacGregor T85 Velocitized Eye-O-Matics.  1,3,5.  They get here Thursday.  The story is her dad was a club pro and these were a gift from a client, never opened.  They have serial numbers and it all looks great. 

 

I paid $200 for the set. My theory was I can afford a $200 gamble on the Truth if these have never been played.  If its BS then lesson learned.

 

I intend to play them but feel a little iffy about it if they are truly a classic.  How do I verify the clubs once I get them.  In a few days.

 

Also, I bought Wilson Staff Irons, Dynapower.  Also intend to play them.  My clubs were recently stolen and I bought some "off the rack" wilson clubs:  Woods T4300 or something and Wilson Advantage Irons.  I played to my handicap both times.

[Brewski_golfs]

On 5/9/2022 at 11:58 AM, BburtTexas said:

I just bought a set of MacGregor T85 Velocitized Eye-O-Matics.  1,3,5.  They get here Thursday.  The story is her dad was a club pro and these were a gift from a client, never opened.  They have serial numbers and it all looks great. 

 

I paid $200 for the set. My theory was I can afford a $200 gamble on the Truth if these have never been played.  If its BS then lesson learned.

 

I intend to play them but feel a little iffy about it if they are truly a classic.  How do I verify the clubs once I get them.  In a few days.

 

Also, I bought Wilson Staff Irons, Dynapower.  Also intend to play them.  My clubs were recently stolen and I bought some "off the rack" wilson clubs:  Woods T4300 or something and Wilson Advantage Irons.  I played to my handicap both times.

 

Pics will help, plenty of Macgregor experts here that can give you feedback.   I believe the T85's are circa early 1980's, my opinion is play them regardless.

[Wham49]

to get in cheap , start roaming the Goodwills in the area, till you find complete sets of irons, depending on year it could be 2-9, That is how ai started, I started getting old clubs from Spalding, WIlson, Macgregor and testing a couple by putting on usable grips and playing to see which ones I can hit, you would be surprised at how playable may clubs are from the 40-50's even

[OsnolaKinnard]

Here is where I started.

 

I bought some mid 80s vintage MacGregor woods, an M85, 693t, and 945, I had a few others but then J snagged a George Bayer Driver and a mid 80s Jack Nicklaus M09T.

 

For irons I snagged a set of Ram FX Pro forged blades as well as a set of MacGregor MT flat sole forged blades.

 

I have a couple of Ginty fairways and a couple of Hogan and Macgregor fairways.

 

original 50s/60s woods are awesome, but pricey and some of the restoration jobs are sketchy to say the least.

 

for every day player clubs you can find bargains…the real collectibles require some real hunting but the hunt is most of the fun.