Going Old School?

[aenemated]

So the "every set of irons" thread inspired a crazy experiment.

I've made it clear how much I loved my OG Lynx Parallax irons back in the day. Shot my best ever round with them when I was around 15 or so and they've always held a special place in my tiny black heart.

After posting in that thread, I hopped over to eBay and poked around and found - to my delight - a full set; 3-PW with S300's for a whopping $65.

I mean, I HAD to buy them, right? For nostalgia. I'm big on nostalgia.

So they arrived today:

 

... and in shockingly good shape for clubs approximately 30 years old. Minimal bag chatter, grooves were clean - even had the original grips that had a good bit of life left.

And I gotta tell ya - man, they look amazing at setup. Tiny top line and a very square setup. I mean, if you want a cavity back that looks like a blade; you'd have a hard time finding one better. Little bit of offset but not a ton.

Of course, I had to head straight to the range with all these ideas of "Man, it'd be really, really cool to game these again!"

But ... as it turns out, these will just remain a nice little nostalgia piece.

I actually hit them quite well. And I can't overstate how great they look at address. But there're problems.

Probably the main one - and coming from Mizuno - they just feel ... well, old. There's a clicky feel not too dissimilar from Titleist (which makes sense) and I just do not like the feel of Titleist irons. They're quite heavy compared to my MP-20s. Though this could be due to the S300s on them and I love my Nippon Modus 105s.

And they're totally traditional lofts. I started with the PW and was like "DAMN, that's high." I looked up the specs and yeah, that's because it's a 50° PW. Through the set, we're looking at a club to a club and a half difference.

I could totally spend a chunk of money and get them dialed in and they'd probably fit - and that'd be SUPER rad - but I already love my Mizzies.

Anyone else revisited the heroes of your youth?

(Maybe this belongs in the old guys forum)

 

[deejaid]

Many times our memory fool us into believing something in our past was perfect yet when we get a chance to experience it again it is not how we remember, like seeing you high school girlfriend at your 25th reunion. ? Those Lynx are a fun pickup for the times when you just want to relive the good ole days so don’t expect too much from them and enjoy them for what they are, a time machine back to your golfing past.

 

I got my first set of new clubs as a teen in the early 90’s and while I wanted some forged Macgregor’s I got some department store Spalding Executives. I am in no hurry to relive those hideous things. But there is one set that if I found I’d have to buy and that was a set on Dynacraft Pro Cavity irons. Just inexpensive component heads with a lovely sole grind and no offset and a nice undercut cavity. I played some of my best golf with those clubs but being lowly component heads I felt I needed something with some cred so I bought a new set of Mizuno MX-23’s. Nice clubs but never came close to playing as well as I did with the Dynacrafts.

 

If I ever find another set of Dynacraft Pro Cavity irons I am definitely buying them, but I won’t expect them to be as good as I remember that way I won’t be let down.

 

Enjoy those Lynx!

 

[aenemated]

Cheers to you sir!

[jvincent]

Since I never throw out irons, I still have my first set which happen to be the same ugly as sin, over hosel, Spaulding Executives that @deejaid has. I don't think you can even buy over hosel shafts anymore.
My first real set were the original TA 845s, which are now my wife's set. Every now and then I'll hit one when she is warming up. Loved them when I got them, but outgrew the offset.

[Davidv]

Simply stated no, rather spend my money on trying to find the magic in today's world of tech than reliving the long gone past.

[cardoustie]

I love that you got them and I would have too

i did the same at PING a while ago with drivers, the best looking driver ever to me is the OG Rapture .. but on TRACKMAN at their head offices performance was sub par to the 400 LST

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

You've got a classic there. Lynx were really popular at the club I played at as a junior, and quite a few guys had parallaxs in their bags.

It's not really that they're shorter, just that their lofts are a club weaker. The heavier shafts compared to your Modus 105s might even explain the extra half club weakness.

When I play older sets with a 50* PW, I just change my wedge set up to either the set sand wedge (usually 55* or 56*) or a 54* and 60* wedge.

The other bonus is, I find the 4i and 5i much easier to hit in old sets because of the extra loft!

If you do keep them and play them occasionally for fun, I wouldn't bother about changing the lofts. Accept them for what they are and play them like that.

Also, I bet you find your score barely changes, if at all.

[NRJyzr]

 

You hit it square, Catchy. The loft of the club is what's important, the number or letter stamped on the sole isn't. Loft is still the primary driver of distance for each player, with the caveat of the high COR designs adding a slight wild card. Just think of your irons in terms of their loft.

Speaking to the original topic, just about everything I own is old school. I regularly play Golden Rams, the newest of which is 28 years old, and even my MP37 purchase last summer was going old school, as I'd previously owned a set when they were a current model. Also went back and played turn of the century drivers off and on last season, and when I played something larger, it was either a Fast 12LS or an R9 SuperDeep. Maybe not as forgiving as the new stuff, but still keeps up (the SuperDeep was the subject of a TollBros test, showed it was at the top of the ball speed spectrum).

Then there are the persimmons that regularly run through my bag.

[14max]

I've got a set of '82 Eye2s that just hit the spot even though the G400s are loads easier to play. The difference is there, sure, but the feel of the Eye2s isn't off-putting, so I'll definitely keep on playing them...

[V-Blade]

I started golfing in the early 90s and always have an interest in designs from that decade because that’s really when manufacturers started doing some unique things. I’ve been wanting to try these Clevelands for years. Totally go against what I like in an iron set but should be fun. Should have kept the 588p RTG set I had back in 2000 too.

[setter02]

Nostalgia bags are great to build as older gear is so cheap to pick up. I have a few from different OEM's covering the last 15ish or so years. Nothing wrong with having them and taken out to the range or even a round with. Enjoy what you have.

[NixLix26]

Yes when I take out my Cleveland TA3 form forged it brings back all the feels. Seriously I could still game them just the same. I just have a problem with accumulating clubs.

[tdeutmeyer]

I sold my Mizuno 919 forged and I am all in this year with a set of Ping ISIs irons that i picked up on Ebay. 3-pw, ZZ65 shafts. I had a set of these in the early 90's. 3 weeks until the course opens...

[MattyO1984]

Awesome stuff picking then up, great idea. A few years back, I managed to pick up a 975D Titleist driver with a True Temper El70 shaft. They were god like when I was a junior trying to get better at golf. I had one but traded it in after about 4 or 5 years for something newer but always regretted it, it was so cool being able to get a replacement with the original headcover as well. Occasionally bring it down to the range for a hit, still feels ridiculously solid.

[Fellaheen51]

Find nothing wrong with chasing nostalgia occasionally. The change of pace from the typical is enjoyable. Balling tech 100% of the time doesn't have to be the raison d'être for playing at golf every round. Enjoy the Lynx!! Enjoy the Trip!!

As an esteemed member of the Classic Section once opined: "I have need for but one practical bag of clubs. However, have no problem justifying any number of totally impractical ones."

The old school bag for when when I feel like it.

 

[REJ]

Why can't we just compare by lofts rather than by club number?  Is it really that important for people to be able to say they can hit a PW a certain distance when one has a loft of 44* and another has a loft of 52?  Adjust accordingly 

[Myherobobhope]

I just replaced my 1996 irons with 2012 Adams cmb s.

The Taylor mades are still pretty sweet.

[aenemated]

Oy, that's a gorgeous bag right there.

[Drivingrangehero]

I love it!

I just picked up a vintage set of clubs (I just wanted the bag, but the clubs came with it) ?

Burke Tommy Armour Royal Scot irons and woods. I just posted it in the vintage section.

i have my old Ping Eye 2 woods 1,3,5,7 at my mothers and a bunch of old maxfli balata balls, if I feel nostalgic, I’ll go play the local course I grew up playing in the early 90’s. If I were to play there now with modern equipment and balls, i would have to limit myself on not hitting any woods, or nothing over a 3 iron. All the par 5’s are 533,538,521,500 yards and the par 4 second was 281, so they shortened it to a par 3 at 216 yards. To many people waiting on the green to clear, and slowing down play!

The 533 is from an elevated back tee that I have seldom seen in use, and the 538 yard par 5 is from the very back (which they never have open) plus it’s down hill. The 521 is a dog leg that you can cut the corner and have as little as a wedge in, and 500 is from the very back of a 40 yard tee box! ?

3 of the par 4’s are drivable now....... not with a persimmon and a balata ....... ok 1 still is, but it’s an accomplishment if you do so with old gamers! ?

[aenemated]

This downtime and the money I haven't spent on greens fees has really made me think "Oh, why not?" Already checked and it wouldn't be THAT much at the Iron Factory.

Send help.

[Zen_Golfer]

Last year I bought a set of Titleist DCI 981s. They were the first real set of irons that I bought back in '03 and they still perform very well to this day. Recently, I decided to put together a vintage Mizuno bag, so I bought an MS-4 driver and 5-wood, Silver Cup irons, RK Mizuno PW and SW and an 0606 putter. You could say that it is a Mizuno set of my youth, as I was about 7 years old when the woods and irons came out, the RK Mizuno wedges are from the '50s and the 0606 putter is from the '60s.

Best part of it all is that the whole set cost me less than $200. I love vintage clubs.

[NRJyzr]

I've recently been having a weird form of 90s nostalgia. I find myself thinking about getting a Cobra Deep Face or Mizuno TZoid T3 driver, and taking them out with my assorted blades. It doesn't seem as seck-see as persimmon/laminate golf, but to me, it's more interesting than the modern Gigantour Drivers.

Really giving this some serious thought.....

[Zen_Golfer]

Im with you. IMO, when 460cc drivers came out, it took some of the feel and finnesse out of the driving game. While Im with you that smaller metalwoods arent as pretty or have the same mystique as persimmons; they certainly take more skill and technique than modern 460cc drivers do.

I find myself keeping an eye out on Ebay for a Mizuno 300S just because of the history of that club.

[sfong33]

I went in the opposite direction. Have played Callaway X-14 irons for the past few seasons. Head shape kind of reminds me of the Lynx clubs that started this thread. Came across a set of Mizuno 919 Hot Metals (demoed them before) with Recoil Shafts and immediately put them in the bag. Unfortunately only played 2 rounds before shelter in place took effect. I usually bag older clubs, current driver is a Ping K15, 5 wood is a G15, 4 Hybrid is an Adams A12, putter is a Scotty Studio Stainless. Not anywhere near vintage but much older than most I imagine.

[kylemd]

Playing Mizuno MP 29’s with the current set having Matrix Program 130’s . This is the third or fourth set of those heads. Still great clubs. Also pulled the shafts out ( original rifles 5.0’s) from my MP 14 sets for a reshaft. Looking forward to hitting them again and thinking the extra loft will help a higher ballflight.

[Jake0331]

I am currently playing a set of Titleist Tour Models, 86-90, with recoil 125’s. They are a lot of fun, yes, the lofts are traditional and I had to learn the situations in which the ball might seriously jump or go nowhere. But, chipping 9 irons from 118 or hooking 6 irons from 172 has reintroduced an element that I have not considered for a long time.

[BIG STU]

I am still gaming an old Adams A-12 hybrid that I found on the scrap pile at work also have an old Adams Boxer Tour Proto that came from the same place.

[LeoLeo99]

I played FG17 irons all through high school and until I was in my 40s. Moved on to gi irons. Was at a local range a few years ago and striping it and noticed a FG17 6 iron in the club bin. Tried it out and hit it great but a good 30 yds shorter than back in the day. Ball went higher than my modern 8 iron. Got greedy and tried out the VAS iron in the bin. No dice. That club is a lot harder to hit than the FG17.

[aenemated]

Man, I still had my old high school team bag - my senior season was '96 - up until a handful of years ago. Was doing some spring cleaning and was like "Man, I don't need this old thing taking up closet space." I was living in a kinda small apartment in Hollywood in those days so space was a premium and I wasn't even using it; just hanging on to it.

I really, really regret that now. I do at least still have my letter and the 4 All-Conference pins and 3 Conference champion pins. We had a pretty dang good team. Our conference rival though ... they had easily the best player of all of us. Still a buddy and still cracks on me like he used to 25 years ago haha.

[aenemated]

My dad had a set of those VAS. I don't know if I ever even hit them but I do remember constantly making fun of him for how ugly they were hahaha.