Best classic irons

[DonaldDunes]

I am new to vintage club collecting and have caught the bug. I thought it would be fun to hear what your favorite itons were. Specifically, your top 5 (or 10, I don't care how long the list is really) favorite iron models that have stood the test of time or were the top performers for their day. 

 

Also whatever are your favorite for any reason from looks to sentimental value. Looking forward to lots of clubs to research and learn about!

Edited July 25 by DonaldDunes

[Chiefmick]

I have approximately 18 full bag set ups and a barrel of assorted putters, irons, and woods...

so, yes, that particular bug bites HARD!

haha

My top 4 that I refuse to get rid of (at the moment) are:

1985 Palmer 'The Standard 85'

1969 MacGregor MT Tourney TR3A

1966 Wilson Staff Dynapower Fluid Feel

1977 Walter Hagen Ultra

 

I'm still not 100% loving these Hagen Ultras. They are absolutely beautiful but a few bad rounds have made me question their commitment to the team. They are currently in 'time out' in the dark corner of my shop for their recent behavior.

The other 3 are absolutely FANTABULOUS!

[Foozle]

1 hour ago, DonaldDunes said:

I am new to vintage club collecting and have caught the bug. I thought it would be fun to hear what your favorite itons were.

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.

 

[bcstones]

Agree - Welcome to the Vintage club....watch out for the slippery slide into this rabbit hole 🤣

 

I have a collection of Hogan sets, mostly pre '93 mostly...a "Holy Grail" set for me is the '58 Saber (I don't have the earlier Precisions, but would love to find an affordable set of Slazenger Hogan Precision).

My other "Holy Grail" is a '58 Hillerick & Bradbsy Grand Slam Mars 70 (RH) basic set (retail). They were the first clubs I played with.

 

Other sets in the line up: '91 Hogan Magnum Plus, '74 Hogan Saber, Browning 440s (have a set of Gold 440s that need to find a good home), '74ish Haig Ultra 66, '88 Hogan Edge Forged, early Ping Eye2...
In the waiting section -both  the '99 jeff Sheets designed Hogan Apex & Apex Plus, '88 Tommy Armout 845s, H&B PowerBilt Scotch Blade (I forget the year), '91 H&B PowerBilt TPS standard in melonite finish, MacGregor MT,  VFQ, Byron Nelson, Louise Suggs & even Golfsmith Harvey Penick Professional model....

Also have several club head sets that are awaiting reshafting - Wilson Goose necks, Hogan Magnum Plus', & 2 sets of Golfsmith Copper Classic (BeCu) sets...will reshaft a set of Golfsmith Texas Classic heads with Hogan Magnum Plus shafts in the next few days.

I helped an Elder Pro, Odel Trueblood, in his ship & ended up with sets that interested me (mostly Hogan, H&B, & early Spalding) & barrels (mostly PW & Putters)...all of which need to culled - find new homes.

 

Yeah, I'm deep in the rabbit hole 🤣🤣🤣

 

Edited July 25 by bcstones

[Maine Golfer]

I love a lot of clubs but '69 Wilson Staff's are an all time favorite. Easy to hit in relative terms and they look amazing. 

[NRJyzr]

For me, every model of Ram Tour Grinds, from the mid-late 70s through the TG-898 set in the late 90s, rank at the top.

 

I also really like the MS-11/MP-11 set, as well as the MP-14, which were the clubs that convinced me I could hit blades.

 

After those, FG17s (and 78Staffs) hold a spot in my heart.  All three editions of Palmer Standards also rank.

 

I'll stop there.  For now.

 

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Welcome to the rabbit hole.

 

There are so many clubs I haven't hit that makes my list fairly meaningless, but I'm a big fan of Eighties-Nineties Mizunos, so I'll list my top three of those, then three other irons that I really like. 

 

Mizuno:

1) TP Originals (MS-4 in the US market)

2) "Directed by T Ohara" (limited to 100 sets)

3) MS-201 (the Kishigawa Ryoken model)

 

Others:

1) Mac Muirfield 20ths

2) Wilson FG-J8s (FG17s)

3) RAM Tour grinds

The Mizuno Top Three I've listed in order, but of the others, I can't really say which is best. A lot depends on how I feel on the day. Right now, I've just put the RAMs in my vintage bag after a couple of days with the MS201s. 

 

[Foozle]

3 hours ago, No_Catchy_Nickname said:

Right now, I've just put the RAMs in my vintage bag after a couple of days with the MS201s. 

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?

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

1 hour ago, Foozle said:

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?

 

There are a few differences between the 201s and the MS11s, the most obvious being the lack of a shaved topline on the MS201s. The muscle at the back is slightly different, with the MS201 muscle rising slightly towards the toe, but that's mostly cosmetic. 

 

The PW is, I think, a little less clunky in the MS201s than the MS11s, and I don't think the MS201s have the large amount of bounce that the MS-11s were famous for, but I don't have the means to check that.

 

To be honest, I've never actually thought of them as having the same pedigree, probably because of the absence of the shaved topline, which is instantly noticeable. 

[bcstones]

5 hours ago, No_Catchy_Nickname said:

2) Wilson FG-J8s (FG17s)

I've always wondered - why change the number? 

[Wilsonian]

No surprise from me, but the Wilson K-28 irons, specifically blades with the glide thru sole. 

 

I grew up playing Ram clubs, but got away from them as I got older. My return to vintage was with the Wilsons, and my first set of hickories were the Wilson Plus Success irons. 

 

You'll try a lot of sets, but I think it's a matter of what feels best in your hands, specifically your 7 iron which is the best indicator imo. 

 

I favor the cheaper clubs so as to have more $$ for playing them.

[NRJyzr]

1 hour ago, bcstones said:

I've always wondered - why change the number? 

 

Special edition.  Generally, they may need to be identified as different than standard.

 

Sometimes, it's just a different market.  Mizuno MS9, MP9, and TP11, considered to be the same club, just labeled for their respective markets.

 

[ezgoer]

Water’s warm, come on in. Great advice given here. There’s so many great choices, open your mind to options you may not think of. Unsure of your age but for instance believe it or not Spalding used to be a massive player. There’s 50’s to mid 80’s Top Flite blades that are as good as anything out there. 
 

Pretty much any Mizuno forged club was great although they are never as cheap as the rest.

 

Very few Wilson Staff iterations through the years were considered bad. Some prettier than others but…Extremely safe choice and can usually be had for $50-100. 

Can’t go wrong with just about any Hogan Apex model over the years. 73-88 models are real standouts to me. Can be gotten for $50-100. Apex shafts were THE shaft until TT DG’s came along. It’s pretty rare to find an old Apex that someone has swapped out that shaft. 
 

Watch out for a few things though. They aren’t worth much to 99 percent of golfers so other than a few specific models you/we are essentially saving them from the scrap pile. There’s no money to made in flipping. Also don’t feed em after midnight and don’t get em wet cuz as previously mentioned bye others they can multiply fast!

 

Personally my stash grew to high teens in iron sets pretty fast. My favorites so far, with the right to find more.

#1- 91 Bridgestone J’s Professional weapons 

#2-76 Wilson Staffs

#3-54 Spalding Synchro-Dyned’s

#4-59 MacGregor FC4000PT1’s

#5-88 Wilson Staff Gooseneck’s

 

Non of the rest of my sets are massive step down to play. These are just my favorites, so far…

 

 

Edited July 26 by ezgoer

[Hawkeye77]

Hogan Redlines

 

Macgregor Nicklaus Muirfield 20th

 

Wilson Staff Tour Blade

 

Those are mine, don't play any of them these days (no real reason to) and didn't really "collect" them.  The Wilsons I played with for years.

[GolfNutRiblick]

I pulled these off the rack yesterday. They put a premium on ball striking - like every club does for me - but when hit right they are a joy

[ezgoer]

22 minutes ago, GolfNutRiblick said:

I pulled these off the rack yesterday. They put a premium on ball striking - like every club does for me - but when hit right they are a joy

Very nice, aren’t these from the 90’s component era? I kinda remember them at Golf Smith stores amongst the Snake Eyes component heads. Maybe I’m mistaken. There was some very handsome green and white pleather Mac VIP tour bags also. 

[bcstones]

1 hour ago, ezgoer said:

Very nice, aren’t these from the 90’s component era?

 

3 hours ago, ezgoer said:

for instance believe it or not Spalding used to be a massive player. There’s 50’s to mid 80’s Top Flite blades that are as good as anything out there. 

V-foil was Gofsmith...at that time, were also selling full sets, not just components.

Spalding Kro-Flite were made back in the hickory era, thu the pyratone/paint era, to 1950. I find it interesting that over the years the Kro-Flite logo changed.(not really interested in Top-Flite which replaced Kro-Flite) Spalding was the total sporting goods company & sold their clubs in both retail and& pro-shops.

[The Aspidistra in the Hall]

40 minutes ago, bcstones said:

 

V-foil was Gofsmith...at that time, were also selling full sets, not just components.

Spalding Kro-Flite were made back in the hickory era, thu the pyratone/paint era, to 1950. I find it interesting that over the years the Kro-Flite logo changed.(not really interested in Top-Flite which replaced Kro-Flite) Spalding was the total sporting goods company & sold their clubs in both retail and& pro-shops.

Kroflite....as straight as a crow can fly. 

True!

[The Aspidistra in the Hall]

Wilson Staff irons and MacGregor persimmon woods, you won't go far wrong.

[glm]

Wilson Staff Gooseneck

Mizuno MP-32

Ping eye two becu

Edited July 26 by glm

[DonaldDunes]

6 hours ago, ezgoer said:

Water’s warm, come on in. Great advice given here. There’s so many great choices, open your mind to options you may not think of. Unsure of your age but for instance believe it or not Spalding used to be a massive player. There’s 50’s to mid 80’s Top Flite blades that are as good as anything out there. 
 

Pretty much any Mizuno forged club was great although they are never as cheap as the rest.

 

Very few Wilson Staff iterations through the years were considered bad. Some prettier than others but…Extremely safe choice and can usually be had for $50-100. 

Can’t go wrong with just about any Hogan Apex model over the years. 73-88 models are real standouts to me. Can be gotten for $50-100. Apex shafts were THE shaft until TT DG’s came along. It’s pretty rare to find an old Apex that someone has swapped out that shaft. 
 

Watch out for a few things though. They aren’t worth much to 99 percent of golfers so other than a few specific models you/we are essentially saving them from the scrap pile. There’s no money to made in flipping. Also don’t feed em after midnight and don’t get em wet cuz as previously mentioned bye others they can multiply fast!

 

Personally my stash grew to high teens in iron sets pretty fast. My favorites so far, with the right to find more.

#1- 91 Bridgestone J’s Professional weapons 

#2-76 Wilson Staffs

#3-54 Spalding Synchro-Dyned’s

#4-59 MacGregor FC4000PT1’s

#5-88 Wilson Staff Gooseneck’s

 

Non of the rest of my sets are massive step down to play. These are just my favorites, so far…

 

 

 

Yeah, I was into golf last in 2001 and then did not keep up with the sport at all until this year. As such, I promptly sold my 2001 Rawlings (they were terrible) cavity backs and bought a set of 2016 Ping G-series irons. Well, come to find out they changed the lift on all the irons. Also I hate the bounce on them. And they invented this new solid core ball as well I see.

 

Long story short, I found a cheap set of Hagen Ultradryne II irons and loved playing them. They dont go as far and they are less forgiving. But they have what I would consider useful lofts and basically no bounce...which is what I was used to. From there the rabbit hole grew quickly. 

 

The other clubs you see in these photos I bought in a set for $50. Because i wouldn't let the lady that had them in her antique store storage building give them to me. Haha.

[DonaldDunes]

On 7/25/2025 at 10:22 AM, bcstones said:

Agree - Welcome to the Vintage club....watch out for the slippery slide into this rabbit hole 🤣

 

I have a collection of Hogan sets, mostly pre '93 mostly...a "Holy Grail" set for me is the '58 Saber (I don't have the earlier Precisions, but would love to find an affordable set of Slazenger Hogan Precision).

My other "Holy Grail" is a '58 Hillerick & Bradbsy Grand Slam Mars 70 (RH) basic set (retail). They were the first clubs I played with.

 

Other sets in the line up: '91 Hogan Magnum Plus, '74 Hogan Saber, Browning 440s (have a set of Gold 440s that need to find a good home), '74ish Haig Ultra 66, '88 Hogan Edge Forged, early Ping Eye2...
In the waiting section -both  the '99 jeff Sheets designed Hogan Apex & Apex Plus, '88 Tommy Armout 845s, H&B PowerBilt Scotch Blade (I forget the year), '91 H&B PowerBilt TPS standard in melonite finish, MacGregor MT,  VFQ, Byron Nelson, Louise Suggs & even Golfsmith Harvey Penick Professional model....

Also have several club head sets that are awaiting reshafting - Wilson Goose necks, Hogan Magnum Plus', & 2 sets of Golfsmith Copper Classic (BeCu) sets...will reshaft a set of Golfsmith Texas Classic heads with Hogan Magnum Plus shafts in the next few days.

I helped an Elder Pro, Odel Trueblood, in his ship & ended up with sets that interested me (mostly Hogan, H&B, & early Spalding) & barrels (mostly PW & Putters)...all of which need to culled - find new homes.

 

Yeah, I'm deep in the rabbit hole 🤣🤣🤣

 

I have a set of Browning 440s that are lady's shafted and I love them. I have been considering putting extensions on them. What do yours look like? Price? I'm located in the US.

[NRJyzr]

7 hours ago, ezgoer said:

Very nice, aren’t these from the 90’s component era? I kinda remember them at Golf Smith stores amongst the Snake Eyes component heads. Maybe I’m mistaken. There was some very handsome green and white pleather Mac VIP tour bags also. 

 

Those V Foils are from around 2002, prior to Golfsmith's acquisition of MacGregor, which occurred in 2009.

 

[bcstones]

21 hours ago, The Aspidistra in the Hall said:

Kroflite....as straight as a crow can fly. 

True!

Kro-Flite flew straighter than any crow 🤣

[bcstones]

19 hours ago, DonaldDunes said:

I have a set of Browning 440s that are lady's shafted and I love them. I have been considering putting extensions on them. What do yours look like? Price? I'm located in the US.

if you're asking about the "440 Gold" set, it's a men's., in the 'cavity' is 440 in gold paint...or were you asking about any of the others (pm me)?

Edited July 27 by bcstones

[Foozle]

On 7/25/2025 at 8:00 AM, Foozle said:

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 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! 

[bcstones]

6 hours ago, Foozle said:

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?

the Jeff Sheets poster of Hogan irons shows blue over red for the '55 & '57 Precision irons...

the red over blue begins with the '60 Power Thrust & the '61 Power Thrust uses red on both.

[Foozle]

54 minutes ago, bcstones said:

shows blue over red for the '55 & '57 Precision irons...

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.

[bcstones]

1 hour ago, Foozle said:

 

those are the Sabers....my "Holy Grail" of Hogans

[Foozle]

1 hour ago, bcstones said:

those are the Sabers....my "Holy Grail" of Hogans

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.