I didnt know until I read this article that evidently FILA was the designer of the original face forward iron design; speaking of which, I wouldve thought the F2 Face Forward Irons wouldve made the list (http://www.intheholegolf.com/store/f2is.html). Windtree Golf is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Promoting both sports and sports equipment, the lineup featured titles such as How To Play Second Base by Hall of Famer Johnny Evers, Boxing: A Guide to the Manly Art of Self Defense, and How to Play Golf by Harry Vardon and James Braid. It was fun to have and I actually hit the thing really really well. Golf bags bulged with 20 to 25 clubs, and the USGA, fearing too many specialty clubs had watered down the skill required in golf, took action. But the funky look kept me from ever thinking about buying a whole set. Not the first or the last business to be destroyed by KKR. Theyre awesome. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Much cheaper than renting. Mismanagement and a growing golf market led Spalding to cease manufacturing golf products, selling off popular brands like Top Flite to Callaway in the early 2000s. Is it worth getting a new set of clubs, or should I focus on getting spikes and a gloves, ( I currently golf in thing sandles) 0. No copy for them. That year Albert and his brothers opened the A.G. Spalding & Brothers sporting goods company and started making baseballs. They come as a set and include eleven clubs, a golf bag, and head covers. Throughout America, the affordable Spalding clubs flew off the shelves and reaped huge catalog sales. I have a set of Ben Hogan AHS Hybrids and the SW is even a hybrid! On top line: OVERSIZE. he is a cleveland iron man now, but he still owns the spalding executives. Ugly. worst time to visit costa rica; apartments for rent in fort pierce with utilities included; sunshine plaza opening hours sunday; photosynthesis and cellular respiration kahoot http://www.geekgolf.com. I am on my 2nd set.I used to lovem and had friends that bought as they loved the ball flight and were also a great set of chippers. In the mid to late 80s, my father had Spalding make him a set of custom irons. Author: Ned Howard Retired PGA Teaching Professionalif(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[468,60],'swingyard_com-box-3','ezslot_6',194,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-swingyard_com-box-3-0'); Spalding has one of the most storied histories in sports, and a major impact on golf. "https://twitter.com/_swingyard_", KKRs $25 billion takeover of RJR Nabisco was chronicled in the book (and tv movie) Barbarians at the Gate. The range is for form anyway. I actually travel with it and use it at the driving range, so I dont have to rent clubs. I actually have these clubs. With new sexy companies like Titleist, Callaway, and TaylorMade, and golfers like Tiger and Phil, the new aged golfer wasnt interested in playing their grandpas golf clubs. Sales declined into the 2000s, and Spalding made their last club in 2002. Thanks! Youve forgotten the worst offender. *We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Dont be ashamed thoughsome of these designs have actually been pioneering for the industry. Anyone hear of them? They got so popular at the time that it scared club makers badly (Every set was pretty much custom built then), and Golfing associations banned the club from play. They are for sale. The Spalding brand, however, is still alive under the Russell Athletic umbrella, making basketballs and apparel. Spalding spent over 125 years as a sporting goods giant. Somehow they squeezed 492 dimples on them Those balls were rocketships. "@type": "ImageObject", 1 Iron (18) Spalding EXECUTIVE XE. The Pyramid Rubber Company, a maker of baby bottles, strollers, and other infant products, bought a controlling interest. I tried to restore them by getting some original Browning grips (brown rubber with the Browning deer logo in gold) and exchanged several e-mails with Browning in Belgium would not sell me any. Spalding had a long history, terrific heritage, and healthy topline sales of over $500 million. They are awesome clubs, very well-weighted, with a great center of gravity for high loft shots. They kept slashing the pricing. If it works for you use it. Great stuff. They definitely arent the prettiest of clubs but I did enjoy playing them. The companys lead-faced putters also provided better touch for players. It was a low loft club used for poor lies and putting. I dont think I paid more than $300 for all four sets combined- Im a Salvation Army searcher. They had a premium Molitor ball at the then scandalous price of $2. I think all the readers as well as the golfspies would love to learn as much about these past designs as possible. Jerry Barber Golden Touch shank-proof irons (BeCu, ideally), Powerbilt TPS with the Goalpost Alignment System, And I agree with a previous posters suggestion of the Spalding Cannon ADVANCE. Great set. Thanks for the history lesson, truly amazing how fast Spalding unraveled. Known for launching the ball from a nice crisp fairway lie but it jumped the shark when it came to hitting it from any kind of fluff. What about Pax (Paul Goydos promoted them)? Irons made during that time are distinguished by an anvil cleek mark. One of my buddies gave me a Tiger Shark wedge the one with 3 different alignment lines, concave dimples on the face instead of grooves, and a funky dual bounce sole configuration. Ive owned a set of VAS, Zings, Slingshots and the Spaulding Execs (for vintage golf days). I am the person that brought the first Metalwoods to the market. Havent been able to give them up since my Dad died in 99, Does anyone remember a set of irons made in the 80s (I think) that were actually a bunch of small woods, even the PW was made from wood. John, I believe Robert Molitor was the fellow who developed the Top Flite. We have been making them since 1992ship them all over the worldto soldiers, traveling execs, private pilots, cyclists, retirees that want to walk but cant lug a full set, and many other categories. Spalding Executive clubs were established in the 1960s, with the Top Flite Executive Synchro-Dyned golf clubs being the first in a super popular series. Dreadful golf balls! Get10% offat Global Golf with Code:SwingYard. My first set of irons were the Tiger Sharks.The ball seemed to jump off the face.I still have them.My second set,still in play,are the Vas+.I love them.I hit them a mile high and they feel great.When I hear them calledthe worst irons ever it makes me wonder what the heck Im missing out on. Yet again, the same fate as MacGregor had. my Dad is still pulling new 90s & 2000s Top Flights from the closet to play lol. Ugly or unconventional, I felt a more confident with them and Stan Thompson fairway woods. When I eventually found a set of Magnums with regular shafts, I bought them but had been addicted to the graphite. Box 4666, Ventura, CA 93007 Request a Quote: comelec district 5 quezon city CSDA Santa Barbara County Chapter's General Contractor of the Year 2014! . I just picked up 6 thru 9 of the Browning 440 Plus irons at the Goodwillcant wait to try them out. Love to see them. Man, some of my favorites on this list. My dad has played a set if vicunas for about 40 years! Smooth tempo swingers Ventus Velo isn't working for me other brands/models suggestions? The Zing2s were the first set I bought when I started playing golf. Thanks for the article. In the meantime, this should hold you over, https://mygolfspy.com/why-does-the-ben-hogan-equipment-company-still-matter/. Peter F. Stevens is an award-winning author and journalist whose 10 books include "The Voyage of the Catalpa." Way ahead of their time in the perimeter weighted genre. Oversized high center of gravity heads and huge amounts of offset are what killed long irons IMO. We are here to help educate and empower golfers. Great article takes me back to nostalgia. Couldnt decide between the Slotlines emax and the 845s. Fila Golf has developed this new iron using a patented design feature. That might be because Golfsmith acquired them back in 2003. And Spalding predated Mizuno by at least 60 years with a copper undercoating for its forged blades in the mid-50s. "author": "Ned Howard", Fantastic article John! Great collection I remember many of them in the past 30 years often thought of buying some of them, but luckily, I didnt, Ive purchased dozens of iron sets in the last few years (Big Bertha,FTI, Taylor Made, Cobra, Nike V series) NOne of these work as well as my Ping Zings, Hey, what about Shakespeare and fiberglass. Eventually banned because it was too straight. The 500s have less offset than the 440s. I see that a few from my list made it. Great collection! Leather Golf Grips Review: Should I Use Them? It was just crazy how many golf balls we would sell through Wal-Mart in 18-ball pack, adds White Wed get orders on the fax machine for 50,000 18-ball packs, and theyd want them in two weeks.. Some of the most popular Spalding Club models were: At one time, Greg Norman used the Spalding Tour Edition irons, now a collectors item, on Tour. What about the Porsche irons? The products soon disappeared from shelves. Or maybe it was just wacky that a German car company decided to start selling $1500 golf clubs that sucked. In the mid-80s, Spalding introduced the solid core Tour Edition, and in 1996 it came out with Strata, a true game-changer for Spalding and the first multi-layer solid core ball used on Tour. They also specialized in unique clubs like the Cran Creek. Pretty sure that was the first major won for a solid core ball. "name": "Swing Yard", jazzbone, September 4, 2006 in Equipment. How about the Spalding Exec SE. !but they had a very proprietary, strange-sized grip. The "New York Times" frequently syndicates his work. Like many of his other unconventional looking but super functional designs for the time this one flew off the shelves. I was the person responsible for introducing urethane prepolymers to Dr Shen Shen Wu, Titleist R&D chemist. In the 1960s, Spalding introduced the Spalding Executive line of clubs and balls and the Top-Flite Elite Professional irons with the Bird on Ball logo. Basically, the new irons are all the same cavity backed design tweaked for the metal content and painted pretty for your golf bag. Spalding used to own Top Flite before selling the subsidiary to Callaway. President and I firmly believe the demise of Spalding was because a number of CEOs with little or no knowledge of the golf industry were appointed It was if I walked into the store from a time machine. Although lots of factors influence how much golf clubs are worth, you can typically pick up a set of Spalding golf clubs for less than $100. The design gave the clubs an exotic bamboo look; the underlying message being that these clubs offered players bamboo's legendary flexibility and whip-like strength. I shoot mid-80s like OP. We have a new #1 For Craziest Iron Ever Made! For years the #1 spot for craziest iron ever made was held by the infamous Cleveland VAS irons (now #2). i was hitting 8 iron and was suprised how high the ball flight was. Got the 3 PW for 3.99 a club, bought the 5- PW first, played two rounds and went back and bought the 3 & 4. Jeff Sheets had been Director of R&D for Top-Flite since 1995, and his first club for Hogan became a legend. Spalding Driver Golf Clubs for sale | eBay I STILL play with my Spalding Executive set 2 SW. Of course, it is the Indian not the arrow to some extent, but he does well. Only until tomorrow until my hybrids come in and boom they're gone. Well these irons which were designed out in LA by Stan Thompson were made to capitalize on that same concept. At the 2003 PGA Show, Hogan introduced the Apex 50 blade commemorating its 50th anniversary, the game improvement CFT irons, and the Carnoustie and Riviera wedges. Corey Pavin won the 1996 US Open Shinnecock with a purple set. By the Roaring '20s, A.G. Spalding & Brothers was using the process of "drop forging" to manufacture metal club-heads. General Albums. The Spaulding Executive was just too far ahead of its timegreat club! Clare. I have been playing golf over 40 years and have owned many brands of clubs. Does anyone know anything about them? Under Chapter 363, it bid $125 million for Top-Flite. They also made a set made entirely of woods. werent as good. I played them for years, they were solid, and they looked really good at address for their time period. The Spaulding Executive XE for me never looked right They were available in 1-SW (I believe) A friend used to play these and I always suggested using his pitching wood :o) My $.02. The chrome "headline": "Spalding Irons by Year", They owed more to its creditors than Spalding was worth. Its high point came in 1998 when Mark OMeara won the Masters and the Open Championship for Spalding. I traded in some Titleist Acushnet blades for themI had only paid $99.00 for the set of Acushnets (used)they gave me $139.00 in trade value, and wanted another $100 for the UniquesThey were some of the easiest to hit irons I have ever ownedout of the 40 50 different sets I have had. I was wondering if anyone had ever tried Slotline Classic Copper golf clubs. Spalding Golf Clubs: Do Still Make Them & How Much? The Kro-Flite in 1930 was golfs first liquid center golf ball, while the Spalding DOT was a mid-century icon. Latitude Irons also give the golfer an added patented design feature of dual skids on the sole. Spalding, along with Wright and Ditson, was importing golf clubs from Scotland. Brilliant writing! From the 1950s to the 1990s Spalding was in the bag for many major victories, and was played on municipal courses across the country. The only thing a golfer needs is more daylight. - BenHogan. They are nearly in perfect condition. Display as a link instead, The solid core Strata now had competition from the Titleist ProV1. Money put a few of these clubs on touralthough that does not mean they were worth a penny. HellI know I dont and I have been involved in some type of internet golf business since[], THE WINNER OF THE CONTEST: Farve The Looper (CONGRATS!) ), Undersize Golf Grips Explained (8 Key Facts!). Established in Caracas in 1929 as a small material transport business, the Cisneros Group had its fingers in everything from soft drinks, ice cream, and beauty products to banking and a burgeoning telecommunications business. History of Spalding Golf Clubs | Golflink.com A very interesting stroll down golf history. They looked like a full set of hybrids but only lasted a short period of time. Incidentally, Vulcan (Chicago suburb club makers who made some of the earliest hybrids) made a full set of hybrids 3-SW. You have not lived until you hit good hybrid wedges! The company stayed the course, and the result is a thriving, profitable company. Golfers have always known that deep-grooved irons produce better control and spin. I asked him about it and he said he had shown it to Spaulding, Wilson and MacGregor and their response was It will never sell!!!! But more trouble was coming for Spalding. Its on the list! Anybody know anything about them? They are also perfect in a steep slope due to the curved bottom of the club head. Please put any questions or comments here. Europe was a bit ahead of the United States when it came to golf, and the sport had only just started to explode in the United States. Yes it has some smoother lines compared to some of the other clubs on the listbut you put that PowerBow as Nike says on any of those other irons and it is a dead ringer for this list of crazies. In fact, one of Spaldings most popular models was the Bobby Jones collection, selling two million sets between 1932 and 1973. In 1895, Spalding started manufacturing golf balls. Driver to 15 wood. Zevo was a great brand and I played a Zevo Zv2 hybrid for almost 6 years because it was so easy to hit and had incredible feel. Some crazy lookin clubs, Why didnt you include the 1st set of Ping Irons? Bought a set for $25 as to help out a young lady with cancer. Nabbed them just for the pure ugliness. Wilson never really recovered after Pepsi bought it in 1970. Upgraded my driver from R7 to Razr Hawk, but will never surrender my Slingshots. Spalding stopped making clubs in 2002. Different, yes, but they are the only ones where you can really aim at the target! The Black Dots were longest (for me) but that cover would smile back at you with the slightest mishit. when were spalding executive golf clubs made Decent? Autore dell'articolo: Articolo pubblicato: 16/06/2022 Categoria dell'articolo: fixed gantry vs moving gantry cnc Commenti dell'articolo: andy's dopey transposition cipher andy's dopey transposition cipher This one in particular was interesting to me because I grew up in a Spalding family of sorts. It became the most consistent and durable golf ball ever made. I got an incomplete set at the Salvation Army for $15. Forward-face progression creates a hitting surface 20 percent larger than standard and 5 percent larger than over-sized irons. Of course Drivers and putters are like women. Why is that I have the Tiger Shark 7 iron and the Spalding Exec XE 5 iron in my golf collection??? So for those of you who own a set and are fellow collectors of the ridiculoustoday is your day to shine. Man crush on Nicklaus led to this purchase. While theyre old-school, Spalding clubs are made to high standards and are built to last, making them a great option if youre looking for a cheap and cheerful set of clubs. when were spalding executive golf clubs made MENU. "sameAs": [ TaylorMade, by comparison, has been sold twice in the past four years. "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjT3UiJflw60ZD31-6yC4mA", The nineties saw the release of the Top Flite Tour Ti irons, which were among the last clubs that the long-standing brand would manufacture. Written by June 5, 2022 . Looking through eBay listings, you can find a range of vintage Spalding golf clubs in various conditions to suit different budgets. made it even more interesting and valuable. 6. Decided it was time for me to get some cavity back irons. I play with several timesa year. With the help of computers, we designed a unique shape we call the `Bull Nose which extends the toe weight out far enough to balance the head without creating an elongated appearance. Get the best deals on Spalding Executive Irons when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. More than 50 percent of that total came from golf ball sales. Love it or hate it the Nike Slingshot irons made the list. It is the Super Stick. Can you help me find the history of the club? Sponsored by: GolfCircuit.com, Maxfli Tour, Tour X and Tour S Golf Balls, Penfold Ace Golf Balls: Whats Old Is New Again, Topgolf Callaway 2022 Financials: $4 Billion? The company was already selling golf balls when, in 1905, it became the first in America to offer its own brand of golf clubs. He traded a set of classic Burke PunchIrons to get the Lynx. In 2001 Spalding launched a $17 million ad campaign for Hogan and Strata. I want to say they were called Ironwoods but I cant find them on the internet maybe they were just in one of my wild dreams!! Id like to include the Wilson Reflex irons and PGF Slammer series.