Great article takes me back to nostalgia. but worth a kings ransom, Great post thanks mgs but i agree with dj ,The doctor rx has to be on the list. Thanks for the memories, John Barba. ), Phat Golf Scooters Reviews (Good or Waste of Cash? The Endo-forged Hogan Apex Plus cavity back irons came soon after, along with a solid-core Hogan Apex ball. The old Spaulding Executive set I had back in the early 1980s. But just because it was wacky did not mean it was not a hellova seller. Another really well done article. "datePublished": "2022-05-12", The Kro-Flite in 1930 was golfs first liquid center golf ball, while the Spalding DOT was a mid-century icon. Jim also marketed the first Graphite Shafts sold under the Aldila name. I have a set of Browning 440s and a set of Browning 500s I was in the midst of restoring them but Browning would not sell me original grips! lol! Callaway wound up suing Spalding for using its imagery on Spalding packaging. I wonder what Jack thought of them. I may be way off they had a a plain face -but the back was a series of round holes -like a honey comb design does any one remember these what were they called and who made themmy friend died so I cant ask himanyway thanks. Looking through eBay listings, you can find a range of vintage Spalding golf clubs in various conditions to suit different budgets. Spalding, along with Wright and Ditson, was importing golf clubs from Scotland. The success of Spalding golf clubs had compelled the USGA to act, but this success was not destined to last forever. I was wondering if anyone had ever tried Slotline Classic Copper golf clubs. Right now Ive been with the Execs 2 then 5 SW, Ram 64 wedge, 1 & 3 wood, both hybrids and putter. } Long irons with shallow faces, little offset and perhaps slightly softer shafts can be quite playable. "@type": "ImageObject", The likes of Callaway, TaylorMade, and PING all enjoyed good commercial success in the late nineties, and Spalding couldnt match the same feats achieved by the biggest brands. Spalding, however, never dominated the pro game as Wilson and MacGregor did. Man crush on Nicklaus led to this purchase. The reason why Spalding clubs arent particularly valuable is that they have been widely available for so many years. Pat Simmons of Tiger Shark fame (and others) is the most underrated club designer of all time! If you are a beginner and are looking for a . Remember all the other clubs, good to read. 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. Needed a set of clubs to play for a few days and found these. Latitude Irons also give the golfer an added patented design feature of dual skids on the sole. Titleist and PING were established competitors, while TaylorMade and Callaway were flexing their muscles. 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. If KKR had appointed Scott Creleman as the head man at the time I firmly believe Dpaldi g would still be a player in the golf industry Original? From 1932 until 1973 two years after Jones death Spalding sold over 15 different models and two million sets of Bobby Jones clubs. GolfCartReport.com, Golf Undershirts (20 To Try On The Market Today), Do I Need Longer Golf Clubs? Anybody know anything? My golf team partner talked me into getting new technology Ping G-20s a couple years ago, & I can not hit them nearly as well. Under Chapter 363, it bid $125 million for Top-Flite. Of course, it is the Indian not the arrow to some extent, but he does well. All Irons for men were 37. The RB880 s by Northwestern are also knockoffs of the Browning 440 s. I used to have a set of Ajay Pro Classics that were my dads. I don't mind the executives though, don't really know much about them either. It overpaid for Spalding and borrowed heavily to do it. I have a 3-15 wood set that are fun to play with. Well these irons which were designed out in LA by Stan Thompson were made to capitalize on that same concept. By then the Cisneros brothers had taken the money and ran. MyGolfSpy, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Top-Flite, Strata, and Hogan brands stayed alive for a while, but Callaway eventually mothballed them all. The only thing a golfer needs is more daylight. - BenHogan. Hope you find this one interesting!!!! In that year, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) took shape, and many of the fledgling tour's stars already had endorsement deals with Spalding. ENTER NOW! Would the F2 wedges still be legal if the crank were a few inches further up but still keeping the same angle please. I STILL play with my Spalding Executive set 2 SW. The Strata, however, proved to be a gold mine for Spalding. Well then so did everyone else. . The Spaulding Executive was just too far ahead of its timegreat club! They also said this, Because titanium is 40% lighter than steel, yet incredibly strong, the Ray Cook design team was able to create club heads substantially larger than standard oversize irons and add significantly more mass in the heel and toe. Your email address will not be published. They definitely arent the prettiest of clubs but I did enjoy playing them. Many of which might have even found there way into a few of your bagseven if you dont want to admit it. WITB Albums. Basically, the new irons are all the same cavity backed design tweaked for the metal content and painted pretty for your golf bag. But the funky look kept me from ever thinking about buying a whole set. If so, are they any good? They had fantastic fairway woods that I still take out for a spin every once in a while. I have a left handed set that I got from a guy on the senior tour, Bob Carson, who also owned a golf course in Titusville FLA. Overall, Spalding clubs arent worth a great deal of money today, but theyre a good option if youre hoping to pick up an affordable set of clubs to get started with. 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. #PowerToThePlayer. 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. Money put a few of these clubs on touralthough that does not mean they were worth a penny. An excellent article well researched They are exactly like the Cleveland Ironwood set you see now, but it was made y..e..a..r..s ago. Im from SD, so I had a set. 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. You have any pics of the Samurai irons Neilwould love to see them. I cant remember who made them, but I remember reading about an iron that was adjustable so its loft could be wildly altered. Goldwin was a San Diego company, years ahead of its time. Anybody know anything about them? Don Wood has the patent for the Plop Slotz Irons. Lots of wackiness. General Albums. Love to see them. Colgate-Palmolive bought RAM and Penfold in the mid-70s to sell more toothpaste but gave up after only five years. Irons made during that time are distinguished by an anvil cleek mark. All are memory refreshing .. have been in golf clubhead design , manufacturing 25 years , familiar with the designs ! They also specialized in unique clubs like the Cran Creek. Case in point: The article makes the statement that The (Cleveland) VAS irons have finally been dethroned from their previous top spot as Worst Iron Ever Made! I dont think Cory Pavin would have won PGA tour events and endorsed them if this had been true. Its pretty clear KKR didnt do its due diligence. These irons were designed in Belgium by the Belgium-Browning company. Thanks, http://www.clubsofdistinction.com/cod3/ucir5177.htm. You can actually play Spalding golf balls again! I played Spaulding Black Dots back in late 60s. In 1906 Bendelow designed the expansion of Atlantas East Lake Club, the eventual home club of one Robert Tyre Jones, Jr. Well spare you the decade-by-decade rundown of Spalding innovations (and there are many). What about Pax (Paul Goydos promoted them)? Just came back from the PGA Tour Superstore after reading this site last night. Just got Calloway X20s last week. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Its an interesting question to ask about a company that was a factor for over 125 years. 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. 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. Current owner FILA Korea Ltd took Acushnet public, and the company has thrived ever since. Fila Golf has developed this new iron using a patented design feature. ), shoplifted about four dozen balls each from a failing department store in New York City. Reach and the Wright and Ditson sporting goods companies. Make Request. Display as a link instead, Seemed like big headed design with half the head chopped off to produce a bigger face!!! Irons made during that time are distinguished by an anvil cleek mark. We had small layoffs on an ongoing basis, and people kept looking over their shoulder. Men's Right Handed. (Cavity back blades???) I tried to hit it oncenot a good idea! In the late 70s I also had a set of Unique irons which were great apart from the plastic covers covering the cavity back constantly falling out. The player would then conveniently cover the top of his bag with a towel so that no one would see the length of the irons. In 1880, Spaldings League Ball became the official baseball of the National League (and later of the American League), a position it held until 1976. Does Spalding make golf balls? Callaway had long wanted Top-Flites ball factory and patents but didnt want to assume any debt. It was fun to have and I actually hit the thing really really well. But, you raised an interesting question: If Top-Flite Elite Professional irons with the Bird on Ball logoare rated by the MyGolfSpy Forums resident vintage club expert Big Stu as the third greatest pure forged blade of all time. Then what irons are #1 and #2 best ever forged blades? Even tho I play with graphic shafts I really like the way those play. An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Had 3-PW plus 1, 3, & 5 woods. Mr. Adams had just formed Taylor Made Golf in late 1978 and this was their first showing in the market. Well today is going to be a little bit different. It was an interesting period to work for Spalding but sad to watch the demise of the brand it should never of happened ! KKRs $25 billion takeover of RJR Nabisco was chronicled in the book (and tv movie) Barbarians at the Gate. I am surprised no one ever mass marketed them. Great collection! My Dad had the XL-4s (I still have them), one Uncle had the Executives and another had the Cannons. By reducing our debt and consolidating our operations, we enhance our abilities to drive growth behind our prestigious group of golf brands, CEO Jim Craigie said at the time. MacGregor Doctor X. I had the Bears. One day, I was caddying for him and he crushed a drive, but about 100 yards out, it just fell out of the sky. The ball was introduced in 1900. Jim passed away recentlyhe was a great innovator do you remember the Basakwerd Putter And Jim Furyk won the 2003 U.S. Open with the new Strata Ace, which featured playing card suits (a la Penfold) instead of numbers. Say what you will but I own a set of Ray Cook Titanic irons. "@type": "Article", I will let the then Chariman of FILA Golf tell you a little bit about these 1994 released set of ironsand take you back in time like you were there for the original launch: Never before have so many game improvement features been built into one club. Find golf club trade-in and re-sales values for over 4,000 models of used golf clubs at the PGA Value Guide, from leading manufacturers such as Callaway, TaylorMade, Taylor Made, Titleist, Ping, Odyssey, Nike, Cleveland, Mizuno, Cobra, Adams, Wilson. Within weeks, Top-Flite filed Chapter 11. They are also said to be legendary Canadian player Moe Normans favorite clubs of all time. I just searched eBay right now and saw a set for $139. White says KKR management was hyper-focused on Callaway and TaylorMade, which may explain one of Spaldings biggest gaffes ever. I recently tried an old Jack Nicklaus 7 iron made by MacGregor many years ago. The Start Of Spalding Golf Clubs In 1905, a sporting goods company saw that golf was starting to become quite popular in the United States. I gave those up quickly only because they were really odd looking. Sign In. In 1900, Spalding released the Vardon Flyer, the golf ball used by Harry Vardon. Duclos, a former flight engineer worked on the Skylab and S-IVB (third stage of the Saturn V rocket, responsible for getting the Apollo module from the Earth to the moon). Bought a set for $25 as to help out a young lady with cancer. Spalding took off with sales and production with Bobby Jones joining the team. My only wacky set now are some Macgregor MT Splitsoles in very gd cond which were bought at a Thrift store. Starting in the early 1900s, Spalding started making golf balls before manufacturing clubs. 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. Still, the Uniques are the best irons I have ever hit! He was a pro at having fun when he played golf! When Did Spalding Stop Making Golf Clubs. "keywords": ["spalding irons by year","when did spalding stop making golf clubs","does spalding still make golf clubs","spalding golf clubs history","spalding executive golf clubs history"], The Executives were the bomb back in the day. In 1984, Questor sold off Spalding/Evenflo to a Venezuelan group headed by Gustavo and Ricardo Cisneros. Look at many of todays hybrids. Someone suggested to me they were a prototype club for Johnny Miller, but were never marketed. OVERSIZED Spalding Golf Clubs Lady set Woods Driver 3 5 w New Black Widow Grips $30.00 $15.00 shipping or Best Offer Spalding Executive MV2 2-9 Iron, PW set Bird Over Ball $69.99 $31.53 shipping or Best Offer Spalding Executive XE Irons Set 7-PW Medium Steel Shafts Left Handed LH $95.00 Free shipping or Best Offer 6. Titleist has been the Ball King for so long, its hard to remember a time when it wasnt. document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Do you remember what golf websites you were shopping on back in 1995? I wonder how much influence he had on those? Your link has been automatically embedded. The company was already selling golf balls when, in 1905, it became the first in America to offer its own brand of golf clubs. Seu lugar para proteger o seu capital. No copy for them. It was an excellent article and some of the follow-on comments from industry stalwarts like Jack Wullkotte, David Hueber, Tom Wishon, etc. Pretty sure that was the first major won for a solid core ball. Our mission is #ConsumerFirst. Steve Almo 1983 Buyers can still find Spalding clubs on some secondary sites. Spalding developed the first liquid center golf ball, the Kros-Flite. I know this is coming way after the article was published but I have a set of irons that are branded Fairway and the model I believe is Spider. is fantastic, but the club is as stiff as an old water pipe and is accordingly harsh. 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. During that time, Spalding ownership changed hands a half dozen times, and saw the same fate as MacGregor Irons. I think I actually played one of them 150 holes before I gave up. The company experimented throughout the 1920s and 1930s with lathe-turned hickory shafts that featured circular ridges spaced at standard intervals down the entire shaft. When my father would shot a 215 yard iron into the hole, his fellow golfers wold ask him what club he used. Who Makes Dunlop Golf Clubs? (Everything To Know). Spalding no longer makes golf clubs, and hasnt for some time now. The Top Flite name lives on, however, thanks to the purchase of its namesake via Callaway in the early 2000s. Just saw a full set of them again today. I have a full set of Exec XE irons. It is the Super Stick. I would like to repay you with mine. TaylorMade then entered the bidding but, after 30 rounds, Callaway wound up buying Top-Flite free and clear for $175 million. Whats troubling to us is the extent to which a reputable company that has its own trademarks and has invested a lot of money and time feels it needs to become a predator on somebody elses goodwill to sell its products, said Callaway chief Don Dye at the time. My first clubs were Spalding top flites. More on the tr600!!!! The real prize for Callaway was the Chicopee ball plant. * Note: These irons were designed by Don Wood remember the Plop putterswell they are back at it againyou can check them out here. Pretty or not (thats the clubs), I have played Fila Latitude irons since they came out. I had a set of Tiger Sharks(the short irons hit the ball miles).The follow up Great Whites Image: Central Press/Hulton Archive via Getty Images. Leather Golf Grips Review: Should I Use Them? Does anyone know anything about them? [email protected] they were a good iron, that looked good at address, and were easy to hit. I have no ideabut I sure loved my Tommy Armour silver Scotts. In 1977 while having molds made for my new line of Irons at a mold makers in Oxnard California, I spotted a very interesting club in a bag at the rear of the shop. Those were real whacky.. bent shafts and roughly milled heads. he is a cleveland iron man now, but he still owns the spalding executives. "publisher": { Cliffy2020 Great nostalgia with the article. Wright was the driving force behind Bostons Franklin Park golf course, the first municipal course in the U.S. Bostons other muni is named after Wright, who donated the land for the Donald Ross design. Thanks for doing the digging! words that have to do with clay P.O. Although they wont win any awards for innovation, Spaldings Molitor clubs are a decent game improvement set and a good option for beginners. Maybe it is a good idea or maybe it is not. Inventory available of individual, single, replacement or add-on golf irons and wedges for Spalding EXECUTIVE XE Irons. Men's Right Handed. KKR wanted Spalding to make money the KKR way. The pro-shop who had them could not find a buyer. If you have a vintage set of Bobby Jones Spalding irons that are in great shape, you might be able to sell them at a slightly higher price, but theyre not worth a great deal of money in the current market. when were spalding executive golf clubs made MENU. My Dad's execs from the 70's were blades that had aluminum shafts. Starting in the early 1900s, Spalding started making golf balls before manufacturing clubs. Fascinating how these once great brands essentially disappeared altogether. And although Top Flite is still in business today, its a brand that most golfers associate with cheap equipment of inferior quality. have a putter,,that comes in a case,,like a pool stick,,on thecourse when its time to put,,i take it out,each piece screws together to form the putter,,,,,,,putts really good,,,. Over two million Bobby Jones sets were sold in America. The Sounder irons could be on the list-and are the best irons I ever had (have). The Roaring 20s gave us Babe Ruth, Knute Rockne, Jack Dempsey, and Red Grange. Weve done a mini-history on the Hogan Company, with input from a couple of longtime Hogan employees. Still have the XL-4s in the garage. Today its hard to fine a wooden golf club in a bag!!!! The products soon disappeared from shelves. But Zevo Golf is one of those on this list that was a pioneering. I played them for years, they were solid, and they looked really good at address for their time period. "https://twitter.com/_swingyard_", Is my equipment holding me back? 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. But as you can see could cause some serious digging issues. As a former professional player, Spalding recognized the need of enlisting the assistance of experts to promote both the game and his merchandise. Almost , http://www.intheholegolf.com/store/f2is.html. I surely do remember those Dot balls that my brother and I would find on OFCC in south suburbs of Chicago because we couldnt afford them but you really had to pay attention to look at those balls before you grounded your club or you would put a significant cut in them. In 1910 Spalding started making fairway clubs made of aluminum, and heavier lead face putters. I use them in Central Texas when the fairways are hard and the greens harder (late summer and all winter). John is an aging, yet avid golfer, writer, 9-point-something handicapper living back home in New England after a 22-year exile in Minnesota. As previously mentioned, you can buy Spalding Molitor clubs at Rock Bottom, and theyre a great option for beginner players. Spalding decided it would be good business to provide golf course design services free of charge to anyone with the money and inclination to build one. TaylorMade, by comparison, has been sold twice in the past four years. Brilliant idea? Today we are going to be spotlighting the crazy, the absurd, and some of the wackiest irons the golf world has ever seen.