Callaway wound up suing Spalding for using its imagery on Spalding packaging. lots of memories here. Dont be ashamed thoughsome of these designs have actually been pioneering for the industry. The only thing a golfer needs is more daylight. - BenHogan. The Early Years of Spalding Golf Starting in 1900, Spalding opened club-making factories in London and in Fife, Scotland, producing forged iron heads for Spalding clubs sold both in the UK and U.S. "author": "Ned Howard", Ugly or unconventional, I felt a more confident with them and Stan Thompson fairway woods. or Best Offer. I speak with Nat Rosassco, former owner, of NorthWestern golf at least every 7 to 10 days and he holds Pat Simmons as one of the best club designers of all time as well. Odyssey to Callaway In July 1997, Callaway Golf purchased putter maker Odyssey for $130 million, or nearly four times the company's annual sales of $35 million at the time. I finally gave it to a friend of mine who is a beginner and he says it is the only club he can hit reliably. It is my Go To clubmy favorite. Its high point came in 1998 when Mark OMeara won the Masters and the Open Championship for Spalding. They are for sale. * Note: These irons were designed by Duke Duclos. Jim passed away recentlyhe was a great innovator do you remember the Basakwerd Putter When youre in the market for Spalding clubs, bear in mind that they were branded as Top-Flite clubs for a while, so be sure to broaden your search to include Top-Flite models. Get the best deals on Spalding Executive Irons when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. Now I need some crazy Loudmouth pants and a pink ball. They are similar to the Nike slingshots as they have a powerbow looking thing on the back of them. APPLY NOW: Cleveland Frontline Elite Putters! !but they had a very proprietary, strange-sized grip. They also specialized in unique clubs like the Cran Creek. Im not talking a couple of degrees, but for one shot you could make it a 5 iron and the next (with a quick adjustment) itd be a PW. Make sense as I do have a Johnny Miller PW which looks just like an X 70. Spalding club-makers paid as much scrutiny to shafts as heads. I think all the readers as well as the golfspies would love to learn as much about these past designs as possible. "https://www.facebook.com/swingyard/", Just bought a set of Nicklaus Linear Dynamics N1 Golf Irons at a thrift shop in Vegas. Spalding lost $27 million in 2000 and another $20 million in 2001. Make Request. One day, I was caddying for him and he crushed a drive, but about 100 yards out, it just fell out of the sky. One of the most famous Spalding clubs was the Cran Cleek (club with a narrow face and little loft) for poor fairway lies and even putts. We (and tour players) figured out it was very stable in the wind and was 2 clubs longer with the irons. It kept some of those out of my bag Im sure. Titleist and PING were established competitors, while TaylorMade and Callaway were flexing their muscles. Instead, well hit the highlights. ), Takomo Golf Clubs Review: (As Good as Expected? Thanks, John. not just the American side , some of Europe and some from Japan makers also wacky !!! Amazing how so of the old stuff works better than the hyped up new stuff! I was the Sales Manager of Stan Thompson golf company for several years and worked very close with Stan. Nice article John! And although Top Flite is still in business today, its a brand that most golfers associate with cheap equipment of inferior quality. Sold millions of those over the years. The Cobra set left handed golf club set is made of premium products. I have a old slotline cigar putter I still use,,no loift at all,looks like a big tootsie roll,but puts great,,friends still get amazed at how it puts,,. In the mid to late 80s, my father had Spalding make him a set of custom irons. I shoot mid-80s like OP. Today we are going to be spotlighting the crazy, the absurd, and some of the wackiest irons the golf world has ever seen. In the late 70s I also had a set of Unique irons which were great apart from the plastic covers covering the cavity back constantly falling out. Great article takes me back to nostalgia. Somehow they squeezed 492 dimples on them Those balls were rocketships. when I got my samurais,they were expensive,,but you can get them ocassionally on ebay,,picked up a 6iron for 15$. Mr. Adams had just formed Taylor Made Golf in late 1978 and this was their first showing in the market. The Black Dots and Red Dots were equivalent to the Titleist black numerals and red numerals. I cant believe to Ping Zing 2s are on the list. GolfWRX_Spotted posted a topic in Tour and Pre-Release Equipment, Tuesday at 04:47 PM, GolfWRX_Spotted posted a topic in Tour and Pre-Release Equipment, February 20, GolfWRX_Spotted posted a topic in Tour and Pre-Release Equipment, February 13, GolfWRX_Spotted posted a topic in Tour and Pre-Release Equipment, February 6, GolfWRX_Spotted posted a topic in Tour and Pre-Release Equipment, January 31, By And if you did not have the exact lie to match your swing could cause issues with the toe or heel diving down at impact. when were spalding executive golf clubs made Remember when pros like Norman and Stadler and others with that bright red Spaulding Tour Bag. Dreadful golf balls! 1968 Spalding developed the first 2-piece performance golf ball, the Spalding Executive. 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! I dont think I paid more than $300 for all four sets combined- Im a Salvation Army searcher. Made from 1989-1994 and originally sold for $680. Spalding Irons By Year - Swing Yard There are so many different sets of irons available nowadays, Im happy with my Execs. Never met a set of strange clubs I didnt want to try. It was the mold makers attempt to make at a hollow head, wooden shape club. Spalding manufactured golf clubs for some of the leading players in the game, including the legendary American player Bobby Jones. On top line: OVERSIZE. This technology is a shank-proof hosel. These were great clubs. I'm 25 years old and I've been playing with my grandfathers Spalding executives for 10 years now, and I shoot about a 80-85. "@type": "Article", You cannot paste images directly. Peter lived in Ridgefield,Ct. 1 Iron Spalding Executive MV2 bird over ball . We are here to help educate and empower golfers. During that time, Spalding ownership changed hands a half dozen times, and saw the same fate as MacGregor Irons. *chuckles* Maybe its a good thing I took a 30 year golf hiatus. Especially in America. With long-term debt in the neighborhood of $600 million, KKR found itself in a negative equity situation. Former Proctor & Gamble chief Edwin Artzt came on as chairman, with former Kraft, Inc executive vice president James Craigie becoming CEO. All that creativity has led to the great clubs we have today. and had a driving range there for many years. Therefore, the Top Flite clubs produced in the nineties and early naughts are technically Spalding golf clubs. Cleveland VAS was really great Iron. 15 Craziest Golf Club (Irons) Ever Made! - MyGolfSpy Lots of wackiness. Design the future of bad golf! What about Goldwin?? His company quickly expanded into making equipment for every sport imaginable. Thanks for the article. document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); MyGolfSpy is gearing up to conduct the second edition of our groundbreaking ball test. Did you forget about Zevo Golf? They are awesome clubs, very well-weighted, with a great center of gravity for high loft shots. when were spalding executive golf clubs made But more trouble was coming for Spalding. remove head from shaft? It was fun to have and I actually hit the thing really really well. Currently play AP2s coming out of the bag for a few rounds and if the linear dynamics keep performing like they did in Vegas the AP2s will be taking a long rest. Play to a 4 6 cap. Can anyone tell me about Spalding executives : r/golf - reddit Irons made during that time are distinguished by an anvil cleek mark. But unfortunately for the VASs they were dethroned from their long held position. Today, collectors prize the narrow-faced Cran Cleek. Whats fun is to find one of those old sets, regrip them and beat your friends with them! Spalding, like its old school brethren Wilson and MacGregor, simply wasnt sexy to a new generation of golfers. I dont know how people could justify any of the others. Each has a special place in my personal golf journey and is still some of the best equipment Ive ever used. The Kro-Flite in 1930 was golfs first liquid center golf ball, while the Spalding DOT was a mid-century icon. As a former professional player, Spalding recognized the need of enlisting the assistance of experts to promote both the game and his merchandise. I gave the set to my nephew, and he loves them. But, they were NOS (New Old Stock) and with Ohio State grips and headcovers; so a diehard Buckeye fan. it was at my range's rental bin. 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. The company was founded in 1973 and today produces high-quality golf clubs using the . Decided it was time for me to get some cavity back irons. Albert Spalding died in 1915, but his company continued to flourish. Basically, the new irons are all the same cavity backed design tweaked for the metal content and painted pretty for your golf bag. Protactic Golf in Chicago. Today, Spalding Executive clubs arent worth a great deal of money. General Albums. I would appreciate any help you could offer! when were spalding executive golf clubs made MENU. Different, yes, but they are the only ones where you can really aim at the target! Iomic Golf Grips: 8 Key Facts Before You Buy. My Uncle had the Executives and my Dad had the XL-4s. "sameAs": [ Spalding sponsored Vardons 1900 tour of America, culminating in Vardon winning the U.S. Open in Chicago. Wilson never really recovered after Pepsi bought it in 1970. It is the Super Stick. Someone suggested to me they were a prototype club for Johnny Miller, but were never marketed. 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 play with several timesa year. Leather Golf Grips Review: Should I Use Them? Great looking blade and the low COG really lets one hit it high. The Black Dots were longest (for me) but that cover would smile back at you with the slightest mishit. 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. I still think I deserve to be recognized as the leader in this category and will be appealing your decision. "@type": "ImageObject", is fantastic, but the club is as stiff as an old water pipe and is accordingly harsh. 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. Within weeks, Top-Flite filed Chapter 11. Seemed like big headed design with half the head chopped off to produce a bigger face!!! A request, could you do Sonartec at some point? words that have to do with clay P.O. 2023 Genesis Invitational - Monday #1. My wife says I never met a strange-looking golf club I did not want to own and play with. i knew a guy who was a 4 handicap, and he used the spalding executives. Itd take a week to prepare for.. 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. Although the Inertial irons werent so lucky. does ohma have a child [email protected] buy all 6 get free shipping) Let me know by ebay . Your link has been automatically embedded. It was a low loft club used for poor lies and putting. 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. Kind of reminds one of the Hogan radial but not near as wide on the soul. In 2012, Callaway sold Top-Flite to DICKS and Hogan to Perry Ellis. The strangest set I play with at the moment is a matching set of 3 through 15 fairway woods made by Protactic Golf in Chicago (part of the remains of Northwestern Golf, I think). The biggest of them all, however, may well have been the aforementioned Bobby Jones. How about the Spalding Exec SE. Just found and bought a set of Lil David Slingers. 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. Press J to jump to the feed. There are still folks around from when Mr. Hogan ran the company and I am sure you can get some keen insights not only of the company but of Mr. Hogan himself. He would hold up the club so they could see the 7 on the bottom and with a big grin say I hit a 7 iron. Return Policy > WORLDWIDE SHIPPING. 5 Testers Needed! What a great list! I cant remember who made them, but I remember reading about an iron that was adjustable so its loft could be wildly altered. Who knows what might have happened if someone else had gained control, Im 75 and recall that my Dad was a Spalding Dot guy. That might be because Golfsmith acquired them back in 2003. But under Section 363 of Chapter 11, a seller can sell assets without having to negotiate with its creditors. Thanks. 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. i was hitting 8 iron and was suprised how high the ball flight was. 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? Way ahead of their time in the perimeter weighted genre. MyGolfSpy, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Spalding was the big name in women's golf clubs by 1950. * Note: These irons were designed by Dave (cant remember last name) which was considered a very good designer by others in the business at the time and one that some felt did not get as much credit as he deserved. Those were first made around the end of the 19th century during the hickory era. The Endo-forged Hogan Apex Plus cavity back irons came soon after, along with a solid-core Hogan Apex ball. He re-gripped them and beats the Taylormade hand-me-downs of his friends. I bought a set of blue-backed Uniques back in the early 80s. Previously, they manufactured equipment for golf, American football, and baseball, but they have downsized considerably in recent years. I don't mind the executives though, don't really know much about them either. But, in the rough the club went right underneath the ball. In 1900, Spalding released the Vardon Flyer, the golf ball used by Harry Vardon. 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 Bought the Slotlines new. During their time together, Vardon and Spalding agreed the best way to grow the game in the U.S. and grow the market for Spalding golf products was to build more golf courses. }. 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. The products soon disappeared from shelves. I had a VAS 5 iron. Another great history piece. Anybody know anything? Image: Central Press/Hulton Archive via Getty Images. Don Wood has the patent for the Plop Slotz Irons. It was if I walked into the store from a time machine. During his time with Spalding, Stewart dropped from 6th to 123rd on the money list, with his only win coming at the 1995 Houston Open. Just came back from the PGA Tour Superstore after reading this site last night. Thanks! Spalding spent the last half of the 20th-century battling with Titleist for golf ball supremacy. Does Spalding make golf balls? The VAS irons have finally been dethroned from their previous top spot as Worst Iron Ever Made! Although from a phone-in interview Mr. VAS told us, I feel robbed. 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.. Ive got a crazy iron set that is one telescoping iron with a blade that changes position to vary the loft. The original Strata ball was amazing when it came out spin for days! The VAS are ugly, but they work. I remember a set called Canon I think, possibly a Spalding brand. If you have any you think we should include or have any additional info about the clubs listed feel free to post your comments. 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. Started Thursday at 03:24 PM, Please put and questions or comments here, Please put any questions or comments here, Please put any questions of comments here. I had a friend who worked for Gary Player and he sent me his brand called iGNITORS Those were fairly strange and not particular long! 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. 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. ], Spalding stopped making golf clubs in 2002, and their last clubs were branded as Top Flite Oversized irons. Scott Stallings - WITB - 2023 Genesis Invitational. Perhaps they were a little ahead of their time (3-PW). Spalding hired Tom Bendelow as his designer, and Bendelow went on to develop many courses still in use today. The Executives were the bomb back in the day. In fact, one of Spaldings most popular models was the Bobby Jones collection, selling two million sets between 1932 and 1973. So, while Spalding is nowhere near as prevalent as it once was in the world of golf, you can still pick up a set of Molitor clubs for a very reasonable price online. FS - Fiberbuilt Flight Deck / GripMaster Roo pulls, New Vokey SM8 52 & 56 wedge set / New Titleist Caps (for bigger heads) / New Cobra RadSpeed 10.5* Driver, Peacoat, with premium, upgraded shaft, TSR3 ub-6x, cobra radspeed, TEE pro 721 driver and 3w, Ventus Black TR Folds of Honor 6x w/ TM Adapter, Ventus Red TR 6x w/ TM Adapter, Adidas Tour 360 22 Size 13, MyStealth2 Driver Headcover. "https://www.instagram.com/_swingyard_/", Tommy Armour TI 100 need to be on the list, they were twice the size of any other iron produced ever. If it works for you use it. It was a popular cavity back iron and Spalding decided to sell it through general sporting goods stores, eschewing the golf pro. I have a set of Lynx Parallax irons that were my fathers. Forward-face progression creates a hitting surface 20 percent larger than standard and 5 percent larger than over-sized irons. A very interesting stroll down golf history. The 500s have less offset than the 440s. My first clubs were Spalding top flites. Jackie Gleason also owned a set. they were a good iron, that looked good at address, and were easy to hit. We knew something was up, recalls White. Spalding had a long history, terrific heritage, and healthy topline sales of over $500 million.