In 1962, Pyramid merged with Dunhill International and the AP Parts Corporation. "url": "https://swingyard.com/wp-content/uploads/Logo-1.svg" TaylorMade, now owned by adidas, was rising, and Callaway was a major force. But they seem to work though. * Note: These irons were designed by Jim Flood and were considered a controversial design and are often times very hard to find. Display as a link instead, 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!! I think this is the web site for me . The Black Dots and Red Dots were equivalent to the Titleist black numerals and red numerals. 1 Iron Spalding Executive MV2 bird over ball . KKR wanted Spalding to make money the KKR way. Corey Pavin won the 1996 US Open Shinnecock with a purple set. Very well researched and well done, as someone who is not super well versed in some of golfs history, it was a great, informative read! Just found and bought a set of Lil David Slingers. Of course Drivers and putters are like women. Like previously stated the Slotline Lowpro irons were for the most part an exact copy of the Browning 440 irons. As a golfer of a certain age, these history articles are fascinating! OK MyGolfSpyers, its time to get creative! Love them oldies. I had released it into the foreign market through a network of distributors mid in 1978, where it was well received. I saw a set go for well over $300 (I think it went closer to $500, but I just would not swear to it). This stuff is really interesting.. Lots of wackiness. Great set. I was told they only made a few hundred sets. That means providing you with equipment reviews you can trust, Played dots a bit but later played a lot of Top Flites because I was a teenager, and the balls did not cut (this was back in the days of balata balls that cut if you looked at them hard). Remember all the other clubs, good to read. These were great clubs. a beginner could really benifit from the Nike slingshot, they are easy to hit. Met a friend in Costa Mesa at Mile Square Golf Club back in the early 1970s and he was with Duke Duclos., a friend from their McDonald-Douglas days. A very interesting stroll down golf history. They had a premium Molitor ball at the then scandalous price of $2. The Ginty was the first modern Utility club. It was a low loft club used for poor lies and putting. "dateModified": "2022-05-12", There is nothing crazy about the Slinger! Jones immediately put his Georgia Tech engineering degree to good use. Of course, it is the Indian not the arrow to some extent, but he does well. Thanks for the article. Bird on ball was a very popular club. Anyone hear of them? Spalding stopped making clubs in 2002. The VAS are ugly, but they work. I shoot mid-80s like OP. I have had many pros in proams hit them and fascinated by how the ball comes off the club face so fast,,good distance. We (and tour players) figured out it was very stable in the wind and was 2 clubs longer with the irons. We want your input before testing begins. There are worse things. Might need to get a full set of Tiger Shark irons to match the wedge!! It was the mold makers attempt to make at a hollow head, wooden shape club. My Dad's execs from the 70's were blades that had aluminum shafts. The only thing a golfer needs is more daylight. - BenHogan. Yet again, the same fate as MacGregor had. when were spalding executive golf clubs made. 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. }, Your link has been automatically embedded. Whats more, KKR continued adding to its golf empire, buying Etonic in 1996 and Ben Hogan a year later. 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. 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. My only wacky set now are some Macgregor MT Splitsoles in very gd cond which were bought at a Thrift store. The chrome Design the future of bad golf! In 1876 Spalding was the manager and ace pitcher of the Chicago White Stockings. * Note: These irons were designed in Belgium by the Belgium-Browning company. He re-gripped them and beats the Taylormade hand-me-downs of his friends. For more than 25 years, he has contributed to a wide array of publications including "American Heritage," "American History," "Yankee," "VFW," "Golf," and "Golf News." "https://www.linkedin.com/in/swingyard/", Great insight! It was made by Salt Lake City Specialties. 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. "sameAs": [ when were spalding executive golf clubs made. 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). Men's Right Handed. By the Roaring '20s, A.G. Spalding & Brothers was using the process of "drop forging" to manufacture metal club-heads. But under Section 363 of Chapter 11, a seller can sell assets without having to negotiate with its creditors. One of my favorite balls back in the late 80s was the Top-Flite Plus. They are awesome clubs, very well-weighted, with a great center of gravity for high loft shots. The biggest of them all, however, may well have been the aforementioned Bobby Jones. 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. Some scumbag broke into my vehicle and stole the set about 25 years ago. Knowledgable folk say its all in the mind. Perhaps they were a little ahead of their time (3-PW). 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. My Nike Slingshots is the best set I have ever used. Jones famously retired from golf after winning the 1930 version of the Grand Slam. Your previous content has been restored. Spalding, however, never dominated the pro game as Wilson and MacGregor did. Regardless, both are great sets. 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. Driver to 15 wood. . If it works for you use it. Those are the reasons they work. Still bagging their wedges. Callaway wound up suing Spalding for using its imagery on Spalding packaging. Needed a set of clubs to play for a few days and found these. Nice article John! Like its sporting goods brother-in-arms MacGregor, Spalding ownership changed hands in 1958. Now, like Henry Ford's assembly-line Model T's, Spalding craftsmen used a mechanical hammer to craft club-heads, drill sockets in them to attach the shaft and then polish the heads, all of which allowed Spalding to mass produce matching club sets. White says KKR management was hyper-focused on Callaway and TaylorMade, which may explain one of Spaldings biggest gaffes ever. I play with several timesa year. Great looking blade and the low COG really lets one hit it high. I had read your original 2018 article about why Hogan still mattered. Therefore, the Top Flite clubs produced in the nineties and early naughts are technically Spalding golf clubs. These irons were designed in Belgium by the Belgium-Browning company. ), Phat Golf Scooters Reviews (Good or Waste of Cash? Amazing how so of the old stuff works better than the hyped up new stuff! When my father would shot a 215 yard iron into the hole, his fellow golfers wold ask him what club he used. 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. I have a full set of Exec XE irons. Anybody know anything? "image": { So for those of you who own a set and are fellow collectors of the ridiculoustoday is your day to shine. I am surprised no one ever mass marketed them. 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. Some deserve to be on the former, but definitely not the latter! Ever hear of Belmont (internal, removable sole weighting)? Leather Golf Grips Review: Should I Use Them? In 1893, Spalding bought the Lamb Knitting Machine Company in Chicopee, Mass which made, obviously, knitting machines and, less obviously, eggbeaters, bicycle wheels, and rifles. 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. John, *chuckles* Maybe its a good thing I took a 30 year golf hiatus. You find them on eBay Gary? Callaway had long wanted Top-Flites ball factory and patents but didnt want to assume any debt. You can still buy Top-Flite and Strata branded balls at DICKS and Golf Galaxy. Spalding club-makers paid as much scrutiny to shafts as heads. It wasnt very sophisticated back then, and they wanted to add layers of sophistication that they had in their other businesses. Irons made during that time are distinguished by an anvil cleek mark. Today, Spalding focuses nearly all of its commercial interests on basketball, producing balls, hoops, rims, and nets. That year Albert and his brothers opened the A.G. Spalding & Brothers sporting goods company and started making baseballs. How about the Spalding Exec SE. Sold them to a guy 30 years younger who also loved them. 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!) By then the Cisneros brothers had taken the money and ran. 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. (ENTER TO WIN) Super cool contest we have for you fellow GolfSpies today! They are also said to be legendary Canadian player Moe Normans favorite clubs of all time. 0 bids. It was fun to have and I actually hit the thing really really well. But Zevo Golf is one of those on this list that was a pioneering. "@context": "http://schema.org/", 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. And Spalding predated Mizuno by at least 60 years with a copper undercoating for its forged blades in the mid-50s. He struggled quite a bit with the change.. The Top-Flite, Strata, and Hogan brands stayed alive for a while, but Callaway eventually mothballed them all. Former Proctor & Gamble chief Edwin Artzt came on as chairman, with former Kraft, Inc executive vice president James Craigie becoming CEO. higher loft is really your best bet for getting out of these difficult fairway lies, Top 10 Best Cheap Drivers (Updated 2021 Buying Guide), 5 Advantages of A Strong Golf Grip (Everything To Know), What Is An Overrun Golf Ball? Make Request. This technology is a shank-proof hosel. 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. 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. 1 Iron Spalding Executive x EZ Oversize. 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. Wish the 5 iron would have been there. BogeyPro Golf (T-Shirt Design Contest), RYDER CUP CONTEST! Does Spalding make golf balls? 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,,. He changed from forged blades and balata balls to cavity back, investment cast irons and sold core balls, White tells MyGolfSpy. Today, collectors prize the narrow-faced Cran Cleek. Now I need some crazy Loudmouth pants and a pink ball. Great research John with some very interesting history facts about the company and its equipment. 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. Spalding Top-Flite In 1995 Spalding Sporting Goods reorganized its golf club division by forming the Top-Flight golf company as its premium club brand. Say what you will but I own a set of Ray Cook Titanic irons. The Ginty, fueron palos adelantados a su poca, las maderas Ginty parecen las antecesoras de las big bertha de callaway, el material del que estaban hechas no poda aguantar las inercias, pero el diseo ya era adelantado a su tiempo. In 1910 Spalding started making fairway clubs made of aluminum, and heavier lead face putters. What about the Porsche irons? Was a fan of the TopFlite XL. More than 50 percent of that total came from golf ball sales. All of the irons were labeled as a 7 iron, with the real number of the club micro stamped on the faces upper toe. One day, I was caddying for him and he crushed a drive, but about 100 yards out, it just fell out of the sky. Among Jones innovations: the first matched set of steel-shafted irons, the first set of irons with the sweet spot in the center of each club (denoted by a circle of dots on the clubface), and an iron set where the scoring irons were one length, the mid irons were one length, and the long irons were one length. Its impossible to overstate Albert Spaldings vision and ambition. * Note: These irons were designed by Karsten Solheimsure most of you knew that though. I was the person responsible for introducing urethane prepolymers to Dr Shen Shen Wu, Titleist R&D chemist. MyGolfSpy, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Forward-face progression creates a hitting surface 20 percent larger than standard and 5 percent larger than over-sized irons. The success of Spalding golf clubs had compelled the USGA to act, but this success was not destined to last forever. In the early days, golf clubs were hand-forged using a hammer and anvil. The companys lead-faced putters also provided better touch for players. President Although they wont win any awards for innovation, Spaldings Molitor clubs are a decent game improvement set and a good option for beginners. Paste as plain text instead, Thanks, http://www.clubsofdistinction.com/cod3/ucir5177.htm. Perception-wise that made Spalding a second-tier, big-box company compared to Titleist. Make Request. Whats fun is to find one of those old sets, regrip them and beat your friends with them! Shank no more, draw, fade, straight, you name it, my Filas do it. Callaway had been making balls but never turned a profit. i was hitting 8 iron and was suprised how high the ball flight was. By Wanted them when I was in college but couldnt afford them then. * Note: These irons were designed by Pat Simmons and ex-pilot and engineer which also had a part in the Zebra putter design. MyGolfSpy is jumping into the DeLorean and taking a 1.21 jiggawatt-fueled look at the long life and quick death of Spalding Golf. Is that so? It was an interesting period to work for Spalding but sad to watch the demise of the brand it should never of happened ! Heres one for the booksTommy Armour EQL one length irons. All that creativity has led to the great clubs we have today. (8 Ways To Know) . Jeff Sheets had been Director of R&D for Top-Flite since 1995, and his first club for Hogan became a legend. No sir, they are in my bag and are still being used after all these years. The Black Dots were longest (for me) but that cover would smile back at you with the slightest mishit.