when were spalding executive golf clubs made

but worth a kings ransom, Great post thanks mgs but i agree with dj ,The doctor rx has to be on the list. I played a set of Mags for years until I got to where I could not swing fast enough to bend the stiff shafts. * NOTE: Stan Thompson was an interesting guy and a well respected designer. Used to play traditional blades with the odd shank. Shank no more, draw, fade, straight, you name it, my Filas do it. I think this is the web site for me . ENTER NOW! That year Spaldings sales topped $537 million, with over $400 million coming from the golf division. When Did Spalding Stop Making Golf Clubs? (Solution) Would the F2 wedges still be legal if the crank were a few inches further up but still keeping the same angle please. 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." They are a blade from the early 80`s. While the Top Flite was initially scorned by better players as the rock flight, it probably caused a rule change. Buyers can still find Spalding clubs on some secondary sites. The greatest golfer at the time plays Spalding? 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. pend. beneath. Return Policy > WORLDWIDE SHIPPING. Top Flite is now synonymous with bargain or cheap instead of being the club of choice for the greatest golfers on tour. 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. Thanks. Any of you still have a set of these beauties laying around? I am a self-admitted admirer of Mr. Hogan having owned more than 2 dozen sets of various Hogan iron sets over the years and a former member of the only club to have a Hogan-designed course (actually 27 holes). By 1910, the company was selling aluminum fairway clubs and its Gold Medal series (1910 to 1919) featured aluminum bronze. 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. 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. What a great list! I would hand stamp #7 on all irons. Well done. I owned two sets of Unique ironsstarting in 1976. 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? By this time, Spalding was making everything from barbells, dumbells, punching bags, and rowing machines to fencing blades, whistles, shot puts, javelins, and golf clubs. An excellent article well researched 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 Roaring 20s gave us Babe Ruth, Knute Rockne, Jack Dempsey, and Red Grange. Pat Simmons first wanted to say thanks and also that, You may not know the Pat Simmons name, but if youre a golfer, you know of several of my inventions. Although they did have issues with the shafts actually wrinkling due to the configuration of the shape of the toe on this ironcrazy little factoid. 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. 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. 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. Instead, well hit the highlights. These articles are all outstanding. Ive got a crazy iron set that is one telescoping iron with a blade that changes position to vary the loft. 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. 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. "datePublished": "2022-05-12", it was at my range's rental bin. I bought them new. Another really well done article. Is my equipment holding me back? Spalding stopped making golf clubs in 2002, and their last clubs were branded as Top Flite Oversized irons. Bought the Slotlines new. 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. The Ginty was the first modern Utility club. I wonder how much influence he had on those? Until the USGA banned deep-grooved irons, Spalding's Stop 'Em and Dedstop clubs brought a smile to countless players' faces. Still have the XL-4s in the garage. Wish the 5 iron would have been there. Spalding introduced many variations of hickory-shafted clubs to bring distance and control to the professional and duffer alike. Heres one for the booksTommy Armour EQL one length irons. 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. Ive seen several of those uglies up close over the years so this was fun to view. In an effort to keep golf a game of skill, the USGA implemented the 14 club rule that we see today. i used to work in a golf shop in ohio and we had the worst set i ever saw. Ive owned a set of VAS, Zings, Slingshots and the Spaulding Execs (for vintage golf days). The 500s have less offset than the 440s. So for those of you who own a set and are fellow collectors of the ridiculoustoday is your day to shine. It means the Son of a Scottish brood that keeps getting into trouble only to easily find his way out of trouble! For more info on Stan Thompson click here. It is my Go To clubmy favorite. Just make sure to mix in a few lessons with your local PGA pro, and you'll progress nicely. Spalding Golf Clubs: Do Still Make Them & How Much? - Windtree Golf When he would get ready to play, he would hold the club so that the sole was visible to everyone. Haha my dad had a set of these and I ended up bagging the 3 and 4 irons as I hated the hybrids that came with my new set. Well then so did everyone else. Who Makes Dunlop Golf Clubs? Do You have any idea? I am still playing with my set every week! That debt burden, however, finally proved fatal. But, in the rough the club went right underneath the ball. White says KKR management was hyper-focused on Callaway and TaylorMade, which may explain one of Spaldings biggest gaffes ever. Clare. The Kro-Flite in 1930 was golfs first liquid center golf ball, while the Spalding DOT was a mid-century icon. Spalding used to own Top Flite before selling the subsidiary to Callaway. Not the first or the last business to be destroyed by KKR. document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); MyGolfSpy is gearing up to conduct the second edition of our groundbreaking ball test. And continuity, leadership, and smart decisions matter. Great collection! 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. These irons actually performed quite well and had many copy cats of it down the road to prove itincluding another iron that made the list at #12 Slotline Lowpro iron and the Titleist Super Slim irons. Inventory available of individual, single, replacement or add-on golf irons and wedges for Spalding EXECUTIVE XE Irons. Its factory could only make about six million dozen a year, and it was paying patent royalties. I have the entire set of samurai woods and irons,,,driver,3wood,5wood,7wood,,irons,,2-pw,dont believe they ever made a sw,,,,and I still use them,,,my fellow golfers are still amazed at the distance I get,,if you want a picture of the set,,let me know,,ill take one and send to you,,, I have the whole set of samurai irons,2-pw and woods1,3,5,7,,still use them,,i have had pros hit them,,and be amazed at the distances over their irons,,,i would like to find another 5wood,if anyone knows where or who has 1,,i, neil,,do you have a samuarai 5 wood,,,hard to find,,,id like one. 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. Money put a few of these clubs on touralthough that does not mean they were worth a penny. You can still buy Top-Flite and Strata branded balls at DICKS and Golf Galaxy. As previously mentioned, you can buy Spalding Molitor clubs at Rock Bottom, and theyre a great option for beginner players. Not quite Bryson-like, but innovative for the day. Thanks. I take them out every couple of years and play a round with them just for fun. He changed from forged blades and balata balls to cavity back, investment cast irons and sold core balls, White tells MyGolfSpy. It was if I walked into the store from a time machine. Nice article John! Acushnet has been sold twice since the 1970s, and each time the buyer took the same approach: be profitable, and well leave you alone. Those Slinger Irons were the brain child of Jim Flood. But they seem to work though. We had small layoffs on an ongoing basis, and people kept looking over their shoulder. I cant believe to Ping Zing 2s are on the list. Perhaps you are thinking of the Browning 440 Plus which had more of a standard face depth. I got balls, well ProV1's anyway. ***GIVEAWAY*** Cleveland CBX ZipCore Wedge! 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. They also made a set made entirely of woods. Starting in the early 1900s, Spalding started making golf balls before manufacturing clubs. About half of our sales are with personal names or corporate logos in the back and given as gifts. Made from 1989-1994 and originally sold for $680. Albert Spalding was a superstar. Tommy Armours ownership circus eventually turned it into the Sports Authority (and now DICKS) house brand. Great insight! The range is for form anyway. With Spalding's mass-market success breeding scores of imitators, players could pick and choose from countless club lines. As a golfer of a certain age, these history articles are fascinating! Cleveland was giving them away for free if you send in some coupon from golf digest. } What about Pax (Paul Goydos promoted them)? Various . "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjT3UiJflw60ZD31-6yC4mA", Thanks for the article. In 1938, the USGA passed an edict limiting players to 14 clubs. Executives were my first real set of golf clubs. single, replacement or add-on golf irons and wedges for Spalding Executive x EZ Oversize Irons. And add on Sweet Spot Golf Drivers and the Mac/Burrows Driver. $86.40 shipping. But, they were NOS (New Old Stock) and with Ohio State grips and headcovers; so a diehard Buckeye fan. There are worse things. Design the future of bad golf! Spalding Executive Left Handed Golf Clubs There are several different types of left-handed golf club sets, so which one is the best for you? Youve forgotten the worst offender. The "New York Times" frequently syndicates his work. ), Undersize Golf Grips Explained (8 Key Facts!). I have a set of clubs with Belmont Power on them. Sign In. I have a set of Fila Solerno irons/fairway woods that I havent been able to find anything about on the internet. The real prize for Callaway was the Chicopee ball plant. he is a cleveland iron man now, but he still owns the spalding executives. Spalding club-makers paid as much scrutiny to shafts as heads. Needed a set of clubs to play for a few days and found these. Thanks for you4 diligence and reporting. marrano patio homes lancaster, ny 9, Juin, 2022. horse property for sale pocatello, idaho; Clear editor. Their president at the time said this about the newly released irons, Titanic irons are the first long irons even God and you can hit. Now that is a bold statement that should of had you guys flocking to purchase these beauties. They preceded hybrid irons by 20 years or so. While the idea of owning a golf company sounds great, the list of companies that tried and failed is long. It was an interesting period to work for Spalding but sad to watch the demise of the brand it should never of happened ! Pretty sure that was the first major won for a solid core ball. Ironfinder has a good selection of individual Spalding Executive MV2 bird over ball golf clubs in stock to help you replace a missing single golf iron. And although Top Flite is still in business today, its a brand that most golfers associate with cheap equipment of inferior quality. 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). I saw the Cisneros brothers maybe once in my time there, he says. In one sense, Spalding suffered the same fate irrelevance as did fellow legacy golf brands Wilson Staff and MacGregor. 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. I have no ideabut I sure loved my Tommy Armour silver Scotts. 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational - Discussion and Links to Photos, 2023 The Honda Classic - Discussion and Links to photos, 2023 Genesis Invitational - Discussion and Links to photos, 2023 Waste Management Phoenix Open - Discussion and Links to Photos, 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am - Discussion and Links to all photos. ), Takomo Golf Clubs Review: (As Good as Expected? I actually travel with it and use it at the driving range, so I dont have to rent clubs. They are similar to the Nike slingshots as they have a powerbow looking thing on the back of them. Don't let scams get away with fraud. Spalding Golf Clubs: Do Still Make Them & How Much? Couldnt decide between the Slotlines emax and the 845s. Actually, we used to produce more golf balls than Titleist. MyGolfSpy, Inc. All Rights Reserved. It was in A Disordly Compendium of Golf I cant find my copy (actually havent seen it in a few months) but I know it was in there. In 1910 Spalding started making fairway clubs made of aluminum, and heavier lead face putters. Thanks for the history lesson, truly amazing how fast Spalding unraveled. Long irons with shallow faces, little offset and perhaps slightly softer shafts can be quite playable. My only wacky set now are some Macgregor MT Splitsoles in very gd cond which were bought at a Thrift store. 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. It made its mark in the 80s through leveraged buyouts buying undervalued or poorly managed companies with other peoples money, improving their bottom lines, and then spinning them off at a profit. Its obvious that the maker of the Slingers spent SO much money on R&D that he had to use STICKERS instead of stamped lettering. made it even more interesting and valuable. There was a time that Spalding golf clubs were among the best in the business. Still have the clubs in my basement. The Spalding Top-Flite first came out in 1970. The Executive clubs are among the finest pure forged blades ever produced and have certainly stood the test of time. Could not beleive how well I hit this clubs. They owed more to its creditors than Spalding was worth. I accidentally broke it in the late 1970s the shaft was installed over a milled section of the hosel! Peter lived in Ridgefield,Ct. Protactic Golf in Chicago. Regardless, both are great sets. Also, consider TaylorMade sold last spring for $1.6 billion, while KKR paid nearly $1 billion for Spalding in 1996. What can you find out about Wilson x 70 irons. Forward-face progression creates a hitting surface 20 percent larger than standard and 5 percent larger than over-sized irons. The chrome No, while you might be able to find Spalding golf clubs at thrift stores and via used online marketplaces, Spalding no longer manufactures golf clubs. So, if youre buying or selling Spalding clubs that are in reasonably good shape, you can set your expectations around $100 to begin with. Thats great. Golfers may also like: PGX Offset Golf Driver Review: is it any Good? and they wonder why they went out of business. Eventually banned because it was too straight. I had never seen the Fila irons before now. we closed and then were just screwing around with some of the rental clubs. My Nike Slingshots is the best set I have ever used. Reach and the Wright and Ditson sporting goods companies. 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. Finally, my number came up along with everyone else in the product management and marketing teams.. Does anyone know anything about them? I used to have a set of Ajay Pro Classics that were my dads. The shelves are full of the latest and greatest technology (hybrids, woods the size of a frying pan, dozens of shaft offerings), in 20+ years people will be laughing at those funky sticks as well. 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. 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. 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. 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. not just the American side , some of Europe and some from Japan makers also wacky !!! The solid core Strata now had competition from the Titleist ProV1. Spalding Executive Registered 3 4 5 Driver Wedge P Golf Clubs Set Made In USA $26.21 Local Pickup or Best Offer SPONSORED Vintage lot of 3 Woods Top Flite Spalding Model 133 Professional 1 3 4 golf Club $29.95 $17.95 shipping or Best Offer SPONSORED PERSIMMON Spalding Robert Jones Jr Percussion Woods Set Golf Clubs Driver & 3 $60.00 $15.00 shipping BogeyPro Golf (T-Shirt Design Contest), RYDER CUP CONTEST! In 2001 Spalding launched a $17 million ad campaign for Hogan and Strata. They say you learn from your mistakes. What a mess that design was! I got an incomplete set at the Salvation Army for $15. I have a set of both the 440s and the 500s, and there is no difference in face depth. 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. Steve Almo Here Im going to date myself a bitBack in the late 70s there was a company called Unique..The iron set design was oversized head with a deep cavity that was covered with a hard plastic. I became a +2 handicap using those irons, and a lot of people scoffed at them early ontill they saw me hit them. "@type": "Organization", http://www.geekgolf.com. Im 65 and still playing to seven with them. Ugly or unconventional, I felt a more confident with them and Stan Thompson fairway woods. 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. You can check it out at http://www.adjustablegolfclub.com. Not to belittle them because KKR is incredibly successful, but they didnt know the golf business the way we did, says White. 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. Really a zany=looking set of irons. He also had some copycat Browning irons in the trunk, but I refused I couldnt even look at them with a straight face. Im a scratch golfer, and to date have found nothing that is better. I dont know how people could justify any of the others. The name was acquired by the folks behind Nitro golf balls and they now have a full line you can buy on RockBottomGolf. In 1895, Spalding started making golf balls. This new construction was a major technological advancement in golf balls. I completed the set off of eBay for around $100. As a former professional player, Spalding recognized the need of enlisting the assistance of experts to promote both the game and his merchandise. Getting sold doesnt have to be the end of the world, but it can be if the buyer doesnt do their homework and pays too much. Spalding Executive Golf Clubs for sale | eBay 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. I have a set of Lynx Parallax irons that were my fathers. 2 Iron Spalding .