RARE TITLEIST CUSTOM GRIND IRON'S

Quite a collection there Adam - thanks for the pics -- those look like serious playa's clubs.

awesome sets! how did you acquire all of those???

Those fat-back Titleist's are schweet. :D

Very nice. I always like the look of the old Tour Model heads. Had a couple of sets of the later '90's models before the 681's . Thanks for the pics.

Hi Guy's

TourPro21 To anwser your question, The Elk set came as a gift through Robert Elkington (steves Brother) who is a good friend of mine here in australia as a gift from Steve, the clubs where used by Steve during the 97 session when he wone twice I think.

The Curtis Srange club's came from a collector in the States and was a present from my wife for my 40th birthday a few years back (man am I old)

The third set I got through Titleist here in australia as I am a contracted player here a few year's back. I still use the grinds from time to time and really feel that the metal's are much harder than todays Titleist and the Chrome is much better then, than it is today. Even the face wear grooves are much longer lasting. My 680's have so many dings and bag slap in them and the 681 still look like new. Please feel free to add your pictures of you custom grinds here. Does anyone know what company did the Custom Grinds for Titleist? Was it Hoffman, endo , muira or some little backyard fordger in china? Can anyone let me know.

Best wishes

Addam

pretty irons. :D

Very nice stuff Addam, i always appreciate the Titleist equipment you have.

The old tour heads like the 1997 models were great looking heads except for the 9-P wedge. Boy they had some strange looking sizes and sole widths in those. They almost looked like one of those browning 880 irons. Of course in the same time frame the japanese were building beautiful forged iron sets as well until you got to the 8-P which were HUGE and had a ton of offset ala eye 2s while the rest of the set had no offset. That was the only thing that bothered me about my bullet backs, 1997 tour models, first 841 design was the odd sized wedges. At the same time they were producing the forged wedge sets DL III, CS, DD, BF etc... which looked perfectly normal.

I really like your 970 fairway wood in the background but the irons are very cool as well! Did you put a Aldila NV shaft in it?

I have a very rare one for you. I contacted Titleist about it, and they told me it's a very limited run, hand ground to a larger extent than the other Tour Models. I've only seen this single 1 iron, never a set anywhere (eBay, Golfworks books, etc).

I collect Titleist forgings, and I have a set of pretty much every iron they made from the beginning until the 681s. I'm missing a few of the newer sets, and the X/500 Miuras.

Sandy's right about the short irons, many of the sets have very odd looking 9s and PWs. The 86-90 "bullet backs" are actually some of the better ones! The 841s are bizzare. The oldest ones, like the Finalist and the Titleist by Acushnet (70-78, and 69-71 respectively) have VERY square heels.

Are both those sets from the 91-97 forging? The one PW with lots of writing on the sole - that's unusual stamping for that head, isn't it? Very cool.

Thanks guys for your comment's, puttersammler I have 3 970 15 that one is the one I play the most I have had it for about 2 years with a proto aldila x flex shaft. I love the Elks the most because most of the customs I have owned are like you guys say ugly in the 9-pw but the elk's are rounder and look more like a 7 iron in the set.

addam

Hi all,

Im new to the forum and came here looking for some more info on Titleist custom Grind irons. I recently bought a set. Maybe you guys can tell me something more about them? Hope you can help. The have a finish that will patina over time.

Grtz Marco

Hi Procombo and welcome to Golfwrx,

I have seen a few of these around and from what I know Titleist made some blank back set's for pro's. So with Titleist Custom Grinds the idea was you could order them how you wanted to. If the Serial numbers are on the hosel or ferrul you may be able to find out more about them. These ones of yours are rare and If you ever want to sell them let me know.

There was a set of Custom grinds on ebay just last week that where the Tiger MP29 grind type and the starting bid was $1450.00

I have seen a set for Peter Jackobsen the same as these ones though.

The satin finish is not that common on the Custom grind version but more common on my ones pictured below.

Here are another set of mine, very rare satin 681 custom grinds were supposed to be for Mark O'meara. But it is hard to find out much and titleist are hard to find out much from anyway. I have sent over 10 emails to them with no replies when it comes to getting anwers regarding tour issue clubs.

Anyway you have a great set there and I hope you are going to use them.

I hope I have helped in some way and I will try to find out some more info for you.

PS

I am still looking for a set of ELK grinds to Buy if anyone has a set they want to sell.

Best wishes

Addam smith

I have a set of Tour Model 3-PW that i'm about to put on ebay

Hi Addam,

Thanks a lot for your reply. Should I decide to sell them, you'll be the first to know. Promise ;)

However I bought them to play off course, I am not a collector just a die hard golf addict with a love for gr8 looking blades. If you can dig up any other info that would be awsome. Titleist in the Netherlands is trying hard but not very succesfull about diggin up info on custom grind clubs.

Another pic below, maybe it helps narrowing down the type of club they are based on. Keep in mind that the set is nearly new, just a few balls have been hit with them and have the SL x100 shaft in them. Tipped between S en X stiffness. So could it be that they are based on an older model but newly made?

Hope this helps!

Those look perdy procombo, but Mark O'Meara's 681's overule everything I've seen in this post. To me, that is almost a perfect looking blade. I've met Mark o'Meara's caddy, that's about all I can say about him, but those are unbelievable. Wish his caddy had an extra set ;)

Funny, I saw that pricey set of mp-29 lookalike Titleist blades on ebay the other day too. The funny thing is, if I recall correctly, Tiger's Titleist blades did not actually look like that. Sure, he used the MP29 long irons originally with the cut away style muscle in the back, but I really don't think his Titleist sets ever had this. Maybe someone can set me straight, but I think that person just threw that in the listing as a marketing mechanism.

Yea I saw them too, but they are gone now. Did anyone save the pictures from that auction?

BTW, Pegleg and I are a small step further in identifying my new set. Strangly enough the looks are like the 91-97 tour model but the lofts are similar to the 695MB and the lie is like the 680 irons. Hmnn strange… Keep you posted.

Hi Judge

That was the best thing about custom grinds, they could be set up with leading edge, bounce,muscle shape,toe shape, lie,loft to suit the player.

Here are some pics of that one that was on ebay.

They where a custom set for some tour player and not for tiger. The guy called them tiger grinds because they are a very rare custom order and looked like MP 29's. If you look on the hosel you can see the number 87 which means that is the grind style, This way if you ordered a set you could just quote the number and Titleist would make it to that same shape every time.

To give you some idea the Elk model are really fat more like my satin 681 cusoms and the Curtis Strange set are really thin from above looking down from above.

I will post the optins list for Custom grinds here when I find the details on my computer. It has every option Titleist offered on the Custom Model.

Below are some pics of the set that was on ebay.

Addam

Addam,

Just spotted these on ebay, maybe interesting for your little collection?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...e=WDVW&rd=1

Grtz Marco

Addam,

I would be interested in knowing what the numbers mean as far as grinds go. I have a set and Titlesit can not tell me anything about the grind numbers.

Thanks,

Sam

Hi All,

Just figured out that my irons have the Number 34 grind on them. Is there anybody who can tell me more about this type of grinding?

Thanks, Marco

I have a very rare one for you. I contacted Titleist about it, and they told me it's a very limited run, hand ground to a larger extent than the other Tour Models. I've only seen this single 1 iron, never a set anywhere (eBay, Golfworks books, etc).

 

I collect Titleist forgings, and I have a set of pretty much every iron they made from the beginning until the 681s. I'm missing a few of the newer sets, and the X/500 Miuras.

 

Sandy's right about the short irons, many of the sets have very odd looking 9s and PWs. The 86-90 "bullet backs" are actually some of the better ones! The 841s are bizzare. The oldest ones, like the Finalist and the Titleist by Acushnet (70-78, and 69-71 respectively) have VERY square heels.

 

Are both those sets from the 91-97 forging? The one PW with lots of writing on the sole - that's unusual stamping for that head, isn't it? Very cool.

that's a great looking iron right there!!!

Addam-

I am so glad I found this site. I have a set of custom grinds exactly like the ones in your top picture dated Feb. 8, 2006. I bought them about 10 years ago (maybe more) from a used sports shop for about $100. Every now and again I try to find out more info on them, but never learned anything.....until now!

I play with them once in a while, but my game is not where it needs to be to play with them on a regular basis. I actually just have the 8-PW in the bag right now to go along with my Titleist 991's.

The hossel on them has the number 50 stamped on. So, my questions are....what are they? I assume they were made in the late 80's. You mentioned the Elk model and a few others. Are they rare? Valuable? Should I stop playing with them?

Thanks!! -Greg

Hi Guy's

I have been able to find out a fair bit on the numbers regard the type of grind the are on the hosel of Titleist custom Grinds.

My one on the Elk's are 3-9 #15 then #16 on the PW Elk Grind

My other set is #38 Curtis Strange Grind

Procombo's number is #34

andersgr's number is #50

Guy's If you own some Custom Grinds Please take some pics and the number of the model you have and I will find out the grid.

Now Titleist had these numbers on file to represent there tour player's prefered Grind.

I have a good friend sourcing the number against the grind and a list of Titleist tour players prefered grind numbers of the late 1990's coming.

So Say the Elk's will read

Custom Grinds:

High Toe (more peak)

Square Toe

Standard Leading Edge Profile (slight belly)

Standard Sole (slight camber) w/Rolled Heel

Sharp Leading Edge (less entry angle)

Flat Topline (rolled towards face)

I hope to have a number and a wider discription of the model you own very soon.

Below is a few of the Elks I have from different angles (older photos)

Here are a few older ones of the Curtis Grind #38

2-pw

Very thin Top Line on these ones

These where Elks from Many years ago I got from a guy in Nowra NSW Australia, They are original Tour model's. He got them back in 94. they are a raw finnish. By the unfinnished look and no chrome or any cover on them they feel so soft to hit. Also I have to keep rubbing back with scotch brite scrubber or they look like a Raw vokey in a few week's. ha ha

Addam,

awesome posts and pics as usual! Always love to see those!

Iain

Hi Iain

How are you mate,

Now this guy can tell us a few things about custom grinds.

Always glade to see you around here.

Addam