Jump to content
2024 Houston Open WITB Photos ×

Eisenhower persimmon?


jr55

Recommended Posts

Hi guys, my name's Jim and I'm new to the forum and new to the game of golf. Found this forum and thought it would be a good place to ask this question.

 

I recently came across an old wooden driver that has the name Dwight D Eisenhower carved into the head and also engraved into the nameplate along with 5 stars and the word "personal".

No other markings on the club that i can see except the shaft is labeled "true temper dynamic 286".

 

 

I know that President Eisenhower was an avid golfer but was curious if anyone could tell me anything about this club. Any chance it could it have been one of Pres. Eisenhower's?

 

Thanks for taking a look and any information that you may have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 27
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Very possible you have found the real unicorn !

Bob Klectke, pro at Augusta, was a Spaulding staffer.

He helped the president with his game

 

CHARLEY PENNA

 

 

Thanks for the reply and I'd be pretty excited if it turns out to be true!

 

I don't know how to begin researching this though, I can't even identify the manufacture. The shaft says "true temper dynamic" - would that be consistent with a 1950's era Spalding? I don't think Spalding even makes golf clubs anymore, and clearly I'm a complete novice to the game and the history. Hoping to learn though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You would have to find out if a company produced replicas of what DDE used.

 

IE I have a Cleveland Byron Nelson, which is clearly a replica, since I bought it when new.

 

Exactly, but I don’t even know what brand this is supposed to be. Spalding I assume, but it’s not marked.

 

Hoping that if someone on the forum can tell me a little more about the club itself, it would help me as I research it. For starters, what model is it, and has anyone seen the “personal” label before on these vintage drivers?

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I found this...

 

https://www.golf.com/equipment/sam-sneads-putter-president-dwight-d-eisenhowers-clubs-sold-auction

 

https://tinyurl.com/ybba87sw

 

 

Doesn't preclude their possibly being replicas, but they sure look to be something similar.

[size=2][i]"I see the distorted swings, the hurried rounds, and now the electric carts tae ruin the course and rob us of our exercise...we have gone off the mark, gone after the wrong things, forgotten what it's all about"[/i][/size]

[size=2]-Dr. Julian Sands, Golf in the Kingdom[/size]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sleuthing around the internet finds anecdotal information as to what you may have. Nothing definitive and I defer to those much more knowledgeable.

 

DDE would only play Spalding clubs (confirming what Moco posted). And only irons stamped RTJ, Jr. His set would typically be stamped "General Ike" and/or "five star". That sole plate say 50's Spaldings and earlier, unlike those in this article. Keep in mind that DDE became a 5 star general on 12/20/44. Didn't join ANGC until 10/48. Would stand to reason, any clubs bearing a signature stamping would have likely been after these dates.

 

https://www.golf.com...-equipment.html

 

An auction from 2008 of DDE 50's vintage "Game Used Golf Clubs". Note the sole plate of the woods having the same shape as yours, but having the Spalding stamping rather than Personal. The inserts are different as well. But the stamped signature is consistent.

 

https://sports.ha.co...e/a/709-19577.s

 

Speculating on the "Personal" stamping. Perhaps indicating that this was a commemorative club from Spalding's custom shop. The 3 screw, black insert suggests RTJ, Jr. Kro-Flite models, rather than 50's era Spalding "Pro Line" models I've been observing. That were typically all red or multi-color.

 

Hard to imagine that a D from a one-of-a-kind "Personal" set of DDE clubs would get separated from the remainder. Any provenance you could provide would certainly enhance the value. Nevertheless, a very cool club. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

OGA - Mitglied Nummer Sechs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for these insights guys, it’s very helpful and sincerely appreciated!

 

It’s good to know at least that it’s definitely a Spalding - I was confused as every other model I’d seen had the Spalding stamp on the footplate in place of this one’s “personal” stamp. I could try to contact the Spalding company directly and see if they have any additional info, but I think they’re mostly basketballs these days. Would anyone here know if the true temper dynamic shaft is consistent with a 40’s-50’s Spalding?

 

I’ll keep researching the club myself and report back any findings.

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to respond. You guys are great and this is a terrific forum!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for these insights guys, it's very helpful and sincerely appreciated!

 

It's good to know at least that it's definitely a Spalding - I was confused as every other model I'd seen had the Spalding stamp on the footplate in place of this one's "personal" stamp. I could try to contact the Spalding company directly and see if they have any additional info, but I think they're mostly basketballs these days. Would anyone here know if the true temper dynamic shaft is consistent with a 40's-50's Spalding?

 

I'll keep researching the club myself and report back any findings.

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to respond. You guys are great and this is a terrific forum!

 

Research indicates the "Dynamic" name was introduced in 1942, and the company that produced it was formally renamed True Temper in 1949. So yes, consistent with the timeline.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

OGA - Mitglied Nummer Sechs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Try to get Bob Kletcke . He’s retired but try to get him through the PGA OR Google

 

CHARLEY PENNA

 

as Usual, Charley, you are a goldmine of golf info. If Kletcke is still alive that should be a great source of info as well as validation of the clubs authenticity.. Looks like the real deal to me, based on the few Spalding

woods I have owned or seen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WOW!! This is going to be one dynamic thread to keep a watch on. This is better than any mystery on TV and no violence to boot. Can't get any better than this. Got Mr Penna and Mr Moore on this and Randy doing the detective work!!!

Driver--- Callaway Big Bertha Alpha--- Speeder 565 R flex

5W  --- TM V Steel Fubuki 60r

7W --- TM V Steel UST Pro Force 65 R flex

9W--- TM V Steel Stock V Steel R flex shaft

Irons 5 thru PW TM TP CB Steel Fiber 95 R F

SW Callaway PM Grind 56* Modified Grind KBS Tour Wedge

LW Vokey SM5 L Grind 58* 04 bounce Stock Vokey Shaft

Putter Macgregor Bobby Grace Mark 4 V-Foil Broomstick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks oldschool, that's very generous of you and I greatly appreciate whatever help your friend could offer.

 

I tried contacting Spalding directly with the registration number and got nowhere.

 

 

Spalding sold off their golf operations to Callaway, I believe. You could try them, but I don't know that they would have kept all that info...

The Ever Changing Bag!  A lot of mixing and matching
Driver: TM 300 Mini 11.5*, 43.5", Phenom NL 60X -or- Cobra SpeedZone, ProtoPype 80S, 43.5"

Fwy woods: King LTD 3/4, Rogue Black 75X -or- TM Stage 2 Tour 3w, NV105 X -or- TEE E8 Beta 12*, Rogue Silver 70X
Hybrid:  Cobra King Tec 2h, MMT 80 S -or- TEE CBX 17*, HZRDUS 85 6.0

2 iron:  Arias D-23, Modus3 120 S; Mizuno MP-20 HMB, NS Pro 950 R

Irons grab bag:  1-PW Golden Ram TW276, NV105 S; 1-PW Golden Ram TW282, RIP Tour 115 R; 2-PW Golden Ram Vibration Matched, NS Pro 950WF S; testing: Arias D-23 5i w/Modus 120 S
Wedges:  Dynacraft Dual Millled 52*, SteelFiber i125 S -or- Scratch 8620 DD 53*, SteelFiber i125 S; Cobra Snakebite 56* -or- Wilson Staff PMP 58*, Dynamic S -or- Ram TW282 SW -or- Ram TW276 SW
Putter:  Snake Eyes Viper Tour Sv1, 34" -or- Cleveland Huntington Beach #1, 34.5" -or- Golden Ram TW Custom, 34" -or- Rife Bimini, 34" -or- Maxfli TM-2, 35"
Balls: Chrome Soft, Kirkland Signature 3pc (v3), Wilson Triad

Grip preference: various GripMaster leather options or Star Grip Sidewinders of assorted colors

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Going to jump in on this thread with a related story. I had a friend in St. Louis back in the late 80's that had some clubs, from Spalding, that he had ordered personally from Spalding and they had his name on them. A guy that he played golf with really liked them and contacted Spalding with the serial number to get a similar set for himself. Imagine his surprise when they arrived with his buddy's name on them! That's how precise their record keeping was back then.

 

So if the club is not legit, It may be, at least, an exact match to what the president had made for himself.

Cobra F9 Driver 10.5 UST ProForce V2 HL 5F4 46"

Tour Edge Exotic EXS 220 16.5* UST ProForce V2 HL 6F4 44"

Cobra Amp Cell 5-7 fairway (set to 20*) Fujikura Fuel 60g S 43"

Maltby TS3 4-P Elevate MPH 95 +1"

Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 50*, 54* & 58* Apollo Matchflex Wedge 36.25"

Cleveland Classic Collection #10 35"

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks again for all your input guys. Best I can tell the club is genuine but currently neither Spalding nor Callaway can access archive records to track the registration number, which would likely put this mystery to bed.

 

Meanwhile I've looked at every photo of every club I could find attributed to DDE, even communicating directly with the folks at the Eisenhower museum in Abeline, and while many appear very similar, none have the "Personal" designation in place of the "Spalding" stamp. Eisenhower was known to have many sets of clubs but I have yet been able to find another like this. Not sure what that means, but unless another one surfaces, or Spalding finds their archival records, the mystery may remain forever unsolved.

 

Is this a lost "personal" club of our 34th president? We may never know, but it's a pretty nice looking vintage wood that might just have a story to tell someday.

 

Thanks for indulging me, you seem like a great bunch, and I'm hoping to learn more about this great game from all of you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Our picks

    • 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Discussion and links to Photos
      Please put any questions or Comments here
       
       
       
      General Albums
       
      2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Monday #1
      2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Monday #2
      2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Tuesday #1
      2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Tuesday #2
      2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Tuesday #3
       
       
       
       
      WITB Albums
       
      Thorbjorn Olesen - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Ben Silverman - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Jesse Droemer - SoTX PGA Section POY - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      David Lipsky - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Martin Trainer - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Zac Blair - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Jacob Bridgeman - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Trace Crowe - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Jimmy Walker - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Daniel Berger - WITB(very mini) - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Chesson Hadley - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Callum McNeill - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Rhein Gibson - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Patrick Fishburn - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Peter Malnati - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Raul Pereda - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Gary Woodland WITB (New driver, iron shafts) – 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Padraig Harrington WITB – 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
       
       
       
       
      Pullout Albums
       
      Tom Hoge's custom Cameron - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Cameron putter - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Piretti putters - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Ping putter - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Kevin Dougherty's custom Cameron putter - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Bettinardi putter - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Cameron putter - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Erik Barnes testing an all-black Axis1 putter – 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Tony Finau's new driver shaft – 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
       
       
       
       
       
      • 9 replies
    • 2024 Valspar Championship WITB Photos (Thanks to bvmagic)- Discussion & Links to Photos
      This weeks WITB Pics are from member bvmagic (Brian). Brian's first event for WRX was in 2008 at Bayhill while in college. Thanks so much bv.
       
      Please put your comments or question on this thread. Links to all the threads are below...
       
       
       
       
        • Like
      • 31 replies
    • 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational - Discussion and Links to Photos
      Please put any questions or comments here
       
       
       
      General Albums
       
      2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational - Monday #1
      2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational - Monday #2
      2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational - Monday #3
       
       
       
       
      WITB Albums
       
      Matt (LFG) Every - WITB - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
      Sahith Theegala - WITB - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
       
       
       
       
       
      Pullout Albums
       
      New Cameron putters (and new "LD" grip) - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
      New Bettinardi MB & CB irons - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
      Custom Bettinardi API putter cover - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
      Custom Swag API covers - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
      New Golf Pride Reverse Taper grips - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
        • Like
      • 15 replies
    • 2024 Cognizant Classic - Discussion and Links to Photos
      Please put any questions or comments here
       
       
       
       
      General Albums
       
      2024 Cognizant Classic - Monday #1
      2024 Cognizant Classic - Monday #2
      2024 Cognizant Classic - Monday #3
      2024 Cognizant Classic - Monday #4
       
       
       
      WITB Albums
       
      Brandt Snedeker - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Max Greyserman - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Eric Cole - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Carl Yuan - WITb - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Russell Henley - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Justin Sun - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Alex Noren - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Shane Lowry - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Taylor Montgomery - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Jake Knapp (KnappTime_ltd) - WITB - - 2024 Cognizant Classic
       
       
       
      Pullout Albums
       
      New Super Stoke Pistol Lock 1.0 & 2.0 grips - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      LA Golf new insert putter - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      New Garsen Quad Tour 15 grip - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      New Swag covers - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Jacob Bridgeman's custom Cameron putter - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Bud Cauley's custom Cameron putters - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Ryo Hisatsune's custom Cameron putter - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Chris Kirk - new black Callaway Apex CB irons and a few Odyssey putters - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Alejandro Tosti's custom Cameron putter - 2024 Cognizant Classic
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
        • Like
      • 2 replies
    • 2024 Genesis Invitational - Discussion and Links to Photos
      Please put any questions or comments here
       
       
       
      General Albums
       
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Monday #1
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Monday #2
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Tuesday #1
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Tuesday #2
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Tuesday #3
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Tuesday #4
       
       
       
       
      WITB Albums
       
      Rory McIlroy - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Sepp Straka - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Patrick Rodgers - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Brendon Todd - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Denny McCarthy - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Corey Conners - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Chase Johnson - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Tiger Woods - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Tommy Fleetwood - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Matt Fitzpatrick - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Si Woo Kim - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Viktor Hovland - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Wyndham Clark - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Cam Davis - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Nick Taylor - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Ben Baller WITB update (New putter, driver, hybrid and shafts) – 2024 Genesis Invitational
       
       
       
       
       
      Pullout Albums
       
      New Vortex Golf rangefinder - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      New Fujikura Ventus shaft - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Tiger Woods & TaylorMade "Sun Day Red" apparel launch event, product photos – 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Tiger Woods Sun Day Red golf shoes - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Aretera shafts - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      New Toulon putters - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Tiger Woods' new white "Sun Day Red" golf shoe prototypes – 2024 Genesis Invitational
       
       
       
       
       
      • 22 replies

×
×
  • Create New...