Slazenger Ben Hogan Precision Irons - Serial: 102

[CharlieStelling]

I recently acquired a set (3-8 + E) of Slazenger Ben Hogan Precision Irons with matching serial numbers 102 on all the irons.

I found a few topics on this set already - though no mention of the 102 serial number, assuming similar age to the 302 i.e 1957?

 

Anyone know the difference between the 102, 202, 302 serials?

Kind regards,

Charlie

[CharlieStelling]

 

[BIG STU]

getting the Equalizer with that set is as rare as Hen's teeth---- On the Slazenger models I do not know on the numbers. By the way you posted it I take it that the 9 iron is missing? But still a nice find

[CharlieStelling]

Hi Stu,

Thanks for getting back, missing the nine iron unfortunately. The Equalizer doesnt have the Precision branding though the ferules match (102) so assuming same set? They're wasted on me, so looking to sell - not looking to get rich but any ballpark guess of value?

Charlie

 

.

[Foozle]

I have 2 sets of these - 202 & 302. I don't know the significance of the serial numbers but they are great irons. I understand the reference to "stradavaris" of golf clubs! However, from soft early season turf you do need to be very precise (hence Precision?!) as the sharp leading edge and lack of bounce makes them dig in like axe blades! I have other Slazenger Ben Hogan sets - '61 Power Thrust, '72 & '76 Apex but have struggled for much info on the Hogan / Slazenger set up and how the Slazengers produced under licence compare to Ft Worth examples? Interested in comments?

[BIG STU]

Charlie I am not really a Hogan expert now only own one set of Hogans which is a set of Hogan Branded 54 Precisions missing the Equalizer. But there are a numerous amount of Hogan experts on here and give them time they will chime in. Sometimes like now the Classics Forum gets a little stale then it comes back again like gangbusters

[cardoustie]

Sweet looking set

[All Square]

Hi all. Some pics of my full original set of '56/'57 302 Hogan/Slaz Precisions. Including original grip brass putter which has amazing feel. All in great nick. Rocket TT shafts. I play with these beauties so have had the irons re gripped with medium grip master tan leather wraps and cleaned up with a splash of paint. No re grooving or polishing rubbish. Just a good clean up. These are played hard.

The matching 1-4 speed slot woods are on a wall!   The E stamp is blurry but readable. Previous 1 owner spent lots of time on the beach. The Equalizer also has a 3.5 inch hosel whereas the others are 3 inch. No serial numbers on the hosels as per Slazenger. The other great club in this kit is the matching power thrust pitching wedge from the same time. 3 inch hosel. The toe does not carry the starburst stamp. However the original grip does. There is a ring of H's stamped around the top of the hosel. All this was probably done as a result of slazenger branding issues. They did things under license. Probably the same head shapes as the USA Hogans. Just different stamps and probably better forgings. Not absolutely sure. The 202 ferrules look the same. Probably batch numbers. Never seen a 102.

These clubs play beautifully. So easy to hit if you're not trying to belt the cover off a ball and stay relaxed. Less is more with these babies. BEWARE: Smacking this 2 iron sweetly off a low tee up, 180 up the middle with no feel of ball impact up the shaft can be addictive!!  Oh....and swing like Hogan!

 

Edited February 13, 2021 by All Square

[Jiggered]

I've got a set of those, also with 202 on the ferrules.  The number might have referenced shaft in some way, I'd guess one of the 2s for regular.

 

I've not seen that wedge before, are you in Australia?

 

The grips look good and you've done great work cleaning up the ferrules, must get my set cleaned up!

[Foozle]

1 hour ago, Jiggered said:

I've got a set of those, also with 202 on the ferrules.  The number might have referenced shaft in some way, I'd guess one of the 2s for regular.

 

I've not seen that wedge before, are you in Australia?

 

The grips look good and you've done great work cleaning up the ferrules, must get my set cleaned 

I think brother TheDeanAbides has information which decodes the ferrule numbers. Hopefully he will spot this thread and comment.

[TheDeanAbides]

41 minutes ago, Foozle said:

I think brother TheDeanAbides has information which decodes the ferrule numbers. Hopefully he will spot this thread and comment.

Hang on...

 

The info I have doesn't have any dates, only to say that the early models were '102'. Sorry that I can't be of more help. 

[All Square]

 

G'day Jiggered. That's a give-away. Yeah. I'm in Oz. Pity I had to change the original leather wraps. Pretty shot and carried the previous owners hand indentations. Just not playable.

Edited February 5, 2021 by MACLEARY

[Jiggered]

1 hour ago, MACLEARY said:

 

G'day Jiggered. That's a give-away. Yeah. I'm in Oz. Pity I had to change the original leather wraps. Pretty shot and carried the previous owners hand indentations. Just not playable.

 

Guessed as much!

 

I love the Slazengers you guys produced, they just seem a better quality than those made in the UK.

I've got a set of Oz Slazenger Jack Nicklaus Champion of the World (1964) but that's about it, the rest are UK made.

 

 

These three from the UK are pretty decent though:

Slazenger Bobby Locke (early 1960s)

Slazenger Gary Player (1962)

Slazenger Plus International (1972)

 

Edited February 6, 2021 by Jiggered

[All Square]

Very sweet clubs Jiggered. The woods in the set are made in England. Maybe the serial numbers relate to shaft lengths? S/M/L maybe. Here are some pics of the speed slots. I know we're talking irons but.....I sometimes take the 4 out depending on the track. A great fairway driver. Refurbed by Stewart Ginn around 1980 when club pro at Pacific club in Brisbane. I think he lightened the original colour stain to show off the wood grain and make them handsome! He got the colour wrong on the 3. Lol.

Edited February 6, 2021 by MACLEARY

[Foozle]

7 hours ago, MACLEARY said:

Very sweet clubs Jiggered. The woods in the set are made in England. Maybe the serial numbers relate to shaft lengths? S/M/L maybe. Here are some pics of the speed slots. I know we're talking irons but.....I sometimes take the 4 out depending on the track. A great fairway driver. Refurbed by Stewart Ginn around 1980 when club pro at Pacific club in Brisbane. I think he lightened the original colour stain to show off the wood grain and make them handsome! He got the colour wrong on the 3. Lol.

Nice clubs!

I think he has altered the colour, I have not seen them in this "honey" shade before. I believe the original would have been a maroon or burgundy not dissimilar to the insert colour. Also a paint rather than stain finish as per these rather "work weary" examples!

 

[Foozle]

15 hours ago, TheDeanAbides said:

Hang on...

 

The info I have doesn't have any dates, only to say that the early models were '102'. Sorry that I can't be of more help. 

Thanks. I think I am correct in saying you have the codes for each model though? Precision, Starburst, Power Thrust etc etc? Apologies if I have got that wrong.

[All Square]

I think you are absolutely correct re colour but a full strip. I love the stain. Works of art.

Edited February 6, 2021 by MACLEARY

[Foozle]

25 minutes ago, MACLEARY said:

I think you are absolutely correct re colour but a full strip. I love the stain. Works of art.

I am with you all the way. Wood grain is a thing of beauty, nice to see it rather than have it painted over. I like what Stewart Ginn has done with yours.

I am undecided on what to do with mine. They are basically solid and playable. A full strip and refinish like yours is very tempting, especially now I can see the potential results. Half the paint is already missing so removing the rest would probably be quite easy. However, the decals are still there which I would like to preserve. Rather than try to touch in paint and create a patchwork, I am inclined to simply seal over what is there and preserve the distressed / lived in look that records their history. 

Out of interest, I can't quite see from your pictures, are yours back weighted too?

[TheDeanAbides]

2 hours ago, Foozle said:

Thanks. I think I am correct in saying you have the codes for each model though? Precision, Starburst, Power Thrust etc etc? Apologies if I have got that wrong.

This is the info I have:

 

"

Slazenger info 

 

With reference to the stampings on the ferrules.....

Early Slazenger precisions had a 202 number and TT Rocket shafts [There may have also been a 201 number too]

Later Slazenger precisions had a 302 number and TT Rocket shafts. Have also seen some labelled 303 and "made In England". I don't know about the shaft flexes for these.

I know of an American fellow - his father was stationed in Germany with the military. He purchased clubs late 1957...Only remaining club he has left is a model 302, TT Rocket shafted "exploder" wedge

 

Model 451 were '58 model StarBursts. TT ProFit regular shafts and labelled "made In England". Woods had the same number.

Model 452 were '59 model StarBursts. TT ProFit regular shafts

Model 442 were '58 model StarBursts. TT ProFit shafts with a "L" rated flex.

With these, woods were sold in sets of 4. Irons in sets of eight. 2-9. A 1 iron, pitching wedge, bunker wedge and putter could be ordered additionally.

 

Model 552 were '61 model PowerThrusts. TT shafts with a thin silver label / blue lettering."

[All Square]

I think these are not weighted. I fully understand your views re the strip and decals. I am of the same mind but once anyone sees these old girls with a facelift,  its love at first sight. Old yarns and lies begin! The sole plate says it all. Besides, Ginn just wanted his name on top! Lol

Edited February 7, 2021 by MACLEARY

[Foozle]

33 minutes ago, TheDeanAbides said:

This is the info I have:

 

"

Slazenger info 

 

With reference to the stampings on the ferrules.....

Early Slazenger precisions had a 202 number and TT Rocket shafts [There may have also been a 201 number too]

Later Slazenger precisions had a 302 number and TT Rocket shafts. Have also seen some labelled 303 and "made In England". I don't know about the shaft flexes for these.

I know of an American fellow - his father was stationed in Germany with the military. He purchased clubs late 1957...Only remaining club he has left is a model 302, TT Rocket shafted "exploder" wedge

 

Model 451 were '58 model StarBursts. TT ProFit regular shafts and labelled "made In England". Woods had the same number.

Model 452 were '59 model StarBursts. TT ProFit regular shafts

Model 442 were '58 model StarBursts. TT ProFit shafts with a "L" rated flex.

With these, woods were sold in sets of 4. Irons in sets of eight. 2-9. A 1 iron, pitching wedge, bunker wedge and putter could be ordered additionally.

 

Model 552 were '61 model PowerThrusts. TT shafts with a thin silver label / blue lettering."

Excellent! Great reference material. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

[TheDeanAbides]

19 minutes ago, Foozle said:

Excellent! Great reference material. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

No worries!

[All Square]

Thank you TheDeanAbides. That is top stuff.

[All Square]

On 06/02/2021 at 11:03 AM, Jiggered said:

 

Guessed as much!

 

I love the Slazengers you guys produced, they just seem a better quality than those made in the UK.

I've got a set of Oz Slazenger Jack Nicklaus Champion of the World (1964) but that's about it, the rest are UK made.

 

 

These three from the UK are pretty decent though:

Slazenger Bobby Locke (early 1960s)

Slazenger Gary Player (1962)

Slazenger Plus International (1972)

 

There is an article in theaustraliangolfdigest.com.au from 2016 called 'Made in Australia" that talks about the club manufacturing happening in and around Sydney. It was very well regarded. You may have seen it.

[Jiggered]

2 hours ago, All Square said:

There is an article in theaustraliangolfdigest.com.au from 2016 called 'Made in Australia" that talks about the club manufacturing happening in and around Sydney. It was very well regarded. You may have seen it.

 

Yes, I've seen that, very good article.

 

Out of interest, a top bloke posted the original spec sheets for me from the Jack Nicklaus Champion of the World set shown above, here they are.

 

Strangely on my set though, the woods are laminated and the inserts are different, I wonder if they were made in the UK using mostly Australian parts? (Apologies for the filthy condition of the clubs, these pictures were taken just after I got them!)

 

 

[All Square]

Mate, I love that. Imagine having a set of those irons. Signed off by Faichney!

Your woods are a little different to the drawing. And no one has signed off on them. If I had to toss a coin I would back Brit made. Dunno exactly. The mystery continues. Oh......And good on that legend mate of yours for having that to share.

[Jiggered]

4 hours ago, All Square said:

Mate, I love that. Imagine having a set of those irons. Signed off by Faichney!

Your woods are a little different to the drawing. And no one has signed off on them. If I had to toss a coin I would back Brit made. Dunno exactly. The mystery continues. Oh......And good on that legend mate of yours for having that to share.

 

I only know the guy through another forum but apparently the Slazenger catalogues are held at the Australian Golf Heritage Society Museum and he hunted these out for me and posted up a copy.  What a great archive to have!

[Bantam Ben]

Hi, Bantam Ben here.

 

I only recently learned about the GolfWRX and Hogan forums, and wanted to share my obsession with Mr. Hogan's product progression thru the 1950s.

I currently own all of the clubs I will share/offer since the early 1980s.  Sorta makes me a ‘mature’ Hogan collector, eh?

 

In 1981, I came across the Slazenger Hogan 1, 3 and 4 woods you see below thru Mr. Dale Andreason, a former PGA tour professional and colleague of Mr. Hogan.  His son Steve pointed me towards these woods, and I bought them on the spot.  Later on I learned that some sets included a 2 wood; I don't have a 2 wood.

 

Initial research suggests that these woods were from 1953 era.

 

Of course, as a young golf stud, I wanted to play these bad boys, so in went the X300 shafts along with a complete refurbishment of the heads and the whipping…they still look breathtaking to me.

 

After getting them back, I just couldn’t bear to hit them, and I’d kept the original shafts (see below).  Note the shafts, the Slazenger/Ben Hogan and Green band TruTemper rocket labels are in excellent condition.  So, if a collector wanted to return these to the original condition, everything needed is included.  Also note the butt end of the Driver features a white circle, whereas the 3 & 4 woods show an S (Slazenger, no doubt).

 

Henrik of BenHoganVintage suggested that I share these with the forum.  Along with other Slazenger Hogan woods and irons, these are no doubt an important part of Mr. Hogan's desire to continuously improve the clubs and the club manufacturing industry.

 

 

 

 

[Bantam Ben]

Bantam Ben here.

Forgot to include pics of the original shafts...

[Jiggered]

55 minutes ago, Bantam Ben said:

Hi, Bantam Ben here.

 

I only recently learned about the GolfWRX and Hogan forums, and wanted to share my obsession with Mr. Hogan's product progression thru the 1950s.

I currently own all of the clubs I will share/offer since the early 1980s.  Sorta makes me a ‘mature’ Hogan collector, eh?

 

In 1981, I came across the Slazenger Hogan 1, 3 and 4 woods you see below thru Mr. Dale Andreason, a former PGA tour professional and colleague of Mr. Hogan.  His son Steve pointed me towards these woods, and I bought them on the spot.  Later on I learned that some sets included a 2 wood; I don't have a 2 wood.

 

Initial research suggests that these woods were from 1953 era.

 

Of course, as a young golf stud, I wanted to play these bad boys, so in went the X300 shafts along with a complete refurbishment of the heads and the whipping…they still look breathtaking to me.

 

After getting them back, I just couldn’t bear to hit them, and I’d kept the original shafts (see below).  Note the shafts, the Slazenger/Ben Hogan and Green band TruTemper rocket labels are in excellent condition.  So, if a collector wanted to return these to the original condition, everything needed is included.  Also note the butt end of the Driver features a white circle, whereas the 3 & 4 woods show an S (Slazenger, no doubt).

 

Henrik of BenHoganVintage suggested that I share these with the forum.  Along with other Slazenger Hogan woods and irons, these are no doubt an important part of Mr. Hogan's desire to continuously improve the clubs and the club manufacturing industry.

 

 

 

 

 

Nice woods!

They were paired with Slazenger's Precision irons and date to 1957 or 1958.  

The Hogan Slazenger partnership began in 1957 and ended in the mid 1970s.

 

Edit:  On the original shafts, I'd guess that the "S" has dropped out of the driver end cap leaving the white disc showing.

Edited February 22, 2021 by Jiggered