Wilson x31

[oldschoolrocker]

Just picked up a 2-pw set of 1973-74 Wilson x31s in pretty good shape with original reminder grips and all end caps intact. $1.00 a club. Post pics later.

[HoganApexBlades]

Good for you OSR! That's a great find! What shafts are they wearing?

[oldschoolrocker]

Wilson Ultralite power groove R flex.

[pymmdcp]

Dang! Great find. You stole those!

[oldschoolrocker]

Yes and the kicker in the boot was they had about 500 prov's good used condition for a quarter a piece.

[farmer]

I liked the x31's better than the Staff irons of the the same period.

[oldschoolrocker]

It will be interesting, and fun to compare the two side by side. The most notable difference is the flange on the x31.

[oldschoolrocker]

[attachment=2252645:image.jpg][attachment=2252647:image.jpg][attachment=2252649:image.jpg][attachment=2252651:image.jpg]

Some preliminary pics. Interesting flutes in the shaft, and I just became aware that the end caps have "made in Scotland" on them. I am sure everything is original. All shaft bands intact as well.

[freddiec]

I had a great set of X31 irons my freshman year in HS. A teammate had a set and I fell in love with them, then found a mint used set. They had great feel at impact. I only used them for a year or so then got Staff tour blades.

[oldschoolrocker]

Thanks freddiec,
First full set in this condition I have come across. Have and had lots of Staff sets over the years. Can't wait to see how these play. Normal playing set fg17s with a set of the screw weight Dynapowers getting a lot of love lately, so very interested to see how these stack up.

[freddiec]

Good luck, they look really great! The set I had was from the early 80s. I think 82. X 31 circled on the back with a crown on top.

[oldschoolrocker]

Finally had a chance to take them to the range. Not my best day as my back wasn't allowing my best swing, but when I was able to put a good move on they performed above expectations. A little concerned about the grips, it didn't take too many swings for them to start slipping. I hope I can rectify this because it would be a shame to lose the original condition of these. Everything is so intact. A solid strike puts a lot of mass behind the ball and it leaps off the club face. Easy to flight high to low without ballooning as well.

[ScooterMcTavish]

Hey Randy,

A few X31 woods have been through my hands but none have been the wood solution I was seeking. I do like the look of those, and sympathize with your back issues. A sore back chased me off the course this weekend.

For old grips, I have heard you can put brake fluid on them, and the rubber will absorb it and moisten up. I'm not too sure of that one.

When I used to be in printing, we used to have a rubber moisturising chemical called rubber rejuvenator. I would hope any large office supply store should sell it for use on things such as postage machine rollers.

And, if neither of the above appeals to you, a good strong scrub with a nylon brush and dish soap, followed by a good sanding with the coarse side of a sanding sponge. I used this technique to get one additional year out of my original FG-17 grips. However, this only seems to last a season, as the older rubber is inherently hard.

Or, there's good old "Gorilla Grip" that most golf stores sell. It feels like a rosin to me, and makes your grips tacky. Unfortunately, it also means you need to clean and reapply it regularly, as everything (like dust, bugs, etc.) sticks to it.

[HoganApexBlades]

Very nice condition! Great job on finding those classic blades!

[oldschoolrocker]

Well , second session at the range with these in direct comparison with the Dynapowers. Back and swing much more oily today, so I feel an honest appraisal.
Same shaft with the exception of the "flute" section on the x31s. Swing weight a tad lighter on the x31s due to grip differences. This showed up a couple of times in not feeling the clubhead during the swing.
Overall, the two performed on average the same distance wise, with the two main differences being in shot height and feel off the club face. The x31s had the same trajectory but with a lower apex. And the feel off the face was not as pure as with the Dynapowers. Now, that said both could be attributed to my striking differently due to the swing weight difference. Next session will be with some lead tape on the back of the x31s.
All in all very playable, but the Dynapowers are setup for my swing tempo perfectly.

[oldschoolrocker]

Okay, another update on the x31s. Feeling really good today. Went to the range this morning, yard work all during the day, then another range session this evening, with the whole bag of x31s.
Found that with the flange and different swing weight the best way to optimize the iron, for me, was by choking down about a half inch and playing a 3/4 swing. Wow... What a difference that made. Very nice penetrating ball flight with just a hint of a draw. Grips don't seem to be an issue when I throttle back a bit and the distance is on par with the Dynapowers this way as well.
Found the sweet spot.... These will get some serious bag time now.

[mcrobertsjmac32]

I had a couple of sets of x31's a few months back. loved them 7-SW, but couldn't hit any longer than the 7iron