No new acquistions...?

[BIG STU]

Ultra nice Luuuumber there my friend---- But they are turned bassackwards----- But seriously nice

[RobotDoctor]

I just picked up this driver. I see a restoration spa treatment from a person in Texas or Oregon some time in the future.

 

I am curious whether if this is a solid block or if there is some lead under the sole plate. Time will tell.

[deejaid]

Lovely block of persimmon there!

[RobotDoctor]

Thanks! I am probably going to have it restored at some point.

[SteveNZ]

Could see why you might want to have a resto done, but looks pretty good as it is!

 

What colour would you call that?

[RobotDoctor]

I would think that's dark walnut.

I know the M85W looks pretty good as is but there could be issues with the shaft being slightly loose if it was not ever reset. The old glue breaks down after several decades. Also, want to make sure the insert is affixed tightly. I would definitely hit this driver (with some unused Titleist Balata balls I have) so I would want the driver to be prepared for that. Also, DW does such exemplary work so as good as this driver is now, it would be at a higher plateau after his work.

[RobotDoctor]

I sent pics of the driver to Dave Wood and he said

"Judging by the photos, I suspect that you have acquired one of the best M85W blocks around. I love the tight grain and carbon spots. Not sure, but it almost appears to be a "Big block" with a fantastic face profile. Good chance that its a solid block. Great acquisition!"

 

So out of curiosity, because I must be part cat, I took the sole plate off. This is what'a under the hood.

Dave was right!!! He will be getting this one sent out in a day or two, along with my 693 2-4 woods!

 

 

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Wow. Solid! How deep is the face? When I saw the first photos you posted, I thought it looked to be quite deep-faced.

[RobotDoctor]

It is just under 1 3/4. Dave sent back an email that said "OMG... You possess the Rarest of the rare! Got to wonder who this was made for?"

The swingweight is just over D7 (about D7.3). This driver was made for some brute of a player!

[NRJyzr]

 

D7 sounds amazing

[Stephen8802]

I'm thrilled at my latest pickup, a 653 driver. I've had my Kaplin since '82 or '83, read it hundreds of times, and have always thought the description on the 653 made sense for my game. Having never seen one in person, I decided to jump on this last week and now have one in my possession. I really like the way this sits at address and look forward to getting it into playing shape. Its in good condition with only the slightest, and shortest, neck crack and everything else in good order. I think it looks very similar to my '58 TP1W driver, as if the '58 is the natural continuation of the earlier 653.

Its hard to get the right angle with the iPhone without one looking a little bigger than the other, but next to each other they are close.

[kmay__]

Hey guys found these on the local classifieds app..... what do ya think? Could be a good deal for you US guys given the current exchange.....

 

[Drivingrangehero]

About the bird...... at first I was going to part with the whole purchase, being that I only got the set of sticks, because I wanted the bag, but now the only thing I can’t part with is the head covers. I just listed the irons and woods in the classified section, but the head covers grew on me............ I’m going to have one made for my driver to match the rest, because my Modern (Ping) driver won’t fit in the #1 head cover

[UK_Neil]

Hi guys, Anyone got any idea what these clubs are? The problem I have identifying them is a) they have a sunburst logo (which makes them a Sabre) but b) the two recessed lines on the back are the same length as the precision's, at least that's what they look the size of) they measure 18mm in length

I haven't been able to locate a picture on the web that allows me to confirm what they are, or am I just looking at the pictures wrong ( I have 2 to 9, the 7's got a ding in it). Thanks in advance.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

I'm assuming you're in the UK, so I wondered if they were a Slazenger Hogan model, but if that were the case, they should be stamped "Slazenger" somewhere.

 

[UK_Neil]

Yep. In the UK, no Slazenger anywhere.

 

 

[northplatteriver]

Looks like 1958 Sunburst Sabers. Changed from the 3 rings to a single nubbed ring on the 1959's. Also they are chromed not stainless steel like the Slazengers would have been.

[UK_Neil]

 

Ta bud . Here are the numbers underneath, they are strange!!!!.

[LeftyMac]

Got these a few months back 2- PW. Heads, shafts and shaft bands are perfect and the grips original. They look like they have only been used a couple of times.

[BIG STU]

NICE!!! But OMG they are backwards!!!!------ LOL Stu strikes again

[BIG STU]

Love it and trust me I would play at least one round with them like I found them. If they needed grip I would just wrap them with athletic tape and play on. I have played rounds with stuff that looks rougher than that straight off the junk pile

[dcopp7]

I traded a non-running Briggs 5hp engine I picked off the side of the road for a set of Cobra oversize irons 3-PW. I need the 5 iron if anyone finds one. It has the steel S Firm shaft in it.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

A couple of dozen balls. I'm keen to test the wound surlyns (actually Surlyn-Lithium, apparently) against the modern ball. On the putting matt, the DTs felt lighter than the modern ball (a ProV1).

As for the balatas...I know many of you on here talk about the feel off the driver, but I had forgotten how good they feel off the putter! Callaway's White Hot insert tries to get pretty close to that feeling with the modern ball, but it's not the same. Soft, but not balata-like. With the balata, it feels soft, but I can still feel the weight of the ball. With the White Hot insert and modern ball, I don't get the weight of the ball at impact so much.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

I'm on a balata/wound ball buying spree after realising it's much easier to hit one with a persimmon driver compared to a modern ball.

This is now my collection of balatas/wound:

Courses are still open here, but I'm not sure about playing.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

I also picked up this nice looking Mizuno 3w. On the sole is a stamp a bit like an "A" and also the slogan "The Mark of Reliance". I've seen this on some Mizuno woods (but not many), and I can't put a date on it. The persimmon looks good, but it's not part of the Mizuno Staff (later Mizuno Pro), lineup which started in 1980. It a carbon shaft, and doesn't show signs of having been reshafted, so I'd guess it's late Eighties.

Anyway, it's beautifully balanced, and the shaft is nice. I like the small head, which is noticeably shallower than my other Mizuno 3w, which is a Mizuno Pro. The Mizuno Pro 3w face is one and a half inches deep, whereas this one is one and a third. A comparison pic is included (the Mark of Reliance 3w is on the left).

The seller said this had 13* of loft, so I'm thinking of taking it instead of the driver if I use a modern ball.

[SteveNZ]

Good golfers I know tell me those Royal Maxflis are awesome.

[BIG STU]

I have been playing balata some in my vintage rounds. I usually hit like a Srixon Soft Feel off the tee but have been using the PGA Balata balls justasgood graciously sent me for approaches and putting. Love spinning them with the wedges and the feel of putting them with my Mac Iron Master. Yeah I do not want to knock them out of round with the driver or risk losing one off the tee because on my course with the fairways dry and hard you can hit a good shot in the fairway and it take a wicked bounce into trouble. I though I had lost one of the Palmer Balatas Scooter sent me a few years back but luckily I found it. For me it is not the feel off the driver but the feel off the short irons and putting. LOL Last Saturday I did have one of those PGA balls in my regular bag. On the last hole a Par 5 I had a 100 yard wedge shot into a hard green. I put it down and hit it full bore with my old 50* Equalizer. That thing hit with my normal cut spin jumped sideways spinning and checked up @ 3 feet. One of the guys made the remark at the club house about it. The GM told him yeah more than likely he snuck a balata ball in on your butt for that shot he went on to tell them about me hitting flop shots around the practice green with those balls.

Justagood--- I told you I would use them!!!!

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Just putting and chipping with one on my putting matt, I'd say they are softer than the Tour Balatas. Almost too soft in that they want to stick to the face.

Srixon Soft Feel? Perhaps I should give them a try. The last time I played, I used a surlyn wound ball, but after hitting one OB on the third*, I played a Callaway TruVis Chrome soft for the remainder of the hole. The ChromeSoft felt like a rock off both the irons (Mac Muirfields) and woods, and off the driver it flew like a knuckleball. The wound ball was so much easier to hit with persimmons. I don't generate a lot of spin anyway, so with modern low-spin balls and persimmons, I really struggle with anything lower lofted than a 3-wood.

Now, I totally agree with you as well about the wonderful feel of balata for putting and wedge shots. The Surlyn ball didn't have that, and I expected that to be the case. I never thought surlyn balls felt soft even when I was playing them as a junior. However, I DID know that the surlyn wounds balls felt better and span more that surlyn two-pieces like Pinnacle or Ultra. Because the balatas were more expensive and didn't last, they were saved for competitions, and usually special ones at that (like the city's junior tournament); Wound surlyn was the next best, then two-piece balls like Pinnacle or Ultra. Molitors were for when you didn't care.

The greens on UK courses probably aren't watered as much as in the US. Certainly, in summer when I was a junior, the greens could end up like rock after a few sunny days. Then when it rained, it was time to bring out the Ultras and Pinnacles and what nots that you'd picked up around the course, because with the ground sodden you could get them to stop on the greens at last, and save the expensive wound balls for better days.

I don't want to use the balatas for every persimmon round, but putting them in to play makes a persimmon and blades round feel complete.

 

*It was internal OB, and I was able to find my ball and use it for the rest of the round. Don't want to lose any of these precious wound balls.

[RobotDoctor]

I would LOVE a few Royal Maxfli balls. These are very hard to come by. I haven't seen any the past few years on eBay. I have 5 dozen (or so) Titleist balata balls, mostly 100 compression. Like compression really matters after 20+ years. I keep my eye on balatas and will purchase a dozen when the price is too good to pass up. I will not buy used balata balls. Of course anyone who has played balata knows why.

[BIG STU]

Oh yeah back in the day I could spin the crap out of a wound Titleist DT. But the covers on those things were hard on the pressed carbon face of my driver. I learned the hard way. Had to have my bud who done the original one replace it.