No new acquistions...?

[BIG STU]

On 1/10/2024 at 5:18 AM, The Aspidistra in the Hall said:

Yes, I've straightened a noticeable bow recently in a MacGregor RMT2 3iron. Hot air gun to just beyond touchable temperature and with hands either end of the club, lever it straight against a suitable surface, in my case my knee protected and cushioned with a towel...red neck stuff but it works. The old Pros tell about deliberately bending shafts...and straightening them again..by rubbing vigorously with a golf towel to get heat into it, and then bending over the knee. Often done on the course, I read.

I have done many a steel shaft by rubbing and bending back

[@_the_crook]

Found a 5i 855 and it is a bit larger than the 845. There is a 4 to 5mm difference in blade length.

 

Edited January 13 by @_the_crook
Data

[Maine Golfer]

nice and the upright models

[Shallowface]

From the 1995 catalog.  Regrettably no numbers as to amount of offset.  The names on that tour staff are interesting, and the fact they had one at all lent itself to the rumors that there was a reduced offset version of the 845 on tour, because after all would any tour pro be caught dead playing an offset cast club (although I do recall seeing Lietzke at a tournament with an entire bag of 845s except for the 1 iron.  The 1 iron said Tommy Armour on it but it was a MacGregor!  Lietzke was a great striker but the times I saw him I remember thinking he curved the ball in the air more than any tour pro I had ever seen except for the senior tour version of Billy Casper.)?  Well, to my knowledge none have ever surfaced and one would think if they existed we would have seen them somewhere. 

Edited January 13 by Shallowface

[Shallowface]

These are from a 1999 brochure, after they had been acquired by the owner of Teardrop putters.  As you may recall the previous company faceplanted in 1997 by discontinuing everything except the gargantuan all titanium TI-100 irons which were a huge flop in the marketplace.  The center of gravity in those deep face heads was too high to be effectively played by most people.  The people who needed the help of a huge head didn't receive it, and the good striker who might actually be able to make it work wouldn't touch it.

 

So ever since, through different owners, they've stuck the 845 label on a bunch of different clubs that had no relationship whatsoever to the original 845s..  Not to say they were bad clubs. It's just an observation.

 

The 845s Silver Scot pictured here are not the same clubhead as the originals.  Some of the lofts aren't the same, and these take parallel tip shafts as opposed to the taper tips of the original, which were a bear to remove and to re-install as the tips were dimpled in addition to being tapered.  All of that was done because for a time there was such high demand for the 845s that they didn't want to wait for the glue to dry in order to finish them by putting the grips on them and they didn't want them to come apart.  I used to pick up those 845s in the thrifts, remove them from the shafts and tumble them in a Golfworks vibratory tumbler.  I would then re-assemble them and flip them.  I don't know how many sets of those I did that with but it was more than a few.  They sold a ton of those clubs and they were plentiful and cheap for a very long time.    

[SnowbirdTom]

Those two MacGregor VIP fairway woods I posted about 10 days ago are filling out the set I'm picking up shortly.  Driver and 2-PW set of VIPs in a Burton bag with a couple putters I'm just going to have to share when I grab them in 60 minutes.

[SnowbirdTom]

17 hours ago, SnowbirdTom said:

Those two MacGregor VIP fairway woods I posted about 10 days ago are filling out the set I'm picking up shortly.  Driver and 2-PW set of VIPs in a Burton bag with a couple putters I'm just going to have to share when I grab them in 60 minutes.

 

What are the odds of the serial numbers matching up on all the woods?  Scary!  Seems they were meant to be together forever.  lol

 

A bit of digging in the club guide and it's verified - 1973 MacGregor VIP Limited full set - 1/3/4 woods and 2-9 (corrected*) split sole irons all with original grips and hardly any wear.  Do not detect any sign these have ever been refinished either. One year release.  Yeah, they're only 50 years old, but will be played again.  

 

I seem to remember several comments on how hard the split soles were to play.  True?

Edited January 14 by SnowbirdTom
No PW

[AdamMH]

32 minutes ago, SnowbirdTom said:

 

What are the odds of the serial numbers matching up on all the woods?  Scary!  Seems they were meant to be together forever.  lol

 

A bit of digging in the club guide and it's verified - 1973 MacGregor VIP Limited full set - 1/3/4 woods and 2-PW split sole irons all with original grips and hardly any wear.  Do not detect any sign these have ever been refinished either. One year release.  Yeah, they're only 50 years old, but will be played again.  

 

I seem to remember several comments on how hard the split soles were to play.  True?

I hit some split soles at a range, they weren't any harder to hit than other Macs, however turf interaction could be a problem if you're steep.

[elwhippy]

855s were a step up in feel. 845s felt harsh. Hugely popular clubs from another manufacturer who lost their way. 

[bcstones]

15 hours ago, SnowbirdTom said:

 

I seem to remember several comments on how hard the split soles were to play. 

I’m curious - what is the difference between “step sole” vs “split sole”.

 

Also, outside of the stamping, I’ve noticed that a MacGregor MT by MacGregor looks the same as MacGregor VIP by Jack Nicklaus (in the same years) are they?

Edited January 14 by bcstones

[SnowbirdTom]

1 hour ago, bcstones said:

I’m curious - what is the difference between “step sole” vs “split sole”.

 

Also, outside of the stamping, I’ve noticed that a MacGregor MT by MacGregor looks the same as MacGregor VIP by Jack Nicklaus (in the same years) are they?

Same/same as far as I can see on the soles.

 

I’ll defer to the Mac guys on the second observation.  I own exactly two sets of Macs now and a true neophyte on them.  Love my TA cf4000s tho.  These are yet to be swung at all!

 

Been cleaning out the huge Burton bag.  Some real goodies in there like a complete new dozen Titleist DT wound 90s in sleeves. Real nice Devant Hermitage towel too. 
 

Those metal woods are interesting for the shafts.  Never seen single stepped graphite shafts from Aldila!
 

 

Edited January 14 by SnowbirdTom

[Maine Golfer]

Case in point (absolutely something I would NOT buy) 

 

[SnowbirdTom]

51 minutes ago, Maine Golfer said:

Case in point (absolutely something I would NOT buy) 

 

See that junk on FB Marketplace all day.  Slows my browsing speed down a bunch.  lol

[Maine Golfer]

4 minutes ago, SnowbirdTom said:

See that junk on FB Marketplace all day.  Slows my browsing speed down a bunch.  lol

2 half blurry shots.

 

Full bag $99

 

 

[ezgoer]

3 hours ago, SnowbirdTom said:

Same/same as far as I can see on the soles.

 

I’ll defer to the Mac guys on the second observation.  I own exactly two sets of Macs now and a true neophyte on them.  Love my TA cf4000s tho.  These are yet to be swung at all!

 

Been cleaning out the huge Burton bag.  Some real goodies in there like a complete new dozen Titleist DT wound 90s in sleeves. Real nice Devant Hermitage towel too. 
 

Those metal woods are interesting for the shafts.  Never seen single stepped graphite shafts from Aldila!
 

 

Can never go wrong with a big Burton bag!! Great to use on course and better yet to store clubs. Hold 3 iron sets no problem. Think mine is currently storing all my decent shape wedges modern and vintage. 

[SnowbirdTom]

9 minutes ago, ezgoer said:

Can never go wrong with a big Burton bag!! Great to use on course and better yet to store clubs. Hold 3 iron sets no problem. Think mine is currently storing all my decent shape wedges modern and vintage. 

 

I stuffed my backup play set in it.  Mizuno ST-* metals and Srixon Z-Forged irons with Callaway TourX wedges.  It'll look great on the Navigator XT cruising the course. 

[bcstones]

1 hour ago, Maine Golfer said:

2 half blurry shots.

Pictures or pictures after 2 shots of single malt?

[ScottBHbum]

I could use some help on a potential acquisition; said to be a set of 54 Mac M09; driver, 2,3 and 4 woods (from the family of the original purchaser in 54).  Said to have original shaft and leather grips, but refinished heads.  I have the Kaplan catalog and it only lists the 54 M09 as a utility wood - no mention of accompanying fairway woods.  Did MacGregor make the M09 in a set, or said differently, did MacGregor make the M09 model in 2,3 or 4 wood?  

[weakputt]

1 hour ago, ScottBHbum said:

I could use some help on a potential acquisition; said to be a set of 54 Mac M09; driver, 2,3 and 4 woods (from the family of the original purchaser in 54).  Said to have original shaft and leather grips, but refinished heads.  I have the Kaplan catalog and it only lists the 54 M09 as a utility wood - no mention of accompanying fairway woods.  Did MacGregor make the M09 in a set, or said differently, did MacGregor make the M09 model in 2,3 or 4 wood?  

Holy Moly.

You may be considering purchasing one of the Holy Grails here.

Purchase and ask questions later.

... Go On!!!

[Stephen8802]

I've seen one pic of a fairway wood before...just one.

 

Remember, Macgregor had a special order department, you could always get whatever you want. You want an M09 fairway wood? Fine, they can stamp that on a model 40 and send it off.

 

I would buy that set.

[ezgoer]

LFF’s command A LOT of money! So much so they are a dream for most of us. Even the later remakes aren’t necessarily inexpensive. Heck yeah buy em especially if it’s for a reasonable price. Good luck

[bcstones]

Picked these two H&B PowerBilt 3 & 4 woods, made a deal w/the seller in the fbMarketplace (they were adjuncts in a whole different bunch of clubs). I asked if they were persimmon or laminated & was told they were persimmon....weelll - all I can say is "caveat emptor"...they were laminated.

Checked Kaplan's H&B guide - these are 1974 PowerBilt woods model 80950. The heads are in pretty good shape, the whipping is perfect, the shafts are PowerBilt Super Action True Temper R-flex...oh yeah - & laminated. Still  very playable, excellent woods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 19 by bcstones

[mocokid]

3 hours ago, bcstones said:

Picked these two H&B PowerBilt 3 & 4 woods, made a deal w/the seller in the fbMarketplace (they were adjuncts in a whole different bunch of clubs). I asked if they were persimmon or laminated & was told they were persimmon....weelll - all I can say is "caveat emptor"...they were laminated.

Checked Kaplan's H&B guide - these are 1974 PowerBilt woods model 80950. The heads are in pretty good shape, the whipping is perfect, the shafts are PowerBilt Super Action True Temper R-flex...oh yeah - & laminated. Still  very playable, excellent woods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you see the pics before purchase? Easy to see these are laminated. Nice, but not persimmon. 

[bcstones]

2 hours ago, mocokid said:

Did you see the pics before purchase? Easy to see these are laminated. Nice, but not persimmon. 

pics were only of sole in a bag filled w/odd assortment of clubs...I should have asked for better pics of top but was a wee bit difficult fb-messaging w/the Sister who was selling for Brother. (he was trying to sell all clubs for one price & I made an offer for just the 2 - even made separate prices if they were both laminated vs one of each vs  both persimmon)...all in all tho - they are still a very good pair of woods. I just overpaid a wee bit for playable clubs.

oh, the faces weren't really easily seen - they could have been either...

Edited January 20 by bcstones
forgot about the faces....senior moment

[ezgoer]

6 hours ago, bcstones said:

Picked these two H&B PowerBilt 3 & 4 woods, made a deal w/the seller in the fbMarketplace (they were adjuncts in a whole different bunch of clubs). I asked if they were persimmon or laminated & was told they were persimmon....weelll - all I can say is "caveat emptor"...they were laminated.

Checked Kaplan's H&B guide - these are 1974 PowerBilt woods model 80950. The heads are in pretty good shape, the whipping is perfect, the shafts are PowerBilt Super Action True Temper R-flex...oh yeah - & laminated. Still  very playable, excellent woods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a beat up but still playable very similar 1 & 3 pair of these i got for $4 a piece. Same insert but mine are solid black finished and also have the brass weight in the back. They aren’t pretty to look at BUT they play fantastic. Not sure if it’s higher loft, lower center of gravity, heavier weight or all of the above but they really hit nice. I’m glad I found them and really opened my eyes to a club would have never considered cuz it’s not a “beautiful persimmon”. 

[AdamMH]

No shame in good laminates. I picked up some laminates for giggles, a Spalding 4W to harvest a shaft from, a Northwestern 6W and a custom 8W! Odd looking clubs...

[ScottBHbum]

On 1/19/2024 at 12:20 AM, Stephen8802 said:

I've seen one pic of a fairway wood before...just one.

 

Remember, Macgregor had a special order department, you could always get whatever you want. You want an M09 fairway wood? Fine, they can stamp that on a model 40 and send it off.

Thank you - that's what I was thinking - they're Pro 40 models, but I wasn't sure.  I'm still learning...  and the experts here are so willing to help.  Thank you all!

 

Edited January 20 by ScottBHbum

[Shallowface]

11 hours ago, ezgoer said:

I have a beat up but still playable very similar 1 & 3 pair of these i got for $4 a piece. Same insert but mine are solid black finished and also have the brass weight in the back. They aren’t pretty to look at BUT they play fantastic. Not sure if it’s higher loft, lower center of gravity, heavier weight or all of the above but they really hit nice. I’m glad I found them and really opened my eyes to a club would have never considered cuz it’s not a “beautiful persimmon”. 

The standard lofts on Powerbilt fairways were usually 17/20/23 for the 3/4/5, one degree weaker than most of that day.  I had a laminated 4 wood that was just money.  I believe the drivers were generally 11 degrees just like most of the rest, but I'm thinking that in the 80s they may have offered some with different lofts. 

 

I remember seeing an ad once where Powerbilt said the brass backweight guaranteed a proper center of gravity in every club as it was heavy enough to overcome the variances of weight distribution in any block of wood, which of course would be more likely in a persimmon block than a laminated one.

 

Could have been hype, but I had a number of them through the years and, just as has been my experience with chili cheese hot dogs, I've never had a bad one.   

[bcstones]

29 minutes ago, Shallowface said:

The standard lofts on Powerbilt fairways were usually 17/20/23 for the 3/4/5, one degree weaker than most of that day

Thanks...just measured the 4 wood, it's ~20*.....seems that only the Citations had the brass backweight of the H&B woods I have. WOW! just looked at the price difference between a Citation PowerBilt & the PowerBlt laminated woods is a bit over double in favor of the Citation...The Citation PowerBilt club - ~$20 ea. & the Powerbilt club at ~$9 ea.

[Shallowface]

2 hours ago, bcstones said:

Thanks...just measured the 4 wood, it's ~20*.....seems that only the Citations had the brass backweight of the H&B woods I have. WOW! just looked at the price difference between a Citation PowerBilt & the PowerBlt laminated woods is a bit over double in favor of the Citation...The Citation PowerBilt club - ~$20 ea. & the Powerbilt club at ~$9 ea.

The less expensive Powerbilt line was called the Grand Slam.  Probably more sporting goods store level than true pro line but still a very good club.