Looking into getting an older set of blades (vip tourney, titleist tour model, hogan)

[foxycats]

I'm currently looking at investing in a set of blades from the 80's to put into play this summer. I'm not sure what to go with though. I was born in 88, and never got the chance to play with any of these sticks. I was hoping I could get some of the veterans of the board to give their input on which models were their favourite.

 

As for my preference, I don't like offset in shorter irons, and very minimal in longer irons. Square toe would be neat to use, but mostly I'm just looking for conforming grooves and something I can reshaft (i don't understand the whole pinned shafts thing, can they be reshafted normally)

 

Thanks

[Bigmean]

Are the 80s a must? I find the 90s has a lot of great blades that are now actually "old school" I guess.

Everyone swears by hogan redlines if 80s it is though.

[foxycats]

80's isn't a must, It's just the thought of using clubs older than myself.

[Gnomesteel]

The early 90's Mizuno Tour Proven models are a great choice. There's a good thread on here about Faldo's equipment.

[DaveGoodrich]

I would think that most '80's blades aren't going to be conforming.

[1957Strat]

MacGregor VIP's would fill that ticket nicely. (Pro 81 or 82 forgings)

[donaldp83]

I was also born in '88, but have always had a fetish with the great old blades. I have played many, but my gamers were Hogan Redlines for the last 8 years. They were from '88, but have the pin. I was told by a local club fitting fella that they are pretty easy to do, but I can't confirm that for sure... I am sure someone on here has some experience with that.

Anyway, many of the Hogans are great. Some of the others I have played from the 70s to early 90s that I really liked were Haigs (forgot which ones), MP-14s, Wilson FG-51s, and Muirfields. I have played some other Hogans that were great also (Medallions, Cameos, '92 Apexes, etc), but the Redlines just felt the best of anything I have ever played.

[bladehunter]

my personal favorite is the titleist tour models form 86-90.....these are the ones referred to as bullet backs....They can be had for under $100 a set a lot of the time on ebay and they are very very similar to the famed 681 from titleist....heres a pic of the 86-90 91-94 and then the 681.(bottom to top in picture) ...not much difference and the bullet backs are a 1/4 the price... The 91-94 are the best looking but exceedingly rare.... all 3 play identically (assuming same shaft) ....I would stay away from the 1985 models and earlier as they have less muscle and are just less in the performance category in my opinion....85s are ok IF you like an extremely square sole....I don't so I steer clear,, hope that helps

[bladehunter]

[quote name='DaveGoodrich' timestamp='1419267659' post='10628629']
I would think that most '80's blades aren't going to be conforming.
[/quote]


actually all titleist are..they have had v grooves since forever.....

[DaveGoodrich]

[quote name='bladehunter' timestamp='1419305615' post='10631451'][quote name='DaveGoodrich' timestamp='1419267659' post='10628629']
I would think that most '80's blades aren't going to be conforming.
[/quote]


actually all titleist are..they have had v grooves since forever.....[/quote]
Good to know, thanks.

[Parker0065]

[quote name='bladehunter' timestamp='1419305415' post='10631437']
my personal favorite is the titleist tour models form 86-90.....these are the ones referred to as bullet backs....They can be had for under $100 a set a lot of the time on ebay and they are very very similar to the famed 681 from titleist....heres a pic of the 86-90 91-94 and then the 681.(bottom to top in picture) ...not much difference and the bullet backs are a 1/4 the price... The 91-94 are the best looking but exceedingly rare.... all 3 play identically (assuming same shaft) ....I would stay away from the 1985 models and earlier as they have less muscle and are just less in the performance category in my opinion....85s are ok IF you like an extremely square sole....I don't so I steer clear,, hope that helps
[/quote]

I had the 86 Model I played from 1987-1990.
I was always a MacGegor Tourney Man in the 1970's and into the 1980's but these Titleist Tour Model irons were excellent in my book. I gave them to an old Army buddy that wanted to start playing when I changed sets in 1991 and of course I missed them after they were gone.

If I was going old school I would stick with Late 80's Titleist or Hogan Apex. MacGregor did make a comeback in the Mid-Late 90's with some nice irons if your willing to go that new. Of course if you go 90's Mizuno was excellent as well.

[RogerinNewZealand]

Definitely try a few sets!! This is Golfwrx!!

Regret selling 681 titleist.
Tour Model are timeless!!
And Hogan Apex Plus.
I was unsure how to pull shafts on Pinned Hogans,
Had some Macgregor PCB Tour, looked superb..but no feel !! not just me, my Coach too !!
V I P seem a winner.
I feel the key is to get a set with Chrome in tidy condition ! Reshaft to suit.
I'm just using 2008 1020 Cobra Pro MB as my Spare set !! In 2020 years will be a Classic!!

[fr0sty]

Any mizuno blade of the last decade or 3?

[foxycats]

Thanks for all the input! You guys have given me some great input. I really like the look of the Vfoil line. But I would say my favourite look is the square toe Titleist line. It would be nice to find a set of tour models that someone got customized in the early 90's with the square toe as an option. I also have been a big fan of the hogan line, but its tough to find a set of redlines or personals that are in decent shape. I want to send them off to get refinished, so they don't have to be perfect, but it's the whole pinned shaft bit that is throwing me off.

[ckay]

MP 14s and call it a day

[OutBackHack]

I have a set of the VIP Tourneys..great clubs. .pm me if you want some more info about them

[MoaningM]

Hogan apex redlines from 1988'ish are a classic, my personal favourite is the 1972 wilson dynapower buttonback. What a classic iron.

Bulletback's is another to thow in the mix, head on over to the classic section, and ask the same question, they have answers to questions you have not even thought of!

[Fellaheen51]

+100% on what MM sez ^, go to http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/forum/231-classic-golf-and-golfers/ and you will learn everything you need to know about classic irons. Amazing amount of knowledge resides in that sub-forum. As far as Hogans, there are experts who will advise you on every facet of the the line. Ask any question, you will get answers.

Pristine Redlines, Apexs, etc. can be found on eBay and elsewhere. Need to be knowledgeable and have a good eye for what you're looking for. Do your homework. Expect to pay a premium for them but may be cheaper in the long run than refinishing. VGC examples of '88 Redlines seem to be in the $300 - 350 range. Mint state, higher still.

[NRJyzr]

Count me as one who doesn't like the Redlines. Never got that whole thing.

As a side note, most Hogan blades are pinned.

I'm particularly fond of Golden Ram Tour Grinds. The Vibration Matched models are from the mid-80s, the Frequency Matched models are from 1987-91.

Wilson Staffs are great, FG17s, assorted Fluid Feels, the 78 Staff Tour Blades, but they can be a pain to reshaft, reputed to have used threaded hosels, with the shafts screwed in.

MacGregor Muirfields are similar to the famous VIP, and also date from the mid 80s. The Muirfield 20ths are even better IMHO, are a 1987 model. The nice thing about the two Muirfield models is they have a bit of bounce to them.

If you absolutely hate offset, you should at least consider the Tommy Armour 986 Tours. They truly have zero. In fact, they may even be onset. A very nice blade.

As for worrying about the groove rule, everything is conforming unless you're playing top Amateur events with the groove rule as a condition of competition. The rule doesn't apply to the rest of us for another 9 years or so, and may not even be applied then. IMHO it's a non-factor.

[oldschoolrocker]

+1 on both the Wilson fg17, or the Mac Pro82. Don't box yourself in to just the 80's. Be bold enough to venture into the 50's, 60's, and 70's as well. You might be surprised what you can find.

[brockgolf44]

[quote name='foxycats' timestamp='1419265684' post='10628439']
I'm currently looking at investing in a set of blades from the 80's to put into play this summer. I'm not sure what to go with though. I was born in 88, and never got the chance to play with any of these sticks. I was hoping I could get some of the veterans of the board to give their input on which models were their favourite.

As for my preference, I don't like offset in shorter irons, and very minimal in longer irons. Square toe would be neat to use, but mostly I'm just looking for conforming grooves and something I can reshaft (i don't understand the whole pinned shafts thing, can they be reshafted normally)

Thanks
[/quote]

Sounds like your end goal is to shoot higher scores this summer? Yes, these old sets of blades are really cool to look at...but there is a reason that even on the PGA tour you see less and less sets of true blades, much less the butterknife blades you are looking at getting.

I did this in high school (late 90's). Had been playing 962's and thought i was "too awesome" to be playing cavity backs so I put a set of Hogan Apex blades into play. They looked really pretty but thats about it...when i got to college my coach made me get something different (T-Zoids).

But for sake of engaging in your original question...the Hogans were always the most traditional perfect looking blade in my opinion. Obviously any Mizuno blade is great. The old MP 14/27 are awesome. I never liked the McG Tourneys look. I felt they had to small of a heel, if that makes sense.

If you really want to go retro, look at the RAM blades or the Maxfli Australian Blades.

[foxycats]

[quote name='NRJyzr' timestamp='1420470172' post='10688609']
Count me as one who doesn't like the Redlines. Never got that whole thing.

As a side note, most Hogan blades are pinned.

I'm particularly fond of Golden Ram Tour Grinds. The Vibration Matched models are from the mid-80s, the Frequency Matched models are from 1987-91.

Wilson Staffs are great, FG17s, assorted Fluid Feels, the 78 Staff Tour Blades, but they can be a pain to reshaft, reputed to have used threaded hosels, with the shafts screwed in.

MacGregor Muirfields are similar to the famous VIP, and also date from the mid 80s. The Muirfield 20ths are even better IMHO, are a 1987 model. The nice thing about the two Muirfield models is they have a bit of bounce to them.

If you absolutely hate offset, you should at least consider the Tommy Armour 986 Tours. They truly have zero. In fact, they may even be onset. A very nice blade.

As for worrying about the groove rule, everything is conforming unless you're playing top Amateur events with the groove rule as a condition of competition. The rule doesn't apply to the rest of us for another 9 years or so, and may not even be applied then. IMHO it's a non-factor.
[/quote]

I definitely don't like a lot of offset... I tried using ping ansers and I couldn't do it... I hit everything way left for some reason, and couldn't flight them down. Unfortunately the groove rule also applies to every tournament I play in, so it is important. Thanks for all your input guys. I actually went with a set of tour models from blade hunter. Really looking forward to them!

[BCULAW]

[quote name='ckay' timestamp='1420434926' post='10687641']
MP 14s and call it a day
[/quote]

+1. I have a mint set of 714mbs sitting in the corner right now because my mp14s are hogging the bag. On the short list for best ever.

[foxycats]

picked up a set of mp11 and those 94 tour blades. they are both in very nice condition... wouldn't mind some information on the mp11 though. definite impulse buy

[NRJyzr]

[quote name='foxycats' timestamp='1421823329' post='10788781']
picked up a set of mp11 and those 94 tour blades. they are both in very nice condition... wouldn't mind some information on the mp11 though. definite impulse buy
[/quote]


I have a set of MS-11s, essentially the same as the MP-11s. I'd contacted Mizuno USA for the specs, which they were kind enough to send.

They are RH only. Should be taper tip shafts, but the specs mention they also did some parallel bores.
The MS-11s are from 1989-1990, the MP-11s are from 1990-1993.
V grooves. Standard swingweight was D1.

Here are the loft and lie specs they sent, which included the offset, something I thought was a nice inclusion. This was 2004, hence the ASCII chart.
The length is Mizuno's practice at the time of measuring to be ungripped butt of the club, allowing for another 1/8" for the grip cap.

Notice the healthy bounce.

|------------+--------+-------------------------+--------+--------+-------|
| MS/P-11 | Length | Loft | Lie | Bounce |Offset |
|------------+--------+-------------------------+--------+--------+-------|
| 1 | | 15° | 55° | 1° | .18" |
| |39.375" | | | | |
|------------+--------+-------------------------+--------+--------+-------|
| 2 | 38.875"| 18° | 56° | 4° | .17" |
|------------+--------+-------------------------+--------+--------+-------|
| 3 | 38.375"| 21° | 57° | 5° | .17" |
|------------+--------+-------------------------+--------+--------+-------|
| 4 | | 24° | 58° | 5° | .17" |
| |37.875" | | | | |
|------------+--------+-------------------------+--------+--------+-------|
| 5 | | 27° | 59° | 5.5° | .17" |
| |37.375" | | | | |
|------------+--------+-------------------------+--------+--------+-------|
| 6 | | 31° | 60° | 5.5° | .15" |
| |36.875" | | | | |
|------------+--------+-------------------------+--------+--------+-------|
| 7 |36.375" | 35° | 60.5° | 6° | .15" |
|------------+--------+-------------------------+--------+--------+-------|
| 8 | 35.875"| 39° | 61° | 6° | .15" |
|------------+--------+-------------------------+--------+--------+-------|
| 9 | | 43° | 61.5° | 6° | .15" |
| |35.625" | | | | |
|------------+--------+-------------------------+--------+--------+-------|
| PW | | 48° | 62° | 7° | .19" |
| |35.375" | | | | |
|------------+--------+-------------------------+--------+--------+-------|
| FW |35.125" | 52° | 63° | 9.5° | .19" |
|------------+--------+-------------------------+--------+--------+-------|
| SW |35.125" | 56° | 63° | 11° | .19" |
|------------+--------+-------------------------+--------+--------+-------|

I've found they hit the ball higher than other blade sets I've played. They hit the ball slightly higher than the same numbered club in my Vibration Matched Golden Ram set, which is about 3° weaker throughout the set (2° difference in a couple clubs), and have standard Rifle shafts, compared to the Dynamic Golds I had in the MS-11s.

[boggyman]

There's a set of FG17s on the BST for $80! Super sweet irons, not too sure about a reshaft though.

[lilcaeser]

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh