W/S FG-17 Facts, Figures, & Stuff

[bazinoz]

Mine were standard taper tips - and no sign of the threaded hosel/shaft interface that some have encountered. They were however very snug fitting.

 

So, what size is the standard taper tip Birly? Is that .355 or .335 or what?

And are they (were they) easy to remove?

 

Cheers.

[birly-shirly]

0.355 for irons. They weren't the easiest heads to remove - but didn't require special tools or skills either. Just perseverance and a torch. Some were harder to remove than others, and it's tough to generalise with stuff that age.

[bazinoz]

0.355 for irons. They weren't the easiest heads to remove - but didn't require special tools or skills either. Just perseverance and a torch. Some were harder to remove than others, and it's tough to generalise with stuff that age.

 

Fantastic mate. Thanks for your help

[Hernasco]

I am having a rough time getting an FG-17 PW club head off a bent Dynamic steel shaft. Torched and no go. No visible rusting. Even heated and hammered clockwise in case it's a screw in threaded shaft tip...no go. Anyone ever really see with their own eyes threaded shafts in FG-17s or are they likely all smooth slide in shaft tips. I'm going to find or make a shaft puller next.. I don't want to discolor hosel over torching either. Don't want to cut shaft and have to ream out hosel. I'd welcome any suggestions for removing this head. Thanks!

[birly-shirly]

Sounds like what I went through. Shaft tips were not threaded, but hell to pull all the same.

I'd be interested to hear other's opinions, but I don't know if a puller is the answer. My guess would be that a puller is really only useful where you are trying to remove, and save, a shaft that won't withstand twisting. With a steel shaft, I think twisting by hand is probably more effective in breaking any bond than trying to pull along the length of the shaft, even with mechanical or hydraulic assistance.

[Hernasco]

I've bought online 3 FG-17 iron sets in last 2 years and all irons were 1" longer than 'standard' specs shown in Shallowface's post #8 in this thread. My 5 irons are each 38" with other irons stepped 1/2" up and down. Maybe Wilson got around to selling FG-17 irons in more modern lengths The 'standard' lie angles were probably adjusted too.

[birly-shirly]

I have Fg17s, Fg49s, and '89 or '90 Dynapowers and all are built stock to the same lengths - which are slightly shorter than I believe was industry standard by the late 80s.

[Hernasco]

My 1966 model Wilson Staffs are the shorter length (37" 5 iron, etc.), but all my FG-17s were longer by 1 inch. My FG-17s all have original Dynamic shafts. Maybe I just happened to get sets that were all made custom order longer than standard...seems a long shot though.

[CallMeStitch]

I know this is an old post (but the subject matter is timeless at this point, yes?), but I just wanted to say, "thank you", because this promo material is amazing to look at! [i'm going to be building a "re-issue" of the FG-17 for myself and this helps immensely].

[Shallowface]

You are welcome! Glad I could help.

[tomc262]

On 2/4/2020 at 6:28 AM, Shallowface said:

You are welcome! Glad I could help.

Can you repost the Wilson catalog image?  The original is no longer pulling into the post.  I'd love to see it.  Thanks!

[LeoLeo99]

Anyone remember the cost of FG17 irons?  My memory is faded but I think they were $340 for the set new and I picked up a used set in 1981 for $225.  

[NRJyzr]

52 minutes ago, LeoLeo99 said:

Anyone remember the cost of FG17 irons?  My memory is faded but I think they were $340 for the set new and I picked up a used set in 1981 for $225.  

 

 

The Maltby ID Guide lists the retail price in 1981 as $482 for 2-PW.  It goes up to $585 in 1983, but remember that was a rather inflationary time....

[boggyman]

Are they taper tip or reg 355s? Got a backup set and thinking of possibly installing some graphite shafts for a project build. Thanks in advance. 

[boggyman]

On 1/31/2020 at 9:48 AM, CallMeStitch said:

I know this is an old post (but the subject matter is timeless at this point, yes?), but I just wanted to say, "thank you", because this promo material is amazing to look at! [i'm going to be building a "re-issue" of the FG-17 for myself and this helps immensely].

Any photos after you got finished??

[Billy B]

My store find had 2-SW.

FG17 is painted in red.

[Ithaca Hack]

Great thread!  I've been playing a set of FG17s since the late '80s.  They're pretty beat up, but still work pretty well.  Commenting on TuffyE's initial posts - I've always grouped them as 2/3/4, 5/6/7, and 8/9/PW by head shape.  The transition from the 7 to the 8 is particularly pronounced.  The long and mid-irons are pretty similar, but the short irons are much larger, and require a much different move into the ball.  I used to call the 8 the magical mystical 8, but as I get older, I've started wanting a club with a little more bounce.  ; )

[Del Carey]

I have set(1 iron-9 iron) of Wilson Staff FG-17 L-409 irons in good shape, 8 iron has a nick in the sole. I haven't been able to find any information on the L-409. Any ideas?

[Bensdad]

Hope I'm not offending the moderator for this section but I have an FG-17  1 iron I would like to offer someone who  needs it.  A small price to cover shipping would be nice.  If there is any interest I'll be happy to send a picture along.

[Hernasco]

22 hours ago, Del Carey said:

I have set(1 iron-9 iron) of Wilson Staff FG-17 L-409 irons in good shape, 8 iron has a nick in the sole. I haven't been able to find any information on the L-409. Any ideas?

I'm going to guess the L-409 was the code for a customer. The clubs may have been ground to special custom specs requested by L-409.

[MattC555]

I have a set of these in my back up/persimmon bag.  Fantastic sticks that I inherited from my father who bought them new.  I'd love to see the catalog if someone has it.  It doesn't show on the first page anymore. 

[dnewma04]

On 10/7/2021 at 7:01 PM, Bensdad said:

Hope I'm not offending the moderator for this section but I have an FG-17  1 iron I would like to offer someone who  needs it.  A small price to cover shipping would be nice.  If there is any interest I'll be happy to send a picture along.

 

Very generous of you.  I just picked up a lovely FG-17 1 iron off of ebay on Saturday and it arrived today.  It's in stunningly good shape and really can't wait to hit it since the 2 iron has become one of my favorite long irons I've ever hit.

[dnewma04]

The FG-17s have become one of my go to blades of choice.  I used them more than any other iron in my collection this summer (3x) and every time I did, I played some of my best golf including equaling my best round ever at 72.  With the recent 1 iron purchase, I have 1-SW and picked up a 60 degree tour blade wedge that I've never seen before.  The non-fg tour blades were from an era that I wouldn't have expected a 60 degree wedge, so I'm at a loss as to what I purchased but it's close enough to the design of the FG-17 that I'm as pleased as can be with the purchase.  Hosel and ferrule are a direct match for the FG-17 set.

 

Edited October 11, 2021 by dnewma04

[dnewma04]

Now I'm wondering if that T K 60 degree wedge is from Tom Kite.  

I just found this quote from him:

 

Quote

Kite: Well, I was the first one to go to the 60-degree wedge way back in 1980. I don’t want to say it revolutionized, but it certainly changed the game. I put it in the bag and I instantly became a better player. I didn’t know anything about clubs, except I knew what I needed in terms of loft and length to get the ball to go the distance that I wanted it to go. So I put that in the bag in June of 1980, and in 1981 I was the leading money winner. I didn’t finish out of the top-10 for years. So it was a good run based on that wedge. So immediately guys started copying it and putting a 60-degree wedge in – well, not immediately, it took them a couple years to catch on. But, it was pretty received. And obviously (Bob) Vokey caught onto it and shortly thereafter I was with Titleist. That’s when I put the K-grind in.

 

[BIG STU]

2 hours ago, dnewma04 said:

Now I'm wondering if that T K 60 degree wedge is from Tom Kite.  

I just found this quote from him:

 

 

Yep that is a Joe Phillips ( JP) design Kite Special--- Later on when Kite went to Hogan they were called K Grind. 

[NRJyzr]

2 hours ago, dnewma04 said:

Now I'm wondering if that T K 60 degree wedge is from Tom Kite.  

I just found this quote from him:

 

 

 

Kite wasn't the first to go to a 60*, several wedges from the 30s and 40s had as much loft as that (according to a classic wedge connoisseur from the various golf forums).

 

He *was* the first in the "modern era" to add a third wedge to the PW/SW combination that was generally used, though.

 

[BIG STU]

26 minutes ago, NRJyzr said:

 

Kite wasn't the first to go to a 60*, several wedges from the 30s and 40s had as much loft as that (according to a classic wedge connoisseur from the various golf forums).

 

He *was* the first in the "modern era" to add a third wedge to the PW/SW combination that was generally used, though.

 

I know some of the old hustlers used to bend some wedges up with a pipe wrench but do not know to what loft. The first 60 I ever saw that came from the factory was a K Grind Hogan then Cleveland.