What to do with a Mizuno persimmon (ladies) 3w?

No_Catchy_Nickname · January 20, 2016

At a driving range last year, I picked this club (see pics) out of the bin of "range clubs" and hit it for old times' sake to loosen up. I was actually hitting it pretty well, and the range owner said I could take it. So I did, because it's a nice looking club, but it's also a ladies' club with a really whippy shaft, which doesn't suit me. I am clearing out some of clubs--obviously to make room for more, because this is GolfWRX after all--and I don't know what to do with this. Secondhand shops won't take it because there doesn't seem to be much interest in Japan in vintage golf, but I don't want to throw it away. I would be happy to give it away, because I got it for free in the first place, but I can't find anyone who wants it. I am wondering whether I should just surreptitiously return it to the driving range bin next time I go there. Anyway, here are some pictures. I don't think it's a particularly old model, probably late 80s/early nineties judging by the condition. I have left the protective seal on, which you can see on the picture of the face.

Anyone know of someone in Japan who wants a free persimmon 3-wood?

mocokid · January 21, 2016

you could get it refinished, reweighted, and reshafted into a men's club. You could leave it as is and use as a training club.

No_Catchy_Nickname · January 21, 2016

you could get it refinished, reweighted, and reshafted into a men's club. You could leave it as is and use as a training club.

They are both good options which I considered, but the reshafting/refinishing would cost quite a lot here, and while I hit it well while loosening up, I didn't find it much use as a training aid after that. It really was just that one time that I hit it well; after that I think I was over-conscious of the whippiness of the shaft.

It's a nice looking club in decent shape, which is why I'd like to find it a good home.

Edit: better than the one I am providing for it here

TimV · January 21, 2016

"I was actually hitting it pretty well...".

"but it's also a ladies' club with a really whippy shaft, which doesn't suit me."

Sorry, I don't understand. You start by indicating you hit it well but then say it doesn't suit you.

If the problem is the ladies label on the crown, sand it off and fill it in with a close matching nail polish and a squirt of clear lacquer or polyurethane.

Juice__25 · January 21, 2016

This would be perfect to get a young kid interested in golf and in vintage clubs!

No_Catchy_Nickname · January 21, 2016

"I was actually hitting it pretty well...".
"but it's also a ladies' club with a really whippy shaft, which doesn't suit me."

Sorry, I don't understand. You start by indicating you hit it well but then say it doesn't suit you.
If the problem is the ladies label on the crown, sand it off and fill it in with a close matching nail polish and a squirt of clear lacquer or polyurethane.

Yes, I realise it was a bit confusing. To clarify, on the day, I started off hitting it to warm up. It was a cold day, and I just started with slow half swings to loosen up, building up to no more than a three quarters swing. I hit it well, in that I was finding the centre of the club face, and I wasn't too worried about where the ball was going because I was just loosening up.

When I took it to a range a few days later and tried full swings with it, I couldn't get any timing with it and the ball was going all over the place. In other words, it is not a good fit for my normal swing.

I think someone can get more use out of than I can, but I haven't heard of many people in Japan going back to persimmon. Classic or vintage golf is not a big thing here (yet).

minimal45 · January 21, 2016

Nice looking club. Vintage clubs like that are in my opinion way better looking than anything made today.

forgedforever · January 21, 2016

The following link will give you an indication of when they were made; apparently mid-1980s from the information within:

http://clubsofdistinction.com/cod4/ucset6046.htm

This is quite possibly correct as I have at home a Mizuno 1990 Golf Equipment Guide. The only persimmon wood noted in that catalog is the men's MS-194 model. By that time in the women's lineup Mizuno was offering compression molded graphite heads in their Black Turbo, Turbo II and Turbo El woods, and metal woods in their Altron SE, Miz and Silver Cup models.