Arnold Palmer Forged Irons: How Good Are/Were They?

[@_the_crook]

too true.

 

Chick Evans, Edgebrook, Billy Caldwell.... tank tops and the odd cart will appear. 

 

we may haunt similar venues.

[Clay Evins]

I have my fathers 1971 Palmer Original Standards. 1 iron..3 on down to the 56 deg Sandhog. Father was a pro and had these and his Wilson Staffs made at 1" over standard. I have used them for over 20 yrs. Working the ball is easier than the new Radspeeds I recently purchased. I was never going to get my handicap 10 or below with those blades. I'm 58 now and need more forgiving and distance.

[Geoff Palmer]

I have a full set of palmer. The standard irons. 4-sw.   no idea what they’d be worth

 

[WeAreAllUnique]

I have a set of the Arnold Palmer The Standard 85 irons. So far they are my favorite of the hundreds of iron sets I have owned. 

[Wham49]

On 5/26/2016 at 7:28 PM, EmperorPenguin said:

I am curious about the old-school Arnold Palmer irons, most notably The Standard irons. When I started playing golf in 1990 I did see a few of those sets around, but over time they gradually disappeared. I suppose that Arnie's forgings simply fell through the cracks as people were joining the Mizuno bandwagon? I mean, if the muscleback The Standard irons were so good, word of mouth would have people keep asking for them. My first forged sets were Golden Rams, and those clubs were in the bags of Watson, Price, Floyd, Mize and quite a few other pros simply because they were coveted. Through the 90's I spoke with many golfers who loved MP-14, MP-29, Tour Blade, Tour Grind, Tour Model, Tour Action, Tour Edition, Apex, VIP, and nearly every Japanese forging out there. Arnold Palmer The Standard? I can't recall any golfer saying anything about that club, let alone even mention it. If Arnie's clubs weren't so popular, maybe they didn't feel very good. For those of you who did own a set of muscleback The Standard irons, I ask how they felt when struck in the middle. If you answer that they felt like nirvana, I must ask this follow-up question: why weren't they so popular?

I see a loose club every once in a while, they look good, if I ever Find a full set I would buy them, rarely ever see them though, not like the other makers

[GolfNutRiblick]

Hit these at the range a few days ago. They earned a place in the “moderns” rotation.

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[elwhippy]

Two stunning sets of irons.

[WeAreAllUnique]

10 hours ago, GolfNutRiblick said:

Hit these at the range a few days ago. They earned a place in the “moderns” rotation.

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Those are very attractive irons. I've always wanted to try them, but never had the opportunity. 

[Nard_S]

13 hours ago, WeAreAllUnique said:

I have a set of the Arnold Palmer The Standard 85 irons. So far they are my favorite of the hundreds of iron sets I have owned. 

I've never seen these. Really nice. Awesome find.

[WeAreAllUnique]

1 minute ago, Nard_S said:

I've never seen these. Really nice. Awesome find.

I hadn't either until some months ago. I was actually looking on eBay for the original Standard irons and these came up in the listing. I couldn't resist. They looked so pretty. 

[JimmyC59]

13 hours ago, WeAreAllUnique said:

I have a set of the Arnold Palmer The Standard 85 irons. So far they are my favorite of the hundreds of iron sets I have owned. 

I have two sets. My original Standards fom 1983? And a set of Standard 85s. I don't play them anymore, I need more forgiveness. But I'll keep my originals forever.

[WeAreAllUnique]

27 minutes ago, JimmyC59 said:

I have two sets. My original Standards fom 1983? And a set of Standard 85s. I don't play them anymore, I need more forgiveness. But I'll keep my originals forever.

I don't think that they are that difficult to hit. It would be hard for me to not put these babies in the bag. They are just too nice. 

[NRJyzr]

1 hour ago, WeAreAllUnique said:

I hadn't either until some months ago. I was actually looking on eBay for the original Standard irons and these came up in the listing. I couldn't resist. They looked so pretty. 

 

I liked the set I had.  Simple, slightly flanged flat back blade.  Was surprised at the size, a bit bigger than the Original Standards or the 78-84 Standards.

 

[WeAreAllUnique]

On 5/11/2022 at 8:56 PM, NRJyzr said:

 

I liked the set I had.  Simple, slightly flanged flat back blade.  Was surprised at the size, a bit bigger than the Original Standards or the 78-84 Standards.

 

There are so many things to like about this set of irons. Firstly, they are plain gorgeous. They have a very different feel when you hit the ball with them. They aren't the softest forged blade I have ever hit, but they are no way harsh feeling either. It's just a different feel and the sound is really pleasing. There is just something very special about these irons. They also look different from anything I have ever seen before. If you go on ebay, you won't find many of these like you do with the other versions of the Standard iron sets. This makes them even more unique. I'm completely smitten with these irons. 

[DOAR]

The  "Standard" from ProGroup (Palmer) were sweet clubs.  I still have a set of The Standard (Forged Cacity Back) which was made at a time when the industry was exiting the forged market.  After a few years the forged marked returned.

[Bankwalker]

I’ve got a set of “Golden Standard” irons and persimmon woods that were my Dad’s.   Think they were a special anniversary edition from the early to mid seventies.  Iron heights get extremely shallow from top to bottom the lower the lofts. Golden honey colored/blonde woods are beautiful.  Will try to post photos. 

[Wade Patton]

On 6/5/2022 at 11:24 PM, WeAreAllUnique said:

There are so many things to like about this set of irons. Firstly, they are plain gorgeous. They have a very different feel when you hit the ball with them. They aren't the softest forged blade I have ever hit, but they are no way harsh feeling either. It's just a different feel and the sound is really pleasing. There is just something very special about these irons. They also look different from anything I have ever seen before. If you go on ebay, you won't find many of these like you do with the other versions of the Standard iron sets. This makes them even more unique. I'm completely smitten with these irons. 

I scored a set of these today. Also some Walter Hagens (Ultradyne 2). Both sets are super clean, the Palmers are sublime in appearance, and I can't wait to swing 'em. Happy Thanksgiving. 

Edited November 26, 2022 by Wade Patton
correction

[Wade Patton]

On 5/11/2022 at 6:05 AM, WeAreAllUnique said:

I have a set of the Arnold Palmer The Standard 85 irons. So far they are my favorite of the hundreds of iron sets I have owned. 

My Standards came the other day and I got to hit them properly yesterday. I was trying out five different 8i's.  The Palmer was so easy to hit, and lovely to look at. I hate to rip the old grips off, but they desperately need fresh and fatter grips for me.  They're my new favorites.

BTW are these heads stainless?  They've been buffed out and have absolutely zero nicks on the soles, but I can see minute wear in the faces. I was hesitant to even hit them, being so pristine, but am getting over that with the feel and shape of the shots.

[NRJyzr]

32 minutes ago, Wade Patton said:

are these heads stainless?

 

No sir.  Forged carbon steel

 

[Wade Patton]

58 minutes ago, NRJyzr said:

 

No sir.  Forged carbon steel

 

Then these must be practically unhit and simply sat parked while the grips withered away. I'm delighted that the gods of golf shined on me to acquire them in nearly new condition, and for a fair price. 

[bcstones]

The first Palmers made were the "Tru-Matics" from ~1967 to 1971, actually at the Professional Golf Co/First Flite facilities, then got sold to Fuqua after the Sears controversy, then Fuqua sold back to ProGolfCo/First Flite.....the models mentioned in the above posts were all made after that sale in 1971...