Macgregor VIPs

[Forged4ever]

Just got these custom Tourneys from an incredibly kind Gent from Va.

 

Yep, with Oakmont logo and the ferreles are in their club colors.

 

Thank you :)

 

Maddie just brought em to me. You made my week!!

 

My Best,

Richard

 

gorgeous, any history on them ?

Hi Moc, I am Maddie, Richard's fiance. The gentleman/member who sent these to us is from VA, is a collector and has hundreds of sets in his barn, of which this was one. Being unable to get through to Richard in his message system(Richard blames the system though I think it's him, lol, and his technological limitations), he messaged me and said that he would like to send them up to Richard. He is a real sweetheart.

 

Richard checked out the member who's name was on the shaft band however he passed some time ago with no family currently in the club so Richard is going to give them to his father's retired partner who is still a Mac Man, was the #2-3 Player on Penn State's team, is a member at Richard's club along with Oakmont and was Jack's doc before Richard's father took over his care. I hit them and they have a very nice feel though I would change the shafts. They are in fantastic condition. Have a nice day :) Maddie

What she said :)

 

Always,

RP

[BIG STU]

Just got these custom Tourneys from an incredibly kind Gent from Va.

 

Yep, with Oakmont logo and the ferreles are in their club colors.

 

Thank you :)

 

Maddie just brought em to me. You made my week!!

 

My Best,

Richard

 

gorgeous, any history on them ?

Hi Moc, I am Maddie, Richard's fiance. The gentleman/member who sent these to us is from VA, is a collector and has hundreds of sets in his barn, of which this was one. Being unable to get through to Richard in his message system(Richard blames the system though I think it's him, lol, and his technological limitations), he messaged me and said that he would like to send them up to Richard. He is a real sweetheart.

 

Richard checked out the member who's name was on the shaft band however he passed some time ago with no family currently in the club so Richard is going to give them to his father's retired partner who is still a Mac Man, was the #2-3 Player on Penn State's team, is a member at Richard's club along with Oakmont and was Jack's doc before Richard's father took over his care. I hit them and they have a very nice feel though I would change the shafts. They are in fantastic condition. Have a nice day :) Maddie

What she said :)

 

Always,

RP

OFF Topic Is that a recent Avaitar pic of you? If so you are looking healthier and looks like you are gaining weight back

[nikegal]

Just got these custom Tourneys from an incredibly kind Gent from Va.

 

Yep, with Oakmont logo and the ferreles are in their club colors.

 

Thank you :)

 

Maddie just brought em to me. You made my week!!

 

My Best,

Richard

 

gorgeous, any history on them ?

Hi Moc, I am Maddie, Richard's fiance. The gentleman/member who sent these to us is from VA, is a collector and has hundreds of sets in his barn, of which this was one. Being unable to get through to Richard in his message system(Richard blames the system though I think it's him, lol, and his technological limitations), he messaged me and said that he would like to send them up to Richard. He is a real sweetheart.

 

Richard checked out the member who's name was on the shaft band however he passed some time ago with no family currently in the club so Richard is going to give them to his father's retired partner who is still a Mac Man, was the #2-3 Player on Penn State's team, is a member at Richard's club along with Oakmont and was Jack's doc before Richard's father took over his care. I hit them and they have a very nice feel though I would change the shafts. They are in fantastic condition. Have a nice day :) Maddie

What she said :)

 

Always,

RP

OFF Topic Is that a recent Avaitar pic of you? If so you are looking healthier and looks like you are gaining weight back

Hi Stu. Yes, I snapped that last month when I took him to the club. He had dropped about 20-22 lbs as he was not eating and most of his nourishment was through IVs along with constant nausea. He would not let them administer the corticosteroids however the pain and vomiting finally overode his obstinance and he has been on the IVs for about 2 months(edit- I initially said a month though its been since late May. He corected me, lol). He looks 100% better!! His vanity finally did him some good, hahaha, as he loves hearing how good he looks, lmao. I hope that you're well and watching what you eat!!! :) Fondly, Madison

[BIG STU]

^^^ Thanks Maddie oh heck yes I am watching what I eat and have dropped over 50 LBS. I have gotten real flexable again gotten my arm extension back and am shoulder turning on the ball again and literally cooking it. In fact I am turning so good I had to close the left side up on my stance to keep from pulling it. I am actually about 75 LBS lighter now than my avatar pic which was taken about 8 years ago when I was doing expermental R&D work for Championship Golf here. My BP is great and due to the meds and weight loss my ankles do not swell and hurt like they used to when playing golf. In fact I have not worn the ankle braces all summer.

 

Only drawback is I have gotten a little shakey on short putts because of the meds but do not want off them for that. I settled that in true redneck engineering form. I put a 2.0 SS grip on my putter and went to the claw grip and it works.

 

Glad to see RP is getting better and hopefully he can play and give me that 3 up a side soon. STU

[nikegal]

^^^ Thanks Maddie oh heck yes I am watching what I eat and have dropped over 50 LBS. I have gotten real flexable again gotten my arm extension back and am shoulder turning on the ball again and literally cooking it. In fact I am turning so good I had to close the left side up on my stance to keep from pulling it. I am actually about 75 LBS lighter now than my avatar pic which was taken about 8 years ago when I was doing expermental R&D work for Championship Golf here. My BP is great and due to the meds and weight loss my ankles do not swell and hurt like they used to when playing golf. In fact I have not worn the ankle braces all summer.

 

Only drawback is I have gotten a little shakey on short putts because of the meds but do not want off them for that. I settled that in true redneck engineering form. I put a 2.0 SS grip on my putter and went to the claw grip and it works.

 

Glad to see RP is getting better and hopefully he can play and give me that 3 up a side soon. STU

That's fantastic Stu!! I know that you and Mitch are Richard's two favorite guys on the board. It's funny that it would be two southern boys but as that's where he was born and raised, it's not surprising, lol. This cancer is as obstinate as he is though they are really optimistic about wrapping this up in the next few months. He was a lot sicker than he let on and its location relative to his brain limited the surgical options.

 

The stroke really has left more side effects than the cancer and his PTherapist is a prince because Richard is not the easiest to work with, lol. He treats his therapy more like a football workout and I don't think his therapist was used to a patient pushing themselves until they vomited or couldn't stand. He now schedules Richard for the end of the day after the last patient has left because Richard on his knees vomiting and swearing was not something that Seam or the other therapists thought was good for the other patients to see, lol. I told him that Richard was different. He just didn't realize how different, lol. I believe that Richard will come back. His left side paralysis may prevent him from getting back to plus, but if he can swing, I believe that he will find a way to break 80, which is his goal right now. I don't know about those three strokes but I can't tell you how many times that he had told Seam(his PT) or me that he's got to back to Play with you and Mitch. If there is one thing that 15 years with him as a BB Partner, friend and my better half has shown me and that is to never ever count him out. Well, I'm off to my last lesson today. Have a great week :) Fondly, Maddie

[baloo]

^^^ Thanks Maddie oh heck yes I am watching what I eat and have dropped over 50 LBS. I have gotten real flexable again gotten my arm extension back and am shoulder turning on the ball again and literally cooking it. In fact I am turning so good I had to close the left side up on my stance to keep from pulling it. I am actually about 75 LBS lighter now than my avatar pic which was taken about 8 years ago when I was doing expermental R&D work for Championship Golf here. My BP is great and due to the meds and weight loss my ankles do not swell and hurt like they used to when playing golf. In fact I have not worn the ankle braces all summer.

 

Only drawback is I have gotten a little shakey on short putts because of the meds but do not want off them for that. I settled that in true redneck engineering form. I put a 2.0 SS grip on my putter and went to the claw grip and it works.

 

Glad to see RP is getting better and hopefully he can play and give me that 3 up a side soon. STU

 

This is great stuff. Congrats man

[NRJyzr]

No catchy,

Just remember that if you decrease the loft, you will also decrease the bounce accordingly.

Uncle Bob

True, though I have never found it to be of consequence for a 2-3° bend, and I've bent every iron since my 14's in the early 90's(14's, 33's, 68's & Staff 59's).

 

My reasoning was to flatten my trajectory-

 

It's an individual thing, like anything else in this game.

 

Have a great week :)

 

Fairways & Greens 4ever My Friends,

Richard

 

 

The problem with that is, now instead of a 46* club going higher than you'd like, you now have a 43* club you're hitting higher than you'd like. You just don't notice it the same way because it says "9" on the sole.

 

You could accomplish the same thing by writing "9" on the sole of the 8 iron. :)

[Forged4ever]

No catchy,

Just remember that if you decrease the loft, you will also decrease the bounce accordingly.

Uncle Bob

True, though I have never found it to be of consequence for a 2-3° bend, and I've bent every iron since my 14's in the early 90's(14's, 33's, 68's & Staff 59's).

 

My reasoning was to flatten my trajectory-

 

It's an individual thing, like anything else in this game.

 

Have a great week :)

 

Fairways & Greens 4ever My Friends,

Richard

 

 

The problem with that is, now instead of a 46* club going higher than you'd like, you now have a 43* club you're hitting higher than you'd like. You just don't notice it the same way because it says "9" on the sole.

 

You could accomplish the same thing by writing "9" on the sole of the 8 iron. :)

I actually could have had my Mizzy 68's customized with just the lofts on the sole some years(2009 Protos) before Hogan introduced the concept though I had an image in my mind and I was not messing with that image. It was easier to bend em. Great point though things worked out pretty well for me, lol.

 

Have a nice week and thanks much for the suggestion :)

 

My Best,

RP

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

OP here. A little update, in case anyone is interested.

I did some digging around on the net to find out more about my clubs. I never realised just how many reissues and versions of the VIPs there were. Anyway, I think mine are a reissue/replica from 1986 made by MacGregor for the Japanese market. There are a couple of points that still leave some doubt (sharp back toe on mine; the replica looks more rounded) but this replica had more offset than the original, and that fits the description of what I have.

 

Anyway, I reshafted the 7i with a projectX 6.0 at 37" (3/4" longer than the original DG S300). It works nicely, and I think I am going to reshaft most of the set like that, but I am going to have to tweak some of the lofts because they are all over the place: the PW is 49*, the 9i 47*, not sure about the 8~6 but I think the 7i is 37*; the 5i is 29*, the 4i 27*, and the 3i about 23*. I was told the head of the 2i was too small to measure!

 

As I don't like the offset on the PW, I am thinking of keeping the 9i at 47* and working down from that, thus: 8i: 43*, 7i: 39*, 6i, 35*, 5i: 31*, 4i: 27*, 3i: 24*. Or maybe bend the 9i to 46* (same as my MP-4 PW), and drop down in 4* increments from there. Some clubs will have to be bent a degree stronger, some a degree weaker, but it should work out OK. Close to my MP-4s, just with a different number on the sole. Then I will play either 50*-54*-58/60* or 52*-56*-60*.

 

Funny thing with the offset is that decreases noticeably towards the long irons. The sand wedge really does look like a shovel.

[birly-shirly]

Based on your target lofts, why not see what your PW looks like once you've weakened it to 51 or 52*. You'll lose a decent amount of offset and the sole probably isn't wide enough for the extra bounce to become an issue.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Based on your target lofts, why not see what your PW looks like once you've weakened it to 51 or 52*. You'll lose a decent amount of offset and the sole probably isn't wide enough for the extra bounce to become an issue.

 

Weakening the lofts would reduce the offset? That is something I wasn't aware of. Actually, one reason why I am happy to play the 9i as a PW replacement and then go to my regular wedges is that is will save costs on reshafting. I'm still torn over whether I should reshaft the 2i and play it or not; I am pretty sure I will never take it on the course with me, but keep it at home to carve the roast beef with.

[birly-shirly]

Yes - so long as the adjustment is low down on the hosel (and it ought to be anyway), bending more loft on an iron will decrease the offset and vice versa.

 

I added 3 or 4 degrees to a Hogan Redline Equaliser and took out quite a distracting amount of offset. I hated how it looked without the adjustment, but at the weaker loft it looks great. Can't guarantee that it'll do exactly the same in your case, but you'll certainly be headed in the right direction and an adjustment of 3* should be nothing for a quality forging like that.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Yes - so long as the adjustment is low down on the hosel (and it ought to be anyway), bending more loft on an iron will decrease the offset and vice versa.

 

I added 3 or 4 degrees to a Hogan Redline Equaliser and took out quite a distracting amount of offset. I hated how it looked without the adjustment, but at the weaker loft it looks great. Can't guarantee that it'll do exactly the same in your case, but you'll certainly be headed in the right direction and an adjustment of 3* should be nothing for a quality forging like that.

 

Well that's food for thought. I'm still not entirely sure what I am going to do with this set and how I am going to configure them. As I don't know precisely what edition of the VIPs they are, I can't even find out what lofts they are supposed to have. If they are the 1986 reissue, then the lofts are supposed to be close to the 1967 (68?) originals.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Well, I thought as I would update this thread as I got my VIP set finished. In the end, I got the 3i to 9i reshafted, partly to save money (ProjectX are expensive!) and partly because the 45* 9i blends nicely into my MD2 wedge lineup. I still might weaken the lofts a degree. 3i plays 23*, 4i 25*, and then they go up in 4* increments. The 7i, which seemed to have the most offset on it, was improved by weakening it a degree. The previous owner probably had it bent a degree or two strong because it was the only club in the lineup that was off-spec.

 

The grips are oversized grips, and the green is the closest I could get to the dark Macgregor green with this particular type of grip. The original ferrules were 4cm long (nearly one and a half inches), and it's apparently hard to find any like that nowadays in Japan. However, the club builder found these ones with the same pattern as the originals which are 3.2cm long.

Clubs feel nice, but I haven't taken them out on the course yet, just to the range hitting lousy balls.

I posted a couple more pictures in the blade-lovers thread if anyone's interested: http://www.golfwrx.c...0#entry14303116

Just want to say thank you to all who contributed with advice and ideas for this set.

[NRJyzr]

Well, I thought as I would update this thread as I got my VIP set finished. In the end, I got the 3i to 9i reshafted, partly to save money (ProjectX are expensive!) and partly because the 45* 9i blends nicely into my MD2 wedge lineup. I still might weaken the lofts a degree. 3i plays 23*, 4i 25*, and then they go up in 4* increments. The 7i, which seemed to have the most offset on it, was improved by weakening it a degree. The previous owner probably had it bent a degree or two strong because it was the only club in the lineup that was off-spec.

 

 

The 7i may have been strong because it was bent stronger through use, the 7 iron tends to be the most common practice club among a great many folks. :)

 

Nice pics, Catchy

[mickeytbones]

I just purchased and received a beautiful set of MacGregor Oakmont Diamond Backs that appear to have very little (if any) use, other than a few shots and some bag chatter.

 

Stunning.

[mocokid]

Let us see...

[rangersgoalie]

here are some different looking Macgregors, Japan issue Crenshaw

 

Nice.

I have a set of Ben's Cleveland Tour Action 588's somewhere. The interesting "customization" was a long hosel to more closely match his old MacGregors.

I hope I still have them.....they might have been passed on to a student

[BIG STU]

here are some different looking Macgregors, Japan issue Crenshaw

 

Nice.

I have a set of Ben's Cleveland Tour Action 588's somewhere. The interesting "customization" was a long hosel to more closely match his old MacGregors.

I hope I still have them.....they might have been passed on to a student

That also makes the tip of the shaft stiffer and definitely for a feel player there is a difference in feel. Ben grew up in the same era I did and all of us guys from that era were feel players. I also have read a bunch where Ben stated he was a feel player

[BIG STU]

I just purchased and received a beautiful set of MacGregor Oakmont Diamond Backs that appear to have very little (if any) use, other than a few shots and some bag chatter.

 

Stunning.

LOL do not torture us like that gotta have pics :taunt:

[mickeytbones]

here are some different looking Macgregors, Japan issue Crenshaw

 

Nice.

I have a set of Ben's Cleveland Tour Action 588's somewhere. The interesting "customization" was a long hosel to more closely match his old MacGregors.

I hope I still have them.....they might have been passed on to a student

That also makes the tip of the shaft stiffer and definitely for a feel player there is a difference in feel. Ben grew up in the same era I did and all of us guys from that era were feel players. I also have read a bunch where Ben stated he was a feel player

 

That long hosel also makes the sweet spot move closer to the heel, which allows for greater ability to shot shape.

 

Also, I was taught that it also places the axis of momentum in a place that makes it more difficult to shank, as the club does not want to drift away from you as much.

 

I just purchased and received a beautiful set of MacGregor Oakmont Diamond Backs that appear to have very little (if any) use, other than a few shots and some bag chatter.

 

Stunning.

LOL do not torture us like that gotta have pics :taunt:

 

I sent Tad Moore some pics, as he is a good friend. I will post some pics soon.

[mickeytbones]

I also need to post pics of a set of irons I have that are MacGregor Personal Model 985 irons that have a very long hosel and were barely ever hit. They have Precision FM 7.3 shafts in them. The set is 2-10. Gorgeous irons.

[mocokid]

here are some different looking Macgregors, Japan issue Crenshaw

 

Nice.

I have a set of Ben's Cleveland Tour Action 588's somewhere. The interesting "customization" was a long hosel to more closely match his old MacGregors.

I hope I still have them.....they might have been passed on to a student

That also makes the tip of the shaft stiffer and definitely for a feel player there is a difference in feel. Ben grew up in the same era I did and all of us guys from that era were feel players. I also have read a bunch where Ben stated he was a feel player

If any one on tour was a feel player, surely it was BC. He wouldn't be using a tracman were he out there today imho!!!

[super20dan]

Well, I thought as I would update this thread as I got my VIP set finished. In the end, I got the 3i to 9i reshafted, partly to save money (ProjectX are expensive!) and partly because the 45* 9i blends nicely into my MD2 wedge lineup. I still might weaken the lofts a degree. 3i plays 23*, 4i 25*, and then they go up in 4* increments. The 7i, which seemed to have the most offset on it, was improved by weakening it a degree. The previous owner probably had it bent a degree or two strong because it was the only club in the lineup that was off-spec.

 

The grips are oversized grips, and the green is the closest I could get to the dark Macgregor green with this particular type of grip. The original ferrules were 4cm long (nearly one and a half inches), and it's apparently hard to find any like that nowadays in Japan. However, the club builder found these ones with the same pattern as the originals which are 3.2cm long.

Clubs feel nice, but I haven't taken them out on the course yet, just to the range hitting lousy balls.

I posted a couple more pictures in the blade-lovers thread if anyone's interested: http://www.golfwrx.c...0#entry14303116

Just want to say thank you to all who contributed with advice and ideas for this set.

lovely mac vips. I recently spied the woods -all3 in good cond. at a thrift shop here. blond colored vip woods. they are very nice . too bad you are in japan

[ChipNRun]

I played the MacGregor MT irons with the S2 stiff shafts from 1974-1994. These were 2i-10i (no PW per se). These were pro-line clubs back in the era, the fraternal twin of the VIP series.

 

When I got fitted for new clubs in 1994, the clubsmith suggested I keep the MT irons and matching woods, and put them a historical era bag as a memento. I'm glad I did.

 

These MTs were harder to hit than modern cavities and GI varieties. But, I miss being able to hit low running shots as approaches - this was possible because of the higher CoG in the MT heads (and the stiff shafts). With modern clubs, such shots tend to check up faster than I want in all but parched August turf conditions.

 

There's a point to all this! For those of you who can't decide on a 14th club, consider adding an old MacG 3i with maybe a DG R300 or S300 shaft for when you want to keep the ball low.

[golfmj228]

Chip we need pics of the old MT’s to go with your story!

[mickeytbones]

I just acquired an original new old stock set of Rifle 8.0 from 2-PW. I will be changing the shafts in the Oakmont set to these, and bending them flat, similar to what George Knudson had as a set up.

[golfmj228]

MickeyTBones, 8.0 rifles that means business you had better be ready to

 

https://media1.tenor.com/images/7aab1b83ae958d581c5f575f0fa5f398/tenor.gif?itemid=5680327

[Porker]

Hi Catchy, nice clubs, keep us posted on your customising project, I'm looking at lengthening my Hogan's as well and all the affects that's gona have

 

[TimV]

Stopped in to see if anyone had posted pictures yet but see they haven't.

Leaving now... :tongue: