Forgotten Golf Manufacturers

[Neurotica]

Bob Toski golf. Had a set of cavity back irons....not so bad. Had the 3W .....terrible.

[TheDoubleJ]

> @Dpavs said:

> Penick and States side I think you can probably add Forgan to the list.

 

I have picked up various examples of the original Forgan clubs from Scotland. Let me know if any collectors would like a look at them ? Happy to move them on.

 

 

[coops]

> @Strategery said:

> Daiwa. E.g. Advisor and Hi-Trac irons.

 

Daiwa were excellent clubs.... and still are.

 

For those who stumble on to this thread - Daiwa golf is now known as OnOff since about 2009.

Info here

https://onoff.globeride.co.jp/global/about/brand/index.html

 

Some excellent Japanese golf brand names have made bizarre decisions to jettision a well known name - I'll post a pic of some recent luvverly forged OnOff irons to show you how they still are wonderful. The most recent ridonculous move was Bridgestone deciding to do away with the hugely respected and excellent golf club brand 'Tourstage' to rebrand as wholly Bridgestone golf... and then after doing that and alienating their Asian fans you still can't find 'Bridgestone' irons (or woods) in any major (or minor) mainstream retailer in the States... so why bother? (My cycnical brain thinks they assume the US consumer thinks Bridgestone is a 'Merricun company so that'll be the just the ticket to boost sales... ;) )

 

 

OnOff - Kuro irons are the ones to drool over


 

 

 

 

ps I'd not been aware that 7-Eleven has been Japanese owned since 1990 - 7-11 is popular here and everywhere here in Thailand too

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7-Eleven

"In October 1990, the heavily indebted Southland Corp. filed a pre-packaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy in order to transfer control of 70% of the company to Japanese affiliate Ito-Yokado.[20]"

 

Good luck finding any reference to Japan in 7-11's US corporate website ;-)

https://corp.7-eleven.com/corp/about

[LONGBALL777]

Element 21 with "Scandium"

[LONGBALL777]

Orlimar Tri-Metals updated

https://www.orlimar.com/trimetal-fairwaywood

[txgolfer45]

Glad to see Wilson Golf make a resurgence. Wilson Staff and MacGregor Tourney were the top brands from the 60's through the 70's.

[scruffynick]

> @txgolfer45 said:

> Glad to see Wilson Golf make a resurgence. Wilson Staff and MacGregor Tourney were the top brands from the 60's through the 70's.

 

Wilson staff make some outstanding irons, seem to be cheaper too but they are fine clubs still. Lynx are making a god comeback in the uk, making some very good irons at a lower price

[bodhi555]

Anyone remember Anvil and their Par Saver? One of Gary Players many attempts to crack the club market, its one of the few clubs that came with an instructional video on how to use it.

 

Pretty sure I still have one back at my parents house. Worth trying? Or completely outclassed by a modern wedge?

[Jack Pearsall]

Liquid Metal looked cool, not a fan of its feel or performance.

Sonartec. JP liked their steel fairways a great deal.

[MountainGoat]

So, what’s the common feature that links all of these failures?

[JD3]

Loomis shafts, they were the first graphite in a driver I really liked, heavier than others but with "feel". They kept breaking just above the hosel though....not sure what wassup with that

[JD3]

> @MountainGoat said:

> So, what’s the common feature that links all of these failures?

Great question, I'm not sure why brands like wilson, Hogan, and MacGregor dropped off the map so sharply

 

[Llortamaisey]

I loved some AJ Tech shafts back in the day.

[JD3]

Penley shafts too, had a good following

[JD3]

Those copper bracelets that were supposed to increase circulation and prevent injury.....lol

[MountainGoat]

> @MountainGoat said:

> So, what’s the common feature that links all of these failures?

The golf industry sells false hope and broken dreams.

[JD3]

Tommy Armour....remember when the 845 irons were all the rage? Then I think they came out with some humongous all titanium model....lol

[LONGBALL777]

Linksman

[mocokid]

Chico's (Miartuz) tomahawk putter

 

[mogc60]

Founders club made some great clubs. Wonderful forged blades.

I think many of these companies just missed on new technology. They had clubmakers not so much club techs. They rested on the players profiles and the GI advancements they attempted normally were a whiff. I’m looking at a lot of these ...they never made a good wood or one that gained serious momentum when drivers went bigger and badder they got lapped.

[txgolfer45]

I think Wilson failed due to their inability to figure out how to design and make game improvement cavity back irons and the competition quickly took over their market share when they could only sell their blades.

[deepred]

 

> @JD3 said:

> Penley shafts too, had a good following

 

> @JD3 said:

> Penley shafts too, had a good following

 

Have a STEALTH 70 in my driver, Tour Light in a hybrid and a Penley Light in a Zebra 7 wood.

 

[JD3]

I don't remember the name, not even enough details to try and do a search, but years ago I remember an infomercial kind of thing selling a driver from a guy touted as former chief engineer from taylormade (or one of the other major brands). Probably around time of skinny headed fairway w/ alpha maraging whatever, when they thought these one-off clubs built around one guys personal brand would take off. Be interested if anyone can remember that one.

[garzar]

Powerbilt made some sweet clubs back in the day.

[mogc60]

> @JD3 said:

> I don't remember the name, not even enough details to try and do a search, but years ago I remember an infomercial kind of thing selling a driver from a guy touted as former chief engineer from taylormade (or one of the other major brands). Probably around time of skinny headed fairway w/ alpha maraging whatever, when they thought these one-off clubs built around one guys personal brand would take off. Be interested if anyone can remember that one.

 

Bobby Jones? The fairway woods? Jesse Ortiz from Orlimar started those. Not sure if that’s who you were thinking of.

[JD3]

> @mogc60 said:

> > @JD3 said:

> > I don't remember the name, not even enough details to try and do a search, but years ago I remember an infomercial kind of thing selling a driver from a guy touted as former chief engineer from taylormade (or one of the other major brands). Probably around time of skinny headed fairway w/ alpha maraging whatever, when they thought these one-off clubs built around one guys personal brand would take off. Be interested if anyone can remember that one.

>

> Bobby Jones? The fairway woods? Jesse Ortiz from Orlimar started those. Not sure if that’s who you were thinking of.

 

No it was a different guy. But I think trying to mimic ortiz' success. Guy in the seemed kind of chunky, balding, may have had a gotee

[JD3]

Controller driving iron --

Other than odd groove pattern, looks pretty much like modern driving irons

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F202704838605

[JD3]

Snake Eyes

[Bunkerrat]

Not sure if it's been mentioned but I still play my tiger shark great whites. Love em , if I'm not mistaken, I believe they were a Simmons design.

[DevilDog]

> @otw said:

> McHenry Metals

 

Longest driver I've ever hit to this day is a McHenry Metals driver. Thing was a beast. Company folded when the founder died. Sad because they made great clubs.