Mac Iron Shoot out...or so I hoped...

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

I think I have recently become a Mac Fanboy. That's Mac as in Jack Nicklaus and not Mac as in Steve Jobs. I realized the other day that I now have 6 sets of Mac irons, all of them bought within the last 2 years. OK, now for many on this forum, that's not much, but for me, living in a place with limited real estate, it's over half my collection. I decided I should try and compare them all. However, 6 sets was a bit too much to hit in one go, so I left the Mac MT Tourney R58s and MT Tour Forged behind; the R58s because they were made for the Japan market and thus are probably not a classic Mac issue, and the MT Tour Forged because they're nothing like the other sets.

I took along the 3i, 6i, and 9i from the following 4 sets:

Jack Nicklaus Muirfields: shafted with True Temper shafts, flex "1", and lies adjusted to my preferences (upright). So far unplayed on course

Jack Nicklaus Muirfield 20ths: shafted with S300. Haven't checked lies and lofts since I bought them, but have played them

VIPs (Eighties Japan reissue: reshafted with PX6.0, lies not sure about.

VIP Tours: shafts probably True Temper, and "S" flex. Not sure of lies and loft, but I think they are pretty flat.

I also took along the 2i from my Muirfields and VIP Tours. They are very, very similar in looks (made from the same blank, I think), except the Tours are obviously a cavity, whereas the Muirfields are a sexy, sexy muscle back.

I also took along my Wood Bros Corker, M85W 2w, Mizuno persimmon 4w. Here's a picture:

 

And another (blurred):

 

So it's a lovely still night, and not too cold. I get to the driving range go to my hitting bay and look out to see this:

 

Fog so thick you could walk on it. I could barely see the 50-yard mark!

Anyway, I hit the irons, and my take was this:

The Muirfields are the easiest to hit because they are adjusted for me, then the Muirfield 20ths. The VIPs are pretty good, and the VIP Tours are OK, but they are definitely too flat for me as they are. The VIP Tours are very similar to the Muirfields at address.

The Muirfield 20ths feel the best, and are probably my favourite of the bunch. I love the slightly smaller, more compact head. There's more punch to them then the Muirfields.

Of the 2 irons, I found the Muirfield easier to hit than the VIP Tour, but that's simply because the latter are too flat. Off the deck, I was catching the toe a lot.

 

Finally (if you have read this far), the M85W Eye-O-Matic 2w is a great club. The Corker driver is long, but I am wild with it (shaft?); the 2w is a perfect back up, and hittable of the deck. And I'm sure I don't need to tell you all how great it feels to nut one :man_in_love:

[GolfNutRiblick]

Nice report on the Macs NCN. Having caught the Mac bug myself this year (4 sets of irons and a few persimmons) I appreciate hearing about these “tests.” Thanks for sharing!

[dcopp7]

Now, you just need to get that Odyssey putter out of the bag and get a TP Mills or an old Mac or something. PM me.

[BIG STU]

I think I have recently become a Mac Fanboy. That's Mac as in Jack Nicklaus and not Mac as in Steve Jobs. I realized the other day that I now have 6 sets of Mac irons, all of them bought within the last 2 years. OK, now for many on this forum, that's not much, but for me, living in a place with limited real estate, it's over half my collection. I decided I should try and compare them all. However, 6 sets was a bit too much to hit in one go, so I left the Mac MT Tourney R58s and MT Tour Forged behind; the R58s because they were made for the Japan market and thus are probably not a classic Mac issue, and the MT Tour Forged because they're nothing like the other sets.

I took along the 3i, 6i, and 9i from the following 4 sets:

Jack Nicklaus Muirfields: shafted with True Temper shafts, flex "1", and lies adjusted to my preferences (upright). So far unplayed on course

Jack Nicklaus Muirfield 20ths: shafted with S300. Haven't checked lies and lofts since I bought them, but have played them

VIPs (Eighties Japan reissue: reshafted with PX6.0, lies not sure about.

VIP Tours: shafts probably True Temper, and "S" flex. Not sure of lies and loft, but I think they are pretty flat.

I also took along the 2i from my Muirfields and VIP Tours. They are very, very similar in looks (made from the same blank, I think), except the Tours are obviously a cavity, whereas the Muirfields are a sexy, sexy muscle back.

I also took along my Wood Bros Corker, M85W 2w, Mizuno persimmon 4w. Here's a picture:

 

And another (blurred):

 

So it's a lovely still night, and not too cold. I get to the driving range go to my hitting bay and look out to see this:

 

Fog so thick you could walk on it. I could barely see the 50-yard mark!

Anyway, I hit the irons, and my take was this:

The Muirfields are the easiest to hit because they are adjusted for me, then the Muirfield 20ths. The VIPs are pretty good, and the VIP Tours are OK, but they are definitely too flat for me as they are. The VIP Tours are very similar to the Muirfields at address.

The Muirfield 20ths feel the best, and are probably my favourite of the bunch. I love the slightly smaller, more compact head. There's more punch to them then the Muirfields.

Of the 2 irons, I found the Muirfield easier to hit than the VIP Tour, but that's simply because the latter are too flat. Off the deck, I was catching the toe a lot.

 

Finally (if you have read this far), the M85W Eye-O-Matic 2w is a great club. The Corker driver is long, but I am wild with it (shaft?); the 2w is a perfect back up, and hittable of the deck. And I'm sure I don't need to tell you all how great it feels to nut one :man_in_love:

You have seen the big green light my friend--- congratulations!

[super20dan]

Now, you just need to get that Odyssey putter out of the bag and get a TP Mills or an old Mac or something. PM me.

I suggest an ironmaster

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Now, you just need to get that Odyssey putter out of the bag and get a TP Mills or an old Mac or something. PM me.

 

 

In that picture, the Odyssey head cover is actually hiding a Wilson TPA XVIII. I do use an Odyssey #9 when I am using my modern clubs, but for the Eighties/Nineties bag I wanted something a bit more authentic, so I got a TPA XVIII recently. They're both heel-shafted half mallets, but I prefer the Odyssey ever so slightly over the TPA. The former is 34" and the latter 35", so I think if I cut the TPA down to 34" it will be perfect for me. To be honest, I like them both a lot.

 

Now, you just need to get that Odyssey putter out of the bag and get a TP Mills or an old Mac or something. PM me.

I suggest an ironmaster

 

An iron master would be nice, but I also have a Daiwa Bullseye-type putter that could go in the bag. Just need to get the pluck up to actually play it!

[super20dan]

vintage American club hunting must be a challenge in japan. I would look for some of the early 60,s diamond back models with either the copper or ceramic faces. these are my fav macs and still preform as well as anthing today. easy to hit also. I love playing mine as much as my hogans.

[Uncle T]

Man those are sweet! I never find macs where I'm from.

[BIG STU]

Now, you just need to get that Odyssey putter out of the bag and get a TP Mills or an old Mac or something. PM me.

I suggest an ironmaster

Good suggestion I love the looks of them but could never putt with the darn things worth a hoot. Never could putt really well with a real 8802 but the funny thing is that I can putt pretty decent with my Cleveland 8802 Designed By--- Go figure even though I am a dyed in the wool Mac man

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

vintage American club hunting must be a challenge in japan. I would look for some of the early 60,s diamond back models with either the copper or ceramic faces. these are my fav macs and still preform as well as anthing today. easy to hit also. I love playing mine as much as my hogans.

 

There are sets out there, but from my limited experience on internet auction sites, I would say that it's rare to find clubs that date back before the Seventies. That probably has something to do with when golf really took off in Japan, but to be honest I do know much about that; just a guess.

Also, from my experiences of auction sites, there are some pretty steep prices asked for older clubs. It's like the seller is trying to get back his original investment!

Also, whilst we have "recycle shops" here, I don't know of any thrift shops (may be one, but it's miles away), which means that I am highly unlikely to find a diamond in the rough for a few hundred yen. Also, I find the "recycle shops" are generally overpriced for old golf stuff, and most of it is junk anyway.

[BIG STU]

vintage American club hunting must be a challenge in japan. I would look for some of the early 60,s diamond back models with either the copper or ceramic faces. these are my fav macs and still preform as well as anthing today. easy to hit also. I love playing mine as much as my hogans.

 

There are sets out there, but from my limited experience on internet auction sites, I would say that it's rare to find clubs that date back before the Seventies. That probably has something to do with when golf really took off in Japan, but to be honest I do know much about that; just a guess.

Also, from my experiences of auction sites, there are some pretty steep prices asked for older clubs. It's like the seller is trying to get back his original investment!

Also, whilst we have "recycle shops" here, I don't know of any thrift shops (may be one, but it's miles away), which means that I am highly unlikely to find a diamond in the rough for a few hundred yen. Also, I find the "recycle shops" are generally overpriced for old golf stuff, and most of it is junk anyway.

From what I remember golf really took off in Japan in the mid to early 80s. Those guys were buying all the classic American made clubs. I had a friend who had connections and he sold a lot of classic sets over there. Back then a classic set of Spalding irons or Wilson irons 10 years old or older in good shape got really top dollar over there. Macgregor irons really fetched top dollar too. I remember a kid brought a set of 66 Executives into his shop and he bought them for $50 made one phone call and sold them for $500 within the hour and those were mid 80s prices.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

vintage American club hunting must be a challenge in japan. I would look for some of the early 60,s diamond back models with either the copper or ceramic faces. these are my fav macs and still preform as well as anthing today. easy to hit also. I love playing mine as much as my hogans.

 

There are sets out there, but from my limited experience on internet auction sites, I would say that it's rare to find clubs that date back before the Seventies. That probably has something to do with when golf really took off in Japan, but to be honest I do know much about that; just a guess.

Also, from my experiences of auction sites, there are some pretty steep prices asked for older clubs. It's like the seller is trying to get back his original investment!

Also, whilst we have "recycle shops" here, I don't know of any thrift shops (may be one, but it's miles away), which means that I am highly unlikely to find a diamond in the rough for a few hundred yen. Also, I find the "recycle shops" are generally overpriced for old golf stuff, and most of it is junk anyway.

From what I remember golf really took off in Japan in the mid to early 80s. Those guys were buying all the classic American made clubs. I had a friend who had connections and he sold a lot of classic sets over there. Back then a classic set of Spalding irons or Wilson irons 10 years old or older in good shape got really top dollar over there. Macgregor irons really fetched top dollar too. I remember a kid brought a set of 66 Executives into his shop and he bought them for $50 made one phone call and sold them for $500 within the hour and those were mid 80s prices.

 

I think you're right that it really started to boom in the Eighties. I see lots of clubs from that period on the auction site. Most iron sets are usually in great shape, like they've hardly been played (probably because golf was so expensive, and they were mainly hit off mats at a driving range only). An older guy I spoke to told me that Wilson were the most expensive back then, but MacGregor were also sought after. When I showed my "new" Muirfield irons to a veteran pro--he checked the lies and lofts for me--he was able to tell me about who bought and owned the first sets in Kyushu. That's how prized they were.

[rex235]

Stu-

 

Decisions...

 

Decisions..

 

Decisions....

 

 

There are a few RH MacGregors in my world as well.

[fluffy265]

Stu-

 

Decisions...

 

Decisions..

 

Decisions....

 

 

There are a few RH MacGregors in my world as well.

 

That's a nice problem to have Rex!

 

J

 

p.s my SS2's have been getting a bit more time in the bag lately.