Tayormade Tour Preferred T-D stamp/no stamp

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First post, I hope this is the right subforum. I picked up a set of Tour Preferred 3-PW heads on a whim yesterday. I was researching these irons and noticed that some have TD stamped on all the clubs and other sets have TD on the 3-4 irons and no stamping on the others. I have seen a few set that have TD on the 3-4 irons and another random club though the set.

 

Does anybody know why some of the clubs have stamps and other don't? Any other thoughts or info on these irons would be appreciated. Assuming tip size is .355?

 

The purchase was inspired by this thread, where I noticed that all the heads are stamped TD and two are also stamped T01:

http://www.golfwrx.c...tinised-refurb/

 

Pic of the heads I bought 3-4 w/ TD the rest without (from the ebay listing):

 

[Shallowface]

First post, I hope this is the right subforum. I picked up a set of Tour Preferred 3-PW heads on a whim yesterday. I was researching these irons and noticed that some have TD stamped on all the clubs and other sets have TD on the 3-4 irons and no stamping on the others. I have seen a few set that have TD on the 3-4 irons and another random club though the set.

 

Does anybody know why some of the clubs have stamps and other don't? Any other thoughts or info on these irons would be appreciated. Assuming tip size is .355?

 

The purchase was inspired by this thread, where I noticed that all the heads are stamped TD and two are also stamped T01:

http://www.golfwrx.c...tinised-refurb/

 

Pic of the heads I bought 3-4 w/ TD the rest without (from the ebay listing):

 

 

The first of these, from 1987, had no TD stamp.

 

The TD stamp was introduced in 1988.

 

As you'll recall, this was the time of the square groove controversy. While Ping was at the forefront, other companies were dealing with it as well. As it turns out, the first two versions of these irons had grooves which were eventually deemed non-conforming.

 

So, in 1989, Taylor Made issued another version of this iron with conforming (for that time) square grooves. That iron got a stamp T.D (in other words TD with a dot between the T and the D).

 

That era was a bit of a pain for manufacturers and consumers alike. The first Armour 845s were available in V and square grooves. I bought a set of the V groove model brand new back then, but didn't keep them for long. I've never seen another set of them in all these years since. My 1991 DCI Blacks actually have V grooves, which were standard for that model. No square grooves were available.

 

BTW, the dot on the sole indicates the lie angle. Black for standard. Red for 1.5 degrees upright. Green for 1.5 degrees flat.

[npg]

 

The first of these, from 1987, had no TD stamp.

 

The TD stamp was introduced in 1988.

 

As you'll recall, this was the time of the square groove controversy. While Ping was at the forefront, other companies were dealing with it as well. As it turns out, the first two versions of these irons had grooves which were eventually deemed non-conforming.

 

So, in 1989, Taylor Made issued another version of this iron with conforming (for that time) square grooves. That iron got a stamp T.D (in other words TD with a dot between the T and the D).

 

 

Interesting, thank you! Does that mean that there are a ton of mixed sets floating around or is there something to the 1-4 being stamped trend? A quick ebay search turns up nothing but TD and T‧D stamped 1-4 irons in sets and singles.

 

I was too young to know about the square groove issue in the late 80s early 90s and only really know about it now from researching Eye 2s a little bit. Looks like I have some research to do.

[rex235]

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Your Taylor Made Tour Preferred Irons were available in both RH and LH. models.

 

The 1-4 irons of these cast stainless steel sets had a hollow core, while the 5-SW were solid, with a profile similar to the Wilson Staff buttonback Dynapower irons.

 

Played the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course with a set of these irons in Aprill of 1988, 3 weeks after Mark McCumber won the Players.

 

They had T-D, and were color coded green (flat lie)

[fluffy265]

NPG,

 

FWIW Tip size on my set of square groove TD's is .370 parallels. These were my first set of "real" clubs which I stiil have in 1i - 56°, there was also a standard SW and 60° available as well.

They are a cast stainless blade , the muscle in the long irons (1-4) IIRC is hollow.

I played these for over 15 years, and still have fond memories of them.

 

J

 

... looks like Rex beat me to it!

[rex235]

Fluffy-

 

This was way back 30 years ago, when TaylorMade wasn't so___ with their LH forged iron models...

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Those take me back. I had 3i-SW, and later bought a 2i. May even have had a 1i, but I don't remember. Funny thing was, those hollow cores didn't make them any easier to hit, at least not for me!

Nice clubs, I hope you have some fun with them.

[Shallowface]

The first of these, from 1987, had no TD stamp.

 

The TD stamp was introduced in 1988.

 

As you'll recall, this was the time of the square groove controversy. While Ping was at the forefront, other companies were dealing with it as well. As it turns out, the first two versions of these irons had grooves which were eventually deemed non-conforming.

 

So, in 1989, Taylor Made issued another version of this iron with conforming (for that time) square grooves. That iron got a stamp T.D (in other words TD with a dot between the T and the D).

 

 

Interesting, thank you! Does that mean that there are a ton of mixed sets floating around or is there something to the 1-4 being stamped trend? A quick ebay search turns up nothing but TD and T‧D stamped 1-4 irons in sets and singles.

 

I was too young to know about the square groove issue in the late 80s early 90s and only really know about it now from researching Eye 2s a little bit. Looks like I have some research to do.

 

The first sets had the 1-4 irons with no TD stamp, so nothing unusual there. The previous owner of yours probably did what a lot of us here do and cobbled the set together from various sources.

 

I agree with Fluffy that these are .370. I remember the sets I had and worked on a long time ago were .370, and I've never seen anything to suggest these were ever offered with .355 taper tips.

 

I remember the first time I ever saw them was in Bruce Crampton's bag at a US Senior Open, a few months before they were released to the marketplace.

[npg]

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

I have a set of Rifle 5.5 shafts that I bought thinking they were .370 (from a guy who bough them thinking they were .355..) but they are a loose fit in a set of Merit Prophecy heads that I have that are .370. Not really a lot of wiggle room but even after some sharp taps on the floor the head just spins to toe down. Speaking of, has anybody ever seen or played the Merit Prophecy irons? They were another cheap impulse ebay purchase that I can't find any info on.

 

I have never built a set of clubs before so I really have no idea if this is correct or not, but it seems like all the videos I've watched show a pretty snug dry fit. I finally broke down and bought a pair of decent digital calipers so I should know for sure by the end of the week.

 

If the Rifles don't fit I may pick up some of the Apollo stepless shafts form Hireko to build the Taylormades. I am no where near good enough to play blades so more of of an experiment and because I like to tinker.

[Shallowface]

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

I have a set of Rifle 5.5 shafts that I bought thinking they were .370 (from a guy who bough them thinking they were .355..) but they are a loose fit in a set of Merit Prophecy heads that I have that are .370. Not really a lot of wiggle room but even after some sharp taps on the floor the head just spins to toe down. Speaking of, has anybody ever seen or played the Merit Prophecy irons? They were another cheap impulse ebay purchase that I can't find any info on.

 

I have never built a set of clubs before so I really have no idea if this is correct or not, but it seems like all the videos I've watched show a pretty snug dry fit. I finally broke down and bought a pair of decent digital calipers so I should know for sure by the end of the week.

 

If the Rifles don't fit I may pick up some of the Apollo stepless shafts form Hireko to build the Taylormades. I am no where near good enough to play blades so more of of an experiment and because I like to tinker.

 

Many of us here come from the time when blades were the only thing available, which is why we've returned to them after going through a bunch of other stuff through the years.

 

You are good enough to play them. This "I'm not good enough" notion is nonsense from the other sections of this site, where guys tend to worry more about what others think than what they themselves think, and who tend to be willing marks for OEM hype. Plenty of us here have proven that we do just fine with blades, many of which are much older than yours.

 

The Tour Preferred is one of the more playable blades ever created.

 

https://www.golfworks.com/images/art/MPF_TAYLORMADE.pdf

 

You'll find the Tour Preferred at the bottom of the PDF.

[TimV]

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

I have a set of Rifle 5.5 shafts that I bought thinking they were .370 (from a guy who bough them thinking they were .355..) but they are a loose fit in a set of Merit Prophecy heads that I have that are .370. Not really a lot of wiggle room but even after some sharp taps on the floor the head just spins to toe down. Speaking of, has anybody ever seen or played the Merit Prophecy irons? They were another cheap impulse ebay purchase that I can't find any info on.

 

I have never built a set of clubs before so I really have no idea if this is correct or not, but it seems like all the videos I've watched show a pretty snug dry fit. I finally broke down and bought a pair of decent digital calipers so I should know for sure by the end of the week.

 

If the Rifles don't fit I may pick up some of the Apollo stepless shafts form Hireko to build the Taylormades. I am no where near good enough to play blades so more of of an experiment and because I like to tinker.

 

Correct. Preassembly should be snug but not over tight. Remember that after tip cutting to desired iron number and flex that you want to rough the tip past the irons hossel so that the ferule also sits on a roughed area. This will help make sure they don't travel with use and that you get a better bond with the head.

If you go with Hireko Apollo shafts I encourage you to spend the extra buck a piece and go to the Shadow shafts that are superior. If you use the steeples make sure you allow for the fact that they tend to run on the stiffer side per category and tipping directions. I normally soft step them if I use them to get a truer flex.

[npg]

 

 

Many of us here come from the time when blades were the only thing available, which is why we've returned to them after going through a bunch of other stuff through the years.

 

You are good enough to play them. This "I'm not good enough" notion is nonsense from the other sections of this site, where guys tend to worry more about what others think than what they themselves think, and who tend to be willing marks for OEM hype. Plenty of us here have proven that we do just fine with blades, many of which are much older than yours.

 

The Tour Preferred is one of the more playable blades ever created.

 

https://www.golfwork..._TAYLORMADE.pdf

 

You'll find the Tour Preferred at the bottom of the PDF.

 

This is an excellent post, thank you for the encouragement. Its funny you mentioned it because I was watching some Hogan and Trevino videos last night and it donned on me that for most of the history of golf, blades were the only thing available and people seemed to have done alright. I have a set of 73 Hogan Apex that I took out to the range once and got discouraged but I am determined to learn how to hit them.

 

 

Correct. Preassembly should be snug but not over tight. Remember that after tip cutting to desired iron number and flex that you want to rough the tip past the irons hossel so that the ferule also sits on a roughed area. This will help make sure they don't travel with use and that you get a better bond with the head.

If you go with Hireko Apollo shafts I encourage you to spend the extra buck a piece and go to the Shadow shafts that are superior. If you use the steeples make sure you allow for the fact that they tend to run on the stiffer side per category and tipping directions. I normally soft step them if I use them to get a truer flex.

 

Thanks, I strongly suspect the Rifles are .355 at this point. After looking at the tips a bit closer I can't discern any taper, but they do not appear to have been tipped. The chrome plating is intact around the tip and a bit on the inside of the shaft. I should know more tomorrow when the calipers arrive.

 

It looks like the Apollo Shadows are out of stock at Hireko, all they have are woods shafts. The fact that the Stepless play slightly stiff is actually appealing to me as I have been waiting to try something a bit stiffer than the stiff Dynalite 105s in my Nike Coverts 2s.

 

Are there any other relatively inexpensive shafts I should consider? I am looking for ~125g and mid-low trajectory.

 

Again, thanks everyone for the replies.

[Shallowface]

Many of us here come from the time when blades were the only thing available, which is why we've returned to them after going through a bunch of other stuff through the years.

 

You are good enough to play them. This "I'm not good enough" notion is nonsense from the other sections of this site, where guys tend to worry more about what others think than what they themselves think, and who tend to be willing marks for OEM hype. Plenty of us here have proven that we do just fine with blades, many of which are much older than yours.

 

The Tour Preferred is one of the more playable blades ever created.

 

https://www.golfwork..._TAYLORMADE.pdf

 

You'll find the Tour Preferred at the bottom of the PDF.

 

This is an excellent post, thank you for the encouragement. Its funny you mentioned it because I was watching some Hogan and Trevino videos last night and it donned on me that for most of the history of golf, blades were the only thing available and people seemed to have done alright. I have a set of 73 Hogan Apex that I took out to the range once and got discouraged but I am determined to learn how to hit them.

 

Correct. Preassembly should be snug but not over tight. Remember that after tip cutting to desired iron number and flex that you want to rough the tip past the irons hossel so that the ferule also sits on a roughed area. This will help make sure they don't travel with use and that you get a better bond with the head.

If you go with Hireko Apollo shafts I encourage you to spend the extra buck a piece and go to the Shadow shafts that are superior. If you use the steeples make sure you allow for the fact that they tend to run on the stiffer side per category and tipping directions. I normally soft step them if I use them to get a truer flex.

 

Thanks, I strongly suspect the Rifles are .355 at this point. After looking at the tips a bit closer I can't discern any taper, but they do not appear to have been tipped. The chrome plating is intact around the tip and a bit on the inside of the shaft. I should know more tomorrow when the calipers arrive.

 

It looks like the Apollo Shadows are out of stock at Hireko, all they have are woods shafts. The fact that the Stepless play slightly stiff is actually appealing to me as I have been waiting to try something a bit stiffer than the stiff Dynalite 105s in my Nike Coverts 2s.

 

Are there any other relatively inexpensive shafts I should consider? I am looking for ~125g and mid-low trajectory.

 

Again, thanks everyone for the replies.

 

https://www.hirekogolf.com/golf-components/golf-shafts/steel-shafts/apollo-shadow-lite-steel-iron-golf-shafts.html

 

I think you may have looked at the older version that is being closed out.

 

That said the Shadow, which is an excellent shaft and a long time personal favorite of mine, is advertised as producing a trajectory on the high side, which is not what you said you were looking for.

 

Might be worth just getting a couple of them and trying them out to start. You may find that a slightly more forgiving shaft makes those blades a bit easier to deal with, particularly in the longer irons.

[TimV]

Yes, Didn't catch that. If you want a lower ball flight go with the Apollo Steeples over the Shadows. I was thinking Shadows as many folks struggle to get an effective launch when 1st playing blades and the Shadows seem to help. I have found that the Apollo Shafts are a solid inexpensive shaft choice and I do a fair amount of building.

[npg]

I got the calipers today and the Rifle shafts mesure .3685 which seems about right for a .370 shaft with room for epoxy . There Merit heads I have measure .375 which seems pretty wide. They do have small ledge at the bottom the hosel which may mean they are "universal heads" In any event I am hoping the Taylormades show up tomorrow so I can see if they provide a snugger fit.

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I got the Taylormade heads in today and I can only get the Rifle shafts to go about 1/3 of an inch in to the hosel. I tried to clean one of them out the best I could with a dremel, and tried to prep the shaft a bit better than It was when I got it but no joy. The top of the hosel measures right at .3675 the best I can tell. So I am .001 or so off. I am guessing this is a prep issue and I should order a reamer and a wire brush bit, but I wanted to get some other opinions first.

[TimV]

Have you shined a light down into the TM heads to see if the hossels are clean? If you don't see bare metal that's probably your issue.

[npg]

Have you shined a light down into the TM heads to see if the hossels are clean? If you don't see bare metal that's probably your issue.

 

After shining a light in there and using a dremel with a the smaller sanding drum I still cant seem to get it all the way clean and it doesn't reach deep enough anyway. I like having the right tool for the job so I went ahead and ordered a wire brush bit and .370 reamer from Golf Works. There reamer was on sale, lucky me, but back ordered so I am not sure when it might show up.

 

I am torn between taking scotchbrite to these to give them a satin finish or taking them back to a full polish (without taking out the deeper dents and dings that give them character). I have time to decided I guess.

[Texsport]

Interesting - I know of a set originally owned by Mark O'Meara, 4-SW, DG X-100 shafts.

 

4-9 no TD stamp

 

PW and SW have TD stamp.

 

The set was given to First Tee by MO, and was given to a long-term volunteer at First Tee, and is currently for sale in a local club repair shop.

 

Texsport

[JahSteve]

i have a set i acquired from a neighbor's son after he passed... these came with a white dot... Never got to ask if he just painted it white or what. Anyone know what white could mean anything in terms of lie?

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

On 4/18/2021 at 5:08 AM, JahSteve said:

i have a set i acquired from a neighbor's son after he passed... these came with a white dot... Never got to ask if he just painted it white or what. Anyone know what white could mean anything in terms of lie?

Red was upright, black standard, and green flat. As far as I know, these were the only colours, so maybe they were repainted, or the colour faded over time?

Have you measured the lies and lofts?

[Shallowface]

On 1/2/2018 at 1:17 AM, Shallowface said:

 

The first sets had the 1-4 irons with no TD stamp, so nothing unusual there. The previous owner of yours probably did what a lot of us here do and cobbled the set together from various sources.

 

I agree with Fluffy that these are .370. I remember the sets I had and worked on a long time ago were .370, and I've never seen anything to suggest these were ever offered with .355 taper tips.

 

I remember the first time I ever saw them was in Bruce Crampton's bag at a US Senior Open, a few months before they were released to the marketplace.

I recently acquired a 6 iron that has no TD stamp at all and was flabbergasted to discover it's a .355.  I'd been through a number of these and hadn't seen anything other than .370.  It must be from the first run of them.

Edited April 22, 2021 by Shallowface
spelling

[@_the_crook]

Glad I wandered into this discussion.

Very informative and another example of the deep knowledge of our members.

 

When looking for a wedge a while back to fill out my FG-17 bag, found a nice T-D PW with DG R300.

Measures 35", has a GP Tour Wrap grip, might be the original.

First time I'd seen this model club. .

Now seems even more worth the minimal investment.

[MaDuBt]

Spoiler

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hey guys, just picked up a set of these... 1-5 have the TD stamp and 6-pw do not. does this mean its a mixed set or what? the 1 iron had a red dot and the rest were black. thanks. hey guys, just picked up a set of these... 1-5 have the TD stamp and 6-pw do not. does this mean its a mixed set or what? the 1 iron had a red dot and the rest were black. thanks.