My dad played Gorman Clubs- any information about them?

[thecadman99]

He had a set of woods and irons called Gorman "Top-Kick" I still have them.

I've read here on the forums that the woods were made from "overflow" Macgregor stock.

Does anyone know about the irons? Were they a re-stamp of a Macgregor design?

Mine are stainless just like this picture:

[dalehead]

Never even heard the name before in connection to golf clubs. Will be interested to hear what others know.

[Shallowface]

https://golfpar6.com/johnny-sabat%2C-gorman-golf

I've seen a number of these over the years. I never cease to be amazed at the durability of the forged stainless from that era. Those clubs were built to last.

[thecadman99]

Yes my dad was an avid player and the soles of his set are barely worn. They are some serious chunks of steel.

I played with them in the 80's when I was a teen, and managed to lose one of the wood face inserts.

Thanks for the info- I think I had read that before about the Macgregor wood heads. I'd love to know where the irons came from of if they were made in-house.

 

[FairwayFred]

So Gormans used to have a shop in Southfield MI on the corner of 12 mile and Telegraph just N of Detroit. I don't know exactly where they got their raw forgings and wood turnings etc but they definitely did all the grinding and shaping work in house. They made everything there from persimmons and laminated woods to forged irons and wedged and putters. True old school workshop. I grew up not too far from there and used to hang out there alot as a kid/teenager getting into golf and clubs. I actually got the last set of custom wedges that Larry (their manufacturing guy) made in the late 1990s. They had a huge influence on me and my eventual career path. They also had a legendary old pro named Mac that taught there. Unfortunately they closed down early 2000s and it's now a 5 Guys Burgers.

[thecadman99]

Great story Fred, thanks for sharing. My dad said he bought these secondhand from a pro at a little course in Bristol, Va. called Steelcreek. It sounds like they did a lot of their own work, which may be why I can't find a similar club from any of the large manufacturers from that time.

Thanks again!

[CARL FOWLER]

My bookeeper is the grand daughter of old man Gorman and she has spoken often of her family's business.  Anyone wanting more details can contact me and I'll put you in contact with her  

[Joe Zalar]

Back in the 1980’s I bought a full set of Gorman clubs for my father in law who retired. They were on 12 Mile Rd in Southfield Michigan.  The pros at Gorman worked with him to design clubs for his swing.  The gave him a stiff shaft and built the driver to 11 degrees.  They also made clubs for President Dwight David Eisenhower. Gormans actually put my father in laws signature on the back of the each iron.  I still have the clubs and I will never part with them.  

[Hawkeye77]

They look like Christmas!  Cool.

[Fellaheen51]

As a lifelong resident of S. E. Michigan, it's with interest that I read a thread about Gorman Golf.  Was aware of the name, their business of "custom" golf clubs, but never visited their workshop.  Falcon Golf (Ferndale) in the same business at the time as I recall.  My father had a set of Falcon irons.  

 

Run across Gorman clubs in the bargain bins periodically.  Although I've yet to discover a complete set of irons.  Most woods that I see are the laminated Top-Kick models.  However, a couple of years back, ran across this set of Gorman persimmons.  And found them worthy of an inexpensive acquisition.  Quite nice shape, perhaps refinished.  Sole plates could use some additional tidying up.  They have  Harrison Professional Boron/Graphite shafts installed.  No flex indication, but feel rather stout the couple of times I've attempted to play them (primarily the D).  

 

If Gorman indeed shaped these heads in house, one can see the craftsmanship.  Solid blocks, no exterior weighting.  The D in particular has a very nice grain pattern to it.  

 

[jmcf1949]

On 1/29/2020 at 2:09 PM, thecadman99 said:

He had a set of woods and irons called Gorman "Top-Kick" I still have them.

I've read here on the forums that the woods were made from "overflow" Macgregor stock.

Does anyone know about the irons? Were they a re-stamp of a Macgregor design?

Mine are stainless just like this picture:

Never owned any Gorman branded stuff but I bought a lot of goods and club services from their shop on Twelve mi and Telegraph in Southfield Michigan. They were always considered to be a top end club maker and repair facility. Sadly, they closed a number of years ago. I miss them.

[rkj4243]

The Gorman facility closed when they were offered more money for the property than the business was actually worth. It was a partnership at that time, with generational family members of the original Sabat's.

 

Larry Sabat did buy Tom Deaton Golf Center in Howell, MI and ran that for a while, but sadly that place too has closed. Unsure if it was due to Covid or something else?

 

Larry was the club maker, and learned his skills through the years while working there. Mac McAnally was the pro mentioned above, and my Dad, brothers, and myself all knew the majority of the people who worked there, and had clubs from them throughout the years.

 

Eventually as the game progressed, and golf improvement (cast cavity back) irons became more popular, they purchased iron heads, but fitted you into them with proper specifications for your individual needs.

[edgwriting]

Bought complete set of Gorman irons in the 60’s. Immediately broke 100 first time used. Remember them being heavy, but accurate. Gave them to a friend new to the game when I moved on to Pings. Good people at Gorman were easy to work with. They also re-chromed and regripped an antique wood shaft bade  Sarazen putter I used for a number of years before switching to a Bullseye I still use after more than fifty years. Thanks for the memories. 

[Sparty4202]

On 1/30/2020 at 12:24 PM, FairwayFred said:

So Gormans used to have a shop in Southfield MI on the corner of 12 mile and Telegraph just N of Detroit. I don't know exactly where they got their raw forgings and wood turnings etc but they definitely did all the grinding and shaping work in house. They made everything there from persimmons and laminated woods to forged irons and wedged and putters. True old school workshop. I grew up not too far from there and used to hang out there alot as a kid/teenager getting into golf and clubs. I actually got the last set of custom wedges that Larry (their manufacturing guy) made in the late 1990s. They had a huge influence on me and my eventual career path. They also had a legendary old pro named Mac that taught there. Unfortunately they closed down early 2000s and it's now a 5 Guys Burgers.

I bought my first set on new clubs in 1979 from Stan Sabat the owner. 1-3-4-5 persimmon woods and 3-SW Top Kick irons. Stan even custom ground the sand wedge for me.  I wish I had kept them. My brother also had Stan build him a set of forged blades. I always had Stan and his Son in Law work on my irons, they were great always took me into the back room and I was able to watch and learn. They are the ones that got me to start tinkering on m6 own & I have been building clubs for the last 30+ years. 

Edited January 9, 2021 by tbccgolfer

[Sparty4202]

On 1/2/2021 at 4:59 AM, Fellaheen51 said:

As a lifelong resident of S. E. Michigan, it's with interest that I read a thread about Gorman Golf.  Was aware of the name, their business of "custom" golf clubs, but never visited their workshop.  Falcon Golf (Ferndale) in the same business at the time as I recall.  My father had a set of Falcon irons.  

 

Run across Gorman clubs in the bargain bins periodically.  Although I've yet to discover a complete set of irons.  Most woods that I see are the laminated Top-Kick models.  However, a couple of years back, ran across this set of Gorman persimmons.  And found them worthy of an inexpensive acquisition.  Quite nice shape, perhaps refinished.  Sole plates could use some additional tidying up.  They have  Harrison Professional Boron/Graphite shafts installed.  No flex indication, but feel rather stout the couple of times I've attempted to play them (primarily the D).  

 

If Gorman indeed shaped these heads in house, one can see the craftsmanship.  Solid blocks, no exterior weighting.  The D in particular has a very nice grain pattern to it.  

 

The Harrison graphite was really popular in the mid to late 80s if my memory is right...I played it in my fairway woods. 
GO GREEN!! 

[Erick]

I was born in Milwaukee, WI, and my father gifted to me a full set of Gorman Acromotic clubs (1, 3 & 4 woods), and irons (2 thru 9) when I was a teenager in the 1960's.  I'm now 71.  Unfortunately, I never really got into golf, so I used them only a few times.  Consequently, they are almost like new.   I would be interested in selling the entire set.  Does anyone know what they are worth?   

[hardten]

On 1/29/2020 at 2:09 PM, thecadman99 said:

He had a set of woods and irons called Gorman "Top-Kick" I still have them.

I've read here on the forums that the woods were made from "overflow" Macgregor stock.

Does anyone know about the irons? Were they a re-stamp of a Macgregor design?

Mine are stainless just like this picture:

Gorman was a rather famous Detroit Metro area golf store that designed and made clubs,along with selling other brands plus offering services (repairs,etc) such as Golfworks does today. They also had inside hitting areas for lessons. I took a series of lessons from a somewhat locally famous old scottish golf pro that had a breath that smelled very "scotchish" when I took up the game in 1975-76. Not even sure the place is still around although I doubt it with all the options available today.

[Charlene Reeger]

On 10/19/2020 at 10:58 AM, CARL FOWLER said:

My bookeeper is the grand daughter of old man Gorman and she has spoken often of her family's business.  Anyone wanting more details can contact me and I'll put you in contact with her  

I just found a Gorman Putter.  It has a name on the club.  Harold Noaker, Congress Lake Club, Hartsville, OH.   Would love to know more about how this putter made it to Myrtle Beach,  SC with the name still on the club!  I believe this man passed away back in 1971.   

[dcopp7]

Have a Gorman 4 iron in this set

 

[Esox]

My brother has a custom made persimmon driver Gormans made him decades ago.

If you know Detroit, a native east sider going to the west side for anything was an anomaly..... LOL

[ColleenW]

On 10/19/2020 at 10:58 AM, CARL FOWLER said:

My bookeeper is the grand daughter of old man Gorman and she has spoken often of her family's business.  Anyone wanting more details can contact me and I'll put you in contact with her  

Your bookkeeper is actually his daughter, my mother.  I am the granddaughter!  It is so nice to read the stories of peoples nice memories! 

[Boise59]

Super funny....I'm from Detroit and I was thinking about Gorman the other day. In my day they were "super expensive" and above my purchasing level. Used to take the club repair from our club there twice a week, all the guys in the store were super nice and great to be around.