Only "Classic" Golfing? An assessment of my playing and what next?

[Forged Hack]

To the OP….  I’m in the same boat and glad that there are others who are drawn to the classics. Although I have a modern set, I’ve put together a classic mid eighties Titleist set I actually enjoy playing more than anything. I can’t really take it out on our regular courses because I’ll be left behind off the tee and, one bad swing or God forbid a topped shot and they will eventually say something like “you’re slowing us down with that crap”, but I’m now playing classic Florida tracs that have not been lengthened and they fit the courses perfectly (5500 to 6600 yards). 
keep up the passion, your not alone.

[cold_war_era_golfer]

3 hours ago, Forged Hack said:

To the OP….  I’m in the same boat and glad that there are others who are drawn to the classics. Although I have a modern set, I’ve put together a classic mid eighties Titleist set I actually enjoy playing more than anything. I can’t really take it out on our regular courses because I’ll be left behind off the tee and, one bad swing or God forbid a topped shot and they will eventually say something like “you’re slowing us down with that crap”, but I’m now playing classic Florida tracs that have not been lengthened and they fit the courses perfectly (5500 to 6600 yards). 
keep up the passion, your not alone.

Beautiful!  As the OP I’m happy to see others doing this and would love to run into like minded players on the course.

 

I’ve stuck to my goal and have continued to go all vintage this year.  Last Friday I had a great round and if it wasn’t for the snow man on the 9th hole I woulda shot I the low 40s. I broke 50 which was a big deal for me being at this for one year now.

 

I hear you about the being left behind at the tee.  But there are more and more times where I land on the fairway and my shock and awe bomb partners end up on a different fairway.   Don’t let that stop you.  There are many ways to make up for those shorter drives!

 

Another big key is playing with others who respect the challenge you are giving yourself with persimmons and blades. 
 

My gear gets all sorts of weird looks.  Best thing to do is offer to let those questioning it to give one of your clubs a swing.  You’ll get instant props and it will humble most!  

That all said next weekend I’ll probably take 10 steps backward and humble myself but after Friday I’m feeling pretty good!
 

Here’s my current set up.
 

[Gsea]

12 hours ago, cold_war_era_golfer said:

Beautiful!  As the OP I’m happy to see others doing this and would love to run into like minded players on the course.

 

I’ve stuck to my goal and have continued to go all vintage this year.  Last Friday I had a great round and if it wasn’t for the snow man on the 9th hole I woulda shot I the low 40s. I broke 50 which was a big deal for me being at this for one year now.

 

I hear you about the being left behind at the tee.  But there are more and more times where I land on the fairway and my shock and awe bomb partners end up on a different fairway.   Don’t let that stop you.  There are many ways to make up for those shorter drives!

 

Another big key is playing with others who respect the challenge you are giving yourself with persimmons and blades. 
 

My gear gets all sorts of weird looks.  Best thing to do is offer to let those questioning it to give one of your clubs a swing.  You’ll get instant props and it will humble most!  

That all said next weekend I’ll probably take 10 steps backward and humble myself but after Friday I’m feeling pretty good!
 

Here’s my current set up.
 

Clubs are awesome but you gotta upgrade the brew brother 🙂

[BIG STU]

On 7/11/2021 at 7:02 PM, Forged Hack said:

To the OP….  I’m in the same boat and glad that there are others who are drawn to the classics. Although I have a modern set, I’ve put together a classic mid eighties Titleist set I actually enjoy playing more than anything. I can’t really take it out on our regular courses because I’ll be left behind off the tee and, one bad swing or God forbid a topped shot and they will eventually say something like “you’re slowing us down with that crap”, but I’m now playing classic Florida tracs that have not been lengthened and they fit the courses perfectly (5500 to 6600 yards). 
keep up the passion, your not alone.

Beautiful and classy and very period correct details. Also I can see the touch of class when you pull up at the bag drop in that Beemer and drop those off. No one around here plays vintage. Wish I had someone here to play vintage with. 

[NRJyzr]

3 minutes ago, BIG STU said:

Beautiful and classy and very period correct details. Also I can see the touch of class when you pull up at the bag drop in that Beemer and drop those off. No one around here plays vintage. Wish I had someone here to play vintage with. 

 

Because of my having joined my course's Men's Club this year, and my switching to graphite shafts, I haven't played vintage rounds this year.  I admit I've been missing it, giving thought to doing so in the near future.

 

I *do* have a graphite shafted Smart Driver, only lacking a fairway wood with graphite.  Dawdled too long on a set of Daiwas (1-3-4-5) with X graphite, and when I'd decided to scoop them up, they'd sold.  Funny how that works.

 

Same as with you, Stu, there's no one here interested in vintage golf.  One of my friends uses an old 8802 and has for years, but thats as far as he goes.  The rest of them just shake their head, chalk it up to my golf nerddom.  LOL

 

[BIG STU]

On 7/11/2021 at 10:18 PM, cold_war_era_golfer said:

Beautiful!  As the OP I’m happy to see others doing this and would love to run into like minded players on the course.

 

I’ve stuck to my goal and have continued to go all vintage this year.  Last Friday I had a great round and if it wasn’t for the snow man on the 9th hole I woulda shot I the low 40s. I broke 50 which was a big deal for me being at this for one year now.

 

I hear you about the being left behind at the tee.  But there are more and more times where I land on the fairway and my shock and awe bomb partners end up on a different fairway.   Don’t let that stop you.  There are many ways to make up for those shorter drives!

 

Another big key is playing with others who respect the challenge you are giving yourself with persimmons and blades. 
 

My gear gets all sorts of weird looks.  Best thing to do is offer to let those questioning it to give one of your clubs a swing.  You’ll get instant props and it will humble most!  

That all said next weekend I’ll probably take 10 steps backward and humble myself but after Friday I’m feeling pretty good!
 

Here’s my current set up.
 

LOL I have had the stares and questions---- I used to say the line of " well these were my Grandfather's clubs and I am trying to see if I like the game" and I have had the comeback of "if you got some new clubs you might could play"  

LOL at a local executive course I was playing with my 1940 or so Pyratone shafted Armours. Ran up on 2 guys that asked if I would like to join them? Ok sure. One looked at my clubs and was quizzical--- I ran the Grandfather line on him. Ended up shooting even par on the back---- To give the guy credit he was going to give me a set of some kind of CBs. I told him the truth then. 

Yeah I draw some local curiosity but a lot of the guys look at my bag or go up on the range when I am there to put it as one guys says "to see what I am hitting now".  

[BIG STU]

2 minutes ago, NRJyzr said:

 

Because of my having joined my course's Men's Club this year, and my switching to graphite shafts, I haven't played vintage rounds this year.  I admit I've been missing it, giving thought to doing so in the near future.

 

I *do* have a graphite shafted Smart Driver, only lacking a fairway wood with graphite.  Dawdled too long on a set of Daiwas (1-3-4-5) with X graphite, and when I'd decided to scoop them up, they'd sold.  Funny how that works.

 

Same as with you, Stu, there's no one here interested in vintage golf.  One of my friends uses an old 8802 and has for years, but thats as far as he goes.  The rest of them just shake their head, chalk it up to my golf nerddom.  LOL

 

Well your folks are more polite in your case. Around here some think I am touched in the head or an outright fruitcake.

One of the guys in another scramble team uses a reproduction 8802 with the grooved face. He got a good deal on it because he works for PGASS. He lost his Factory 8802 cover the other day which by the way is a good looking cover. I was helping him look and said something about a 8802 cover to someone. He replied "you and I are the only ones around here that knows anything about an 8802" 

I know during the pandemic our course stayed open. I noticed a lot of old white Ping Staff bags with Eye2s and such and a lot of old Hoofers and a Lot of old TM bags with burners. On the course we were finding a plethera of balls that had not been made for 25 years or more. I found 3 Titleist 90 Balatas the same round one day. Talked to a kid one day with a set of Eye2s and white staff bag. He had taken up golf for something to do and had dragged his late Grandfather's clubs out to try. Now that the pandemic is over and stuff has opened up I do not see any of those guys anymore

[NRJyzr]

22 minutes ago, BIG STU said:

Well your folks are more polite in your case. Around here some think I am touched in the head or an outright fruitcake.

One of the guys in another scramble team uses a reproduction 8802 with the grooved face. He got a good deal on it because he works for PGASS. He lost his Factory 8802 cover the other day which by the way is a good looking cover. I was helping him look and said something about a 8802 cover to someone. He replied "you and I are the only ones around here that knows anything about an 8802" 

I know during the pandemic our course stayed open. I noticed a lot of old white Ping Staff bags with Eye2s and such and a lot of old Hoofers and a Lot of old TM bags with burners. On the course we were finding a plethera of balls that had not been made for 25 years or more. I found 3 Titleist 90 Balatas the same round one day. Talked to a kid one day with a set of Eye2s and white staff bag. He had taken up golf for something to do and had dragged his late Grandfather's clubs out to try. Now that the pandemic is over and stuff has opened up I do not see any of those guys anymore

 

The folks I mention are my friends, regular members of my larger Friday-Sunday group.  They definitely think I'm a little odd, the zhit-tonne of clubs, the in-and-out in the bag, and the old stuff.  But they're used to it.

 

The Men's Club guys, not many of them know me too well yet. I *did* get a comment from one guy, who I'd played golf with previously; his comment was how I'm "not doing myself any favors with my irons" (MP37).  He apparently buys into the forgiveness thing, though its interesting that he's playing the new P770, which have an MOI approximately the same as my 37s, LOL.  Didnt give me a hard time, just curiosity.

 

Of course, I haven't shown up to a Men's Club event with persimmons in the bag, either, LOL.  And no one has said a thing about my using an Original One as a primary tee club.

 

Last year, we got a late start due to the pandemic, courses opened last weekend of April.  They did record business in 2020, in spite of missing an entire month.  Food & Beverage manager told me they had record sales each month, also.  Everyone coming out of the woodwork because golf was available as an option.  Honestly, looking forward to some of them heading back to non-golf activities; rounds have been getting longer and longer with the uneducated filling the tee sheet.

 

I've been finding old balls all over the course, also.  LOL

 

One positive, my course puts money back into the course.  2020's big business allows them to spend on various improvements.  Which is nice.  🙂

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by NRJyzr

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

23 hours ago, NRJyzr said:

 

The folks I mention are my friends, regular members of my larger Friday-Sunday group.  They definitely think I'm a little odd, the zhit-tonne of clubs, the in-and-out in the bag, and the old stuff.  But they're used to it.

 

The Men's Club guys, not many of them know me too well yet. I *did* get a comment from one guy, who I'd played golf with previously; his comment was how I'm "not doing myself any favors with my irons" (MP37).  He apparently buys into the forgiveness thing, though its interesting that he's playing the new P770, which have an MOI approximately the same as my 37s, LOL.  Didnt give me a hard time, just curiosity.

 

Of course, I haven't shown up to a Men's Club event with persimmons in the bag, either, LOL.  And no one has said a thing about my using an Original One as a primary tee club.

 

Last year, we got a late start due to the pandemic, courses opened last weekend of April.  They did record business in 2020, in spite of missing an entire month.  Food & Beverage manager told me they had record sales each month, also.  Everyone coming out of the woodwork because golf was available as an option.  Honestly, looking forward to some of them heading back to non-golf activities; rounds have been getting longer and longer with the uneducated filling the tee sheet.

 

I've been finding old balls all over the course, also.  LOL

 

One positive, my course puts money back into the course.  2020's big business allows them to spend on various improvements.  Which is nice.  🙂

 

Seeing a lot of new golfers here as well, though many appear to be investing big bucks (yen?) in new equipment. I played with a regular golfing mate today, and he said he was looking forward to 6 months down the line when all these new golfing heroes give up and sell their shiny new stuff for peanuts.

 

Incidentally, I've sort of converted him to classic golf. I gave him a set of Mac VIP Tour CBs (1992, I think), 2i-PW, and he's really taken to them. Now I've lent him a V-steel 9w, which is not exactly vintage, but is a classic in its own right. 

 

I really want to take the persimmon out again, but I need to smooth out an early release problem. Smothering tee shots with persimmon sucks all the fun out of the game.

[Tumbleweed_1968]

Manuel De la Torre (via Brian Sparks / Julian Mellor) has really helped me swing the classic clubs. Started by searching for a simple swing that didn't hurt, and that is where I ended up. I cannot stress enough how stress free it has been, and how much it has improved my swing, my scores, and my enjoyment of the game.

My set has evolved into:

• 3 woods; long, medium, and short
• 3 Irons; long, medium, and short
• SW & Putter (SW optional)

I am able to carry now, which I haven't done since my injury period of 2017 - 2019. And it doesn't seem to matter what I am hitting, the results are basically the same. I can try out new (to me) clubs this way with no fear of blowing it.

Also, since I adopted the personal par strategy I have been averaging level fives on the regular course, which I find acceptable. I am essentially a bogey golfer and I am ok with that since my fun level has gone way up. No more struggles.

I love the creativity of playing with the minimalist set, and the classic clubs. Like opening the face of a 6 iron for a softer landing, or hooding an 8 iron for a little extra bounce up to the green.

It seems that I am finally starting to understand the mental side of the game now that I have gotten off of the body position train. That has been the biggest surprise.

The only downer is playing with those that are still on the BPT, who are constantly complaining about their swing during the round and asking me what they did wrong. Maybe someday they'll come around.

Anyway, keep enjoying the classics.

[cold_war_era_golfer]

Monday marked the closing of most of the courses around me. 

 

I started this thread in Oct 2020 so here we are 13 months later.  

 

I did it.  One entire golf season.  March 13 to November 10th all vintage for 137 rounds.  Many at my local par 3 so 137 should have an *  

 

I've met some great people here and played a few hickory events and tried to play with other vintage enthusiasts which to me is the height of fun golf.  

 

I have a spreadsheet that marks each trip with about 30 different sets of irons, 13 putters, and an assortment of various persimmon/laminate drivers, 2 woods, and 3 woods.  I'm looking forward to going through that this winter and seeing exactly what I used the most.

 

What have I learned?  I'll never be a great golfer.  I'm 6'2 and playing short vintage sets, but I'm having the time of my life.  I can keep up with my buddies who have been golfing their entire lives and it's kinda fun to beat them every once in a while and say that was with a 55 year old set of clubs.

 

The most modern sets I played were 1988 Fluid Feels and 1981 Muirfields.  They were longer in length than my 60s irons but I scored about the same.

 

The biggest thing I learned and it was from an older hickory player this summer was the value of a Brassie.  I've swapped all my 60s drivers for 2 woods and that made the most improvement for me from the tee boxes.

 

 

[rwc356]

17 hours ago, cold_war_era_golfer said:

Monday marked the closing of most of the courses around me. 

 

I started this thread in Oct 2020 so here we are 13 months later.  

 

I did it.  One entire golf season.  March 13 to November 10th all vintage for 137 rounds.  Many at my local par 3 so 137 should have an *  

 

I've met some great people here and played a few hickory events and tried to play with other vintage enthusiasts which to me is the height of fun golf.  

 

I have a spreadsheet that marks each trip with about 30 different sets of irons, 13 putters, and an assortment of various persimmon/laminate drivers, 2 woods, and 3 woods.  I'm looking forward to going through that this winter and seeing exactly what I used the most.

 

What have I learned?  I'll never be a great golfer.  I'm 6'2 and playing short vintage sets, but I'm having the time of my life.  I can keep up with my buddies who have been golfing their entire lives and it's kinda fun to beat them every once in a while and say that was with a 55 year old set of clubs.

 

The most modern sets I played were 1988 Fluid Feels and 1981 Muirfields.  They were longer in length than my 60s irons but I scored about the same.

 

The biggest thing I learned and it was from an older hickory player this summer was the value of a Brassie.  I've swapped all my 60s drivers for 2 woods and that made the most improvement for me from the tee boxes.

 

 

Congratulations on your accomplishment! I managed to play several years with only hickories and sometimes it was a challenge  to deal with the looks and comments when playing with others using modern clubs. It's always great to see older clubs enjoying their time in the sunshine - especially when they beat up on their modern counterparts.

[NRJyzr]

18 hours ago, cold_war_era_golfer said:

Monday marked the closing of most of the courses around me. 

 

I started this thread in Oct 2020 so here we are 13 months later.  

 

I did it.  One entire golf season.  March 13 to November 10th all vintage for 137 rounds.  Many at my local par 3 so 137 should have an *  

 

I've met some great people here and played a few hickory events and tried to play with other vintage enthusiasts which to me is the height of fun golf.  

 

I have a spreadsheet that marks each trip with about 30 different sets of irons, 13 putters, and an assortment of various persimmon/laminate drivers, 2 woods, and 3 woods.  I'm looking forward to going through that this winter and seeing exactly what I used the most.

 

What have I learned?  I'll never be a great golfer.  I'm 6'2 and playing short vintage sets, but I'm having the time of my life.  I can keep up with my buddies who have been golfing their entire lives and it's kinda fun to beat them every once in a while and say that was with a 55 year old set of clubs.

 

The most modern sets I played were 1988 Fluid Feels and 1981 Muirfields.  They were longer in length than my 60s irons but I scored about the same.

 

The biggest thing I learned and it was from an older hickory player this summer was the value of a Brassie.  I've swapped all my 60s drivers for 2 woods and that made the most improvement for me from the tee boxes.

 

 

 

1 hour ago, rwc356 said:

Congratulations on your accomplishment! I managed to play several years with only hickories and sometimes it was a challenge  to deal with the looks and comments when playing with others using modern clubs. It's always great to see older clubs enjoying their time in the sunshine - especially when they beat up on their modern counterparts.

 

 

I agree with rwc, this is really impressive.  I think it's all the more impressive because brother cold war era golfer is new to the game, and on the younger end of the spectrum.  These classic clubs are not an example of returning to something from the days of youth as they might be for those of us who are a bit older.  Even if not a golfer in those days (such as yours truly).

 

I started to do this a couple seasons ago, but my inner nerd and club ho got me off track.  This past season, the closest I came to playing retro rounds would be using Golden Ram irons (albeit with graphite shafts), a Golden Ram blade putter, or a sub-300cc driver.  My persimmons remained unused.

 

One reason I didn't bring out the lumber was joining my course's Men's Club group this year.  I couldn't bring myself to play competitively with persimmon or laminate woods.  Or, as rwc mentioned, bring myself to endure the endless comments from playing such clubs in a Men's Club event.  We'll see what next year brings.

 

To Cold War Era Golfer:

Edited November 18, 2021 by NRJyzr

[MrFlipper]

I work seasonally at a local muni, mowing greens, fairways, whatever is needed that day. Not a member of the men's club, but know most members, play with some of them casually, sometimes as a guest in their tournaments. 

 

I played some relatively beat up 71 bounce soles (that fit me really well) most of the summer, was prepared for wisecracks but when they were eventually noticed, folks thought (at least in front of my back) they were cool and were supportive. One guy even remembered playing with a set when they first came out.

 

This surprised me. Any clubs older than 10 years are considered antiques by these guys. Many of them have the latest and greatest. 

[scomac2002]

Like @MrFlipper I work at a course in the clubhouse.  I belong to a senior men's league at that course.  I've played a few vintage rounds with these guys and usually there's some good natured ribbing going on before the round about playing with antiques.  The funny part is that my vintage clubs aren't any more antique than the guys still playing Eye 2's!  Lots of old putters too.  The difference of course is that no one plays lumber.  Everyone has something close to a modern driver/fairway/hybrids in the bag.  I even succumbed to metal in my driver/4W, but had a laminate 5W and Ginty Rescue in the bag.  Mind you, the metal was age appropriate as in Pittsburgh Persimmon. 😉

 

I actually played fairly consistently with this setup.  About 2 shots a side more, but with less variation between high and low.  Not sure I'd be any worse off if I played them the entire way with the anticipated familiarity breeding more confidence.  That's playing short courses though and I think the penalty would be steeper where distance was a premium.

 

Nevertheless It was fun!  Garnered several positive comments from those that marveled at playing as well as I did with "those old clubs!"  

 

Congrats to @cold_war_era_golfer for sticking with it and playing the old gear for the full season! 👍👍

[Jiggered]

Top work @cold_war_era_golfer, it's great to see a newcomer to the game recognising the pleasure in using old gear.

Keep at it and keep learning, there's so much more to gain from golf when you're playing old clubs!

 

I've gone about two and a halt years now of only using vintage clubs, playing club matches, club competitions, local course opens and general play with them.

Most of the people who notice/comment on the clubs are genuinely interested and have stories of the clubs they used or even still have in the attic somewhere.  But probably over half the people I have a round with don't comment or even notice!  I've not had anybody say anything nasty.

 

Typically I'll change my whole set once a week, woods, irons and putter. That makes it hard to stay consistent but by measuring the lofts of the irons I'm playing and writing these down on a piece of card to put in my scorecard holder I know quite accurately how far a club will go before I've even hit it.

Putters I'll spend a few minutes on the practice green and after that will have a reasonable feel for where the sweet spot is and how the ball will roll.

 

Over the 2.5 years my handicap went up from 12.2 to 17.5, partly due to changing to classic clubs but more to do with a complete loss of confidence in my ability to hit the ball and a couple of illnesses.

This year, however, I found some form and have dropped to an index of 12.1 so things are looking up.

[BIG STU]

On 11/17/2021 at 5:47 PM, cold_war_era_golfer said:

Monday marked the closing of most of the courses around me. 

 

I started this thread in Oct 2020 so here we are 13 months later.  

 

I did it.  One entire golf season.  March 13 to November 10th all vintage for 137 rounds.  Many at my local par 3 so 137 should have an *  

 

I've met some great people here and played a few hickory events and tried to play with other vintage enthusiasts which to me is the height of fun golf.  

 

I have a spreadsheet that marks each trip with about 30 different sets of irons, 13 putters, and an assortment of various persimmon/laminate drivers, 2 woods, and 3 woods.  I'm looking forward to going through that this winter and seeing exactly what I used the most.

 

What have I learned?  I'll never be a great golfer.  I'm 6'2 and playing short vintage sets, but I'm having the time of my life.  I can keep up with my buddies who have been golfing their entire lives and it's kinda fun to beat them every once in a while and say that was with a 55 year old set of clubs.

 

The most modern sets I played were 1988 Fluid Feels and 1981 Muirfields.  They were longer in length than my 60s irons but I scored about the same.

 

The biggest thing I learned and it was from an older hickory player this summer was the value of a Brassie.  I've swapped all my 60s drivers for 2 woods and that made the most improvement for me from the tee boxes.

 

 

Congratulations you did excellent. Right now because of nerve issues in my back I am not playing persimmon and steel--- But with the graphite I am slowly getting back into some sort of a pain free groove. Hopefully I am able to go back to playing classic in the spring---

 

Wish I had guys like you around here that liked to play vintage. And yes people find me odd too but did not say much after I would beat them with the old irons and metal woods. I tried to play some of the guys from the super senior tees when I hit persimmon. I could beat them too because I could hit the lumber as far as they did moderns in most cases. They grumbled and my pro told them my secret that I beat them on the greens and from 150 in.

 

On the 2 wood thing our fellow member D Copp turned me on to the 2 wood thing a while back. Before we discovered that steel shafts were causing my nerve issues I had gotten up enough SS that I could hit a Persimmon driver airborne again. I had just found a beautiful Power Bilt black finished driver in my stash and had set it up to try when the root cause of my back problem surfaced vibration transfer from steel shafts. It has a regular steel shaft and I am dying to try it. Do not remember off the top of my head if it is persimmon or laminate. My favorite out of all the drivers I own is a 57 Mac Velocitized I got with the whole set a few years back. The originl firing pin insert had been replaced somewhere in its life with a black plastic one but it hits well. The 2 wood has the original insert. I have no idea what shafts are in them per say but I lean towards regular. 

 

But I am looking forward to maybe getting into shape again and playing my classics some in the Spring

[BIG STU]

17 hours ago, NRJyzr said:

 

 

 

I agree with rwc, this is really impressive.  I think it's all the more impressive because brother cold war era golfer is new to the game, and on the younger end of the spectrum.  These classic clubs are not an example of returning to something from the days of youth as they might be for those of us who are a bit older.  Even if not a golfer in those days (such as yours truly).

 

I started to do this a couple seasons ago, but my inner nerd and club ho got me off track.  This past season, the closest I came to playing retro rounds would be using Golden Ram irons (albeit with graphite shafts), a Golden Ram blade putter, or a sub-300cc driver.  My persimmons remained unused.

 

One reason I didn't bring out the lumber was joining my course's Men's Club group this year.  I couldn't bring myself to play competitively with persimmon or laminate woods.  Or, as rwc mentioned, bring myself to endure the endless comments from playing such clubs in a Men's Club event.  We'll see what next year brings.

 

To Cold War Era Golfer:

LOL forgot to tell you this--- I was messing around last week with the PM wedge--- Now I can spin the crap out of that thing with any ball as I can with the Zing 2 SW---- Was piddling around and had 2 certain Maxfli Elites in the bag. Was messing around the short game area and sucking them back with either wedge. I had put two of them in the bag a whlie back for the scrambles. I could check them up good with my semi worn out 588s anyhow. Man that was fun. Had someone ask if the PM was legal? Someone said something to my Pro and he said "Knowing Stuey he has some kind of wound ball screwing with you guys" LOL he knows me well. 

[BIG STU]

1 hour ago, Jiggered said:

Top work @cold_war_era_golfer, it's great to see a newcomer to the game recognising the pleasure in using old gear.

Keep at it and keep learning, there's so much more to gain from golf when you're playing old clubs!

 

I've gone about two and a halt years now of only using vintage clubs, playing club matches, club competitions, local course opens and general play with them.

Most of the people who notice/comment on the clubs are genuinely interested and have stories of the clubs they used or even still have in the attic somewhere.  But probably over half the people I have a round with don't comment or even notice!  I've not had anybody say anything nasty.

 

Typically I'll change my whole set once a week, woods, irons and putter. That makes it hard to stay consistent but by measuring the lofts of the irons I'm playing and writing these down on a piece of card to put in my scorecard holder I know quite accurately how far a club will go before I've even hit it.

Putters I'll spend a few minutes on the practice green and after that will have a reasonable feel for where the sweet spot is and how the ball will roll.

 

Over the 2.5 years my handicap went up from 12.2 to 17.5, partly due to changing to classic clubs but more to do with a complete loss of confidence in my ability to hit the ball and a couple of illnesses.

This year, however, I found some form and have dropped to an index of 12.1 so things are looking up.

Like you on the classic stuff I did switch irons quite a bit---- I was playing my CFs one day and one of my scramble partners came up and we played--- He marveled that I hit those "old black faced" clubs as well as I did my others. What he does not understand is the fact I have my own loft and lie machine and all of my Mac irons are set to the same specs. I basically hit all of my stuff the same distance. There is a little difference in trajectory between the VIPs and the others since the VIPs have soft stepped Apex shafts.

 

But as you say the score does not matter. It is the fun and feel of hitting those things. And the retorical question I get is "Why in the hell do you hit those antique blades?" My favorite response is " Because I still CAN!"--- In all honesty I do not score any better playing my modern graphite TM irons versus the old blades in combo with modern woods. Really my only set back is the vibration caused by steel shafts. 

[NRJyzr]

2 hours ago, BIG STU said:

LOL forgot to tell you this--- I was messing around last week with the PM wedge--- Now I can spin the crap out of that thing with any ball as I can with the Zing 2 SW---- Was piddling around and had 2 certain Maxfli Elites in the bag. Was messing around the short game area and sucking them back with either wedge. I had put two of them in the bag a whlie back for the scrambles. I could check them up good with my semi worn out 588s anyhow. Man that was fun. Had someone ask if the PM was legal? Someone said something to my Pro and he said "Knowing Stuey he has some kind of wound ball screwing with you guys" LOL he knows me well. 

 

That's awesome.  😁

 

I still have a couple HT-100s in my bag.  I like to pull them out on the practice green every once in a while.  Occasionally I'll have someone hit a putt with them, to help explain why I play softer golf balls.  Their reactions are always fun to watch.  One guy even looked at his putter like it was broken.  LOL

 

Repeat story...  When I was regularly playing those HT-100s a few years ago, I'd been carrying 55/60 as my wedges.  Became obvious very quickly that the 60 was pointless, I could easily do everything around the greens (including the "velcro shot) with the 55 and the HT.  It's an old Tom Watson Scoring System SW, appears to be stainless steel.  Bought it at 2nd Swing not long after I joined Club Ram in 2001.  Still works great, I try to find ways to work it into the bag.  🙂

 

 

Edited November 19, 2021 by NRJyzr

[scomac2002]

34 minutes ago, NRJyzr said:

Repeat story...  When I was regularly playing those HT-100s a few years ago, I'd been carrying 55/60 as my wedges.  Became obvious very quickly that the 60 was pointless, I could easily do everything around the greens (including the "velcro shot) with the 55 and the HT.  It's an old Tom Watson Scoring System SW, appears to be stainless steel.  Bought it at 2nd Swing not long after I joined Club Ram in 2001.  Still works great, I try to find ways to work it into the bag.  🙂

 

I have a bunch of those wedges -- 50, 53, 55, 60.  They don't get much play for me either, although the 53 BeCu was a staple with my BeCu irons until I ran across the matching CB SW.  They're really good sticks as I recall!

[BIG STU]

1 hour ago, NRJyzr said:

 

That's awesome.  😁

 

I still have a couple HT-100s in my bag.  I like to pull them out on the practice green every once in a while.  Occasionally I'll have someone hit a putt with them, to help explain why I play softer golf balls.  Their reactions are always fun to watch.  One guy even looked at his putter like it was broken.  LOL

 

Repeat story...  When I was regularly playing those HT-100s a few years ago, I'd been carrying 55/60 as my wedges.  Became obvious very quickly that the 60 was pointless, I could easily do everything around the greens (including the "velcro shot) with the 55 and the HT.  It's an old Tom Watson Scoring System SW, appears to be stainless steel.  Bought it at 2nd Swing not long after I joined Club Ram in 2001.  Still works great, I try to find ways to work it into the bag.  🙂

 

 

I have about 6 HTs left-- Last time I had them out I noticed a couple of them had gotten out of round. The only reason I threw the Zing 60 in was because they have started rebuilding the traps at my course. They have went with the coastal version of masonary sand which is thick and coarse. With the way I have the PM set up for fairway shots it does not do too well out of the sand. I was just messing around in the practice area with the Zing off the grass for kicks and giggles. Like you I can do most anything with the PM 56. One thing with the PM is if I lean into it a little it tends to baloon which is a no no on most shots here. So I added the Mack Daddy 52. At this stage I do not want to get into hitting anything hard so I can ease the 52 some. I had to do some revamps to my game which gets away from my traditional way of doing things.

[Robert L.]

Played what was possibly the last round of the year yesterday with my son. The weather was sunny and warm for one day only, so we took advantage of it. As usual I had my classic clubs, and all in all we played our usual round. I finished with a 47, and my son beat me with a 46. My attitude has changed since I watched that Peter Finch video I mentioned in a previous post. I quickly forgot my bad shots, focused on the shot at hand, and only remembered the good shots. It made a big difference in my attitude with my game. I think the only thing that pissed me off was that on several greens I would hit a good approach shot, only to have the ball run off to some far corner of the green. It made for some good lag putting practice! All in all a good, fun round on a beautiful day, and I'm already looking forward to playing again next April, unless another nice day comes along in the next few weeks, which is doubtful considering it'll be December in New England!

[scomac2002]

2 hours ago, Robert L. said:

My attitude has changed since I watched that Peter Finch video I mentioned in a previous post. I quickly forgot my bad shots, focused on the shot at hand, and only remembered the good shots. It made a big difference in my attitude with my game.

 

I recall going through a real funk this summer about mid August and decided to put some vintage clubs in play instead of the revolving door of modern clubs that was getting me nowhere but to Frustrationville!  That was just the tonic I needed especially when I added a healthy dose of advice from a hickory player which was you take what the course gives you.

 

Attitude was thoroughly better and the results spoke to that improvement.  A range session just helped cement the lesson and I was off to far more satisfying golf than I had experienced all season.  The scorecards didn't look a whole lot different, but I was having fun again and I was able to carry that over into the fall when I went back to playing moderns.

[cold_war_era_golfer]

@rwc356 @NRJyzr @scomac2002 @BIG STU

Thanks for all the encouragement gents!

 

Looks like I might need to get a loft and lie machine.

Edited November 20, 2021 by cold_war_era_golfer

[cold_war_era_golfer]

On 11/19/2021 at 2:48 AM, Jiggered said:

Top work @cold_war_era_golfer, it's great to see a newcomer to the game recognising the pleasure in using old gear.

Keep at it and keep learning, there's so much more to gain from golf when you're playing old clubs!

 

I've gone about two and a halt years now of only using vintage clubs, playing club matches, club competitions, local course opens and general play with them.

Most of the people who notice/comment on the clubs are genuinely interested and have stories of the clubs they used or even still have in the attic somewhere.  But probably over half the people I have a round with don't comment or even notice!  I've not had anybody say anything nasty.

 

Typically I'll change my whole set once a week, woods, irons and putter. That makes it hard to stay consistent but by measuring the lofts of the irons I'm playing and writing these down on a piece of card to put in my scorecard holder I know quite accurately how far a club will go before I've even hit it.

Putters I'll spend a few minutes on the practice green and after that will have a reasonable feel for where the sweet spot is and how the ball will roll.

 

Over the 2.5 years my handicap went up from 12.2 to 17.5, partly due to changing to classic clubs but more to do with a complete loss of confidence in my ability to hit the ball and a couple of illnesses.

This year, however, I found some form and have dropped to an index of 12.1 so things are looking up.

This is great to hear and honestly encouragement to continue this "only vintage" for another year.  Keep it up!

[wkuo3]

Reading up on classics instruction book is good.  Don't expect to digest and put the tips to use immediately after reading.  

After more than 3 decades, I still review the book written by Ben Hogan from time to time and learn to appreciate the instructions from a totally different angle than the previous reading.

Videos of the great golfers in history is also over and beyond what we had 30 years ago.  Trick is to compare your golf swing to the video to find room for improvement.

 

Understanding the golf swing is rather not overly complicated, however, making the swing theory work the best for your individual case will be another case.

Have an other pair of experienced eyes watch your golf swing to point out the improvements needed, if you can't use a full length mirror or video tape for self critic.

Most of all, search and find out your own physical limit with this sports and play it in a safe and enjoyable way .  

 

[BIG STU]

I learned something the other day and I have done it for a while and never gave it much thought---- My wife and I were playing in the 9 and Dine. Our 7th hole is a left dogleg but plenty of room to cut the leg. But that hole can sneak up on you because the wind can come from the side of the dogleg and push a ball out to the right giving a long approach to the green. One of our members lives on that hole and if he is not playing he is in his yard doing something. If he sees me he comes out. Now we were around 175 out with the wind cutting cross. He remarked that was tough what was I going to do? I figured it out took out the 3 wood and hit a knockdown cut ugly as home made sin but effective. It was about 25 ft out pin high. He was like wow. I told him I invented stuff-- I think a lot of my creativity came from playing 5 club vintage rounds. Naah neither one of us made the putt but was glad to get the par in that condition. That guy was talking up at the Clubhouse about that shot. A lot of them alluded that they had seen me hit crazy shots with different clubs that turned out right. Now we did not win that 9 and dine but we did shoot even par with 2 bogies and birdied both par 5s on a 2 person team against 4 person teams. True we had the alternate balls but I let my wife hit most of them-- Last time we played that way I took my alternate shot when necessary and we shot -2 and some of the old farts were whining. I offered to play any 2 of them off my one ball and had no takers. When we play 2 person I have a little toungue in cheek deal with management not to get too jiggy on them. Besides we come for the little Dinner Date and the great food anyhow. The pro also told me if I needed balls to see him. Looked at just the car inventory had 6 dozen brand new Z Stars 2 Dozen new Soft Feels and even found 9 brand new Cally Supersofts. Not to mention 1 dozen used Vice Pros and 9 Srixon Marathons. But in a nutshell I never thought about being creative I just do as I feel

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

On 11/19/2021 at 10:37 PM, scomac2002 said:

 

I have a bunch of those wedges -- 50, 53, 55, 60.  They don't get much play for me either, although the 53 BeCu was a staple with my BeCu irons until I ran across the matching CB SW.  They're really good sticks as I recall!

 

Is the 53* BeCu wedge like this?

 

Lots of offset, but I really like mine. Spins the ball more than Muralitharan, and also works as a great chipper.

 

Like Muralitharan's bowling action, I suspect the legality of the grooves on this wedge are questionable...😁

[BIG STU]

16 minutes ago, No_Catchy_Nickname said:

 

Is the 53* BeCu wedge like this?

 

Lots of offset, but I really like mine. Spins the ball more than Muralitharan, and also works as a great chipper.

 

Like Muralitharan's bowling action, I suspect the legality of the grooves on this wedge are questionable...😁

But I will contend and bet the farm that they were legal on the date of manufacture---- One of my main bones of contention against the USGA and R&A. And for some reason and I can not scientifically prove it but BECU wedges seem to spin the ball more

Edited November 23, 2021 by BIG STU