1965-1966 Macgregor Tourney MT RMT MT2 RMT2 Flatbacks

[cold_war_era_golfer]

Being much more of a Wilson guy I'm lost with all of the MacGregor variations and it appears there are a lot of them.   I understand the numbers designate the shaft strength.  

Luckily quick searches through this forum will come up with a great deal of information.

However not much on what the MT model from 65-66.   As my handle is "Cold War Era Golfer" I find these really cool looking and they certainly fit a design that one would only find in the mid 1960s. The second model from 1966 has to have one of the coolest looking faces I've seen on a vintage club.  

 

Anyone own these?  How do they play?  They look like they would be impossible to hit.  But so did the 1966 Dynapowers that I now love compared to the more sculpted muscle backs of the previous models.  

 

1965

 

1966:

 

 

[Foozle]

40 minutes ago, coldwareragolfer said:

Being much more of a Wilson guy I'm lost with all of the MacGregor variations and it appears there are a lot of them.   I understand the numbers designate the shaft strength.  

Luckily quick searches through this forum will come up with a great deal of information.

However not much on what the MT model from 65-66.   As my handle is "Cold War Era Golfer" I find these really cool looking and they certainly fit a design that one would only find in the mid 1960s. The second model from 1966 has to have one of the coolest looking faces I've seen on a vintage club.  

 

Anyone own these?  How do they play?  They look like they would be impossible to hit.  But so did the 1966 Dynapowers that I now love compared to the more sculpted muscle backs of the previous models.  

 

1965

 

1966:

 

 

I have a set of the '66's. 

In this era the numbers define the shaft flex so 1 is stiff, 2 medium, 3 soft or senior and 4 ladies. Earlier MacGregor's such as Tommy Armour 3852 referred to a 38.5 inch 2 iron.

My 66's have the original MT grips which are past their best and compromise playability so I may not be best placed to comment on that. I am always loathe to replace original grips unless essential on a set I intend to play regularly. I have played these a couple of times and been happy to compromise my game a little rather than replace the grips.

I love Mac's of this era. They tried lots of quirky face treatments from colokrom, to flame ceramic, to mixed such as these, to alternate sand blasted/shiny bands between groves ('67 I think) and also details like the MT pattern down the scoring lines.

Grab a set and give them a go!

[Foozle]

6 minutes ago, Foozle said:

I have a set of the '66's. 

In this era the numbers define the shaft flex so 1 is stiff, 2 medium, 3 soft or senior and 4 ladies. Earlier MacGregor's such as Tommy Armour 3852 referred to a 38.5 inch 2 iron.

My 66's have the original MT grips which are past their best and compromise playability so I may not be best placed to comment on that. I am always loathe to replace original grips unless essential on a set I intend to play regularly. I have played these a couple of times and been happy to compromise my game a little rather than replace the grips.

I love Mac's of this era. They tried lots of quirky face treatments from colokrom, to flame ceramic, to mixed such as these, to alternate sand blasted/shiny bands between groves ('67 I think) and also details like the MT pattern down the scoring lines.

Grab a set and give them a go!

Difficult to capture but here is the '67 R2MT alternate matt/shiny groove pattern.

[cold_war_era_golfer]

10 minutes ago, Foozle said:

I have a set of the '66's. 

In this era the numbers define the shaft flex so 1 is stiff, 2 medium, 3 soft or senior and 4 ladies. Earlier MacGregor's such as Tommy Armour 3852 referred to a 38.5 inch 2 iron.

My 66's have the original MT grips which are past their best and compromise playability so I may not be best placed to comment on that. I am always loathe to replace original grips unless essential on a set I intend to play regularly. I have played these a couple of times and been happy to compromise my game a little rather than replace the grips.

I love Mac's of this era. They tried lots of quirky face treatments from colokrom, to flame ceramic, to mixed such as these, to alternate sand blasted/shiny bands between groves ('67 I think) and also details like the MT pattern down the scoring lines.

Grab a set and give them a go!

Interesting!  Thanks for the reply.  I just pulled the trigger on a set on eBay.  I'm going to give these a try.  The ones you posted are the exact irons I like.  I agree with you the flame ceramic face treatment is of another era and looks so cool today.  Especially on the 66s with the split flame look.  

 

I hate to say it but a majority of my vintage iron purchases are driven by look over functionality.  

[Foozle]

1 hour ago, coldwareragolfer said:

Being much more of a Wilson guy I'm lost with all of the MacGregor variations and it appears there are a lot of them.   I understand the numbers designate the shaft strength.  

Luckily quick searches through this forum will come up with a great deal of information.

However not much on what the MT model from 65-66.   As my handle is "Cold War Era Golfer" I find these really cool looking and they certainly fit a design that one would only find in the mid 1960s. The second model from 1966 has to have one of the coolest looking faces I've seen on a vintage club.  

 

Anyone own these?  How do they play?  They look like they would be impossible to hit.  But so did the 1966 Dynapowers that I now love compared to the more sculpted muscle backs of the previous models.  

 

1965

 

1966:

 

 

Coldwareragolfer, please accept my apologies, re read your post and you did say shaft strength not length! Sorry for the unnecessary info supplied! 

Advice remains, grab a set and try them. I am sure you will enjoy!

[Foozle]

5 minutes ago, coldwareragolfer said:

Interesting!  Thanks for the reply.  I just pulled the trigger on a set on eBay.  I'm going to give these a try.  The ones you posted are the exact irons I like.  I agree with you the flame ceramic face treatment is of another era and looks so cool today.  Especially on the 66s with the split flame look.  

 

I hate to say it but a majority of my vintage iron purchases are driven by look over functionality.  

Glad you pulled that trigger. Let's us know how you get on with them.🙂

I think there is a relationship between look and functionality. If I like the look of a club I can generally play it. If I don't like the look I can struggle. 

It is one of the reasons I never made the transition to modern clubs. Apart from the proportions being  all wrong, I don't find modern clubs aesthetically pleasing. 😱

Someone on here recently coined the phrase "functional art" in respect of classic / vintage equipment which I find a very apt description. Objects of beauty you want to savour and spend time with.😍

[cold_war_era_golfer]

22 minutes ago, Foozle said:

Glad you pulled that trigger. Let's us know how you get on with them.🙂

I think there is a relationship between look and functionality. If I like the look of a club I can generally play it. If I don't like the look I can struggle. 

It is one of the reasons I never made the transition to modern clubs. Apart from the proportions being  all wrong, I don't find modern clubs aesthetically pleasing. 😱

Someone on here recently coined the phrase "functional art" in respect of classic / vintage equipment which I find a very apt description. Objects of beauty you want to savour and spend time with.😍

Agreed! I found the days I fill my Jones bag with a half set of vintage irons and walk to the local par 3 the days I play better than when I'm out with a full bag(my most modern Ping Eye 2s) and riding around in a cart with a bunch of bros.  Half that fun is loading up the Jones bag the night before with some relic I know will get a few comments from other players.

[smorg]

13 hours ago, coldwareragolfer said:

Being much more of a Wilson guy I'm lost with all of the MacGregor variations and it appears there are a lot of them.   I understand the numbers designate the shaft strength.  

Luckily quick searches through this forum will come up with a great deal of information.

However not much on what the MT model from 65-66.   As my handle is "Cold War Era Golfer" I find these really cool looking and they certainly fit a design that one would only find in the mid 1960s. The second model from 1966 has to have one of the coolest looking faces I've seen on a vintage club.  

 

Anyone own these?  How do they play?  They look like they would be impossible to hit.  But so did the 1966 Dynapowers that I now love compared to the more sculpted muscle backs of the previous models.  

 

1965

 

1966:

 

 

I have collected three sets of these and honestly say that I find them ungodly challenging to hit.  I haven't thrown in the towel yet.  Sometimes perseverance pays off. 

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

13 hours ago, Foozle said:

I have a set of the '66's. 

In this era the numbers define the shaft flex so 1 is stiff, 2 medium, 3 soft or senior and 4 ladies. Earlier MacGregor's such as Tommy Armour 3852 referred to a 38.5 inch 2 iron.

My 66's have the original MT grips which are past their best and compromise playability so I may not be best placed to comment on that. I am always loathe to replace original grips unless essential on a set I intend to play regularly. I have played these a couple of times and been happy to compromise my game a little rather than replace the grips.

I love Mac's of this era. They tried lots of quirky face treatments from colokrom, to flame ceramic, to mixed such as these, to alternate sand blasted/shiny bands between groves ('67 I think) and also details like the MT pattern down the scoring lines.

Grab a set and give them a go!

 

Regarding the grips, have you tried overwrapping the grip with the sort of tape tennis players use for their grips? Someone--I think Big Stu--mentioned it on here, and I've tried it, or something similar, to good effect. It does make the grip thicker, but I like thicker grips so it suits me. If thin grips is your thing, then I wouldn't bother with the overwrap treatment.

[cold_war_era_golfer]

2 hours ago, smorg said:

I have collected three sets of these and honestly say that I find them ungodly challenging to hit.  I haven't thrown in the towel yet.  Sometimes perseverance pays off. 

But you still have 3 sets in your possession?

[Foozle]

2 hours ago, No_Catchy_Nickname said:

 

Regarding the grips, have you tried overwrapping the grip with the sort of tape tennis players use for their grips? Someone--I think Big Stu--mentioned it on here, and I've tried it, or something similar, to good effect. It does make the grip thicker, but I like thicker grips so it suits me. If thin grips is your thing, then I wouldn't bother with the overwrap treatment.

Thanks for the tip. I play midsize grips so would have a little room to over wrap a standard grip. I must look out for the tape you are referring to. I assume it comes off clean again?

The '66's are not too bad but the '67's have an issue with the grips having lost adhesion and so moving on the shaft. Easy fix if you can remove the grip and reapply on fresh tape but with old rubber I would be very nervous trying to blow them off - 100% sure they would explode. I have seen them eased off by pushing wire down the grip and working it round. Any one tried that and what is the % success rate like?

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

49 minutes ago, Foozle said:

Thanks for the tip. I play midsize grips so would have a little room to over wrap a standard grip. I must look out for the tape you are referring to. I assume it comes off clean again?

The '66's are not too bad but the '67's have an issue with the grips having lost adhesion and so moving on the shaft. Easy fix if you can remove the grip and reapply on fresh tape but with old rubber I would be very nervous trying to blow them off - 100% sure they would explode. I have seen them eased off by pushing wire down the grip and working it round. Any one tried that and what is the % success rate like?

 

The tape can be removed without problem. I've used a different tape specially for golf clubs, but I don't know if it's available where you are, and is probably more expensive than the tennis tape. I'm only using this more expensive one because I can get it nearby, whereas I'd have to go further afield for the tennis stuff. If I were in Britain, I'd get the tennis tape.

I usually put the tape on an old club when I get it to see if I like the club. If it's a keeper, I then re-grip, though recently I have started to try playing a club with the wrap on it on a permanent basis.

[Stephen8802]

I've started using Alien Pros grip tape on putters when the grip has worn smooth or slick and I'm not sure if I'm going to keep them. I used it on both my Scotty and my Coors putters and it is really nice. Its a soft, sticky tape that's perfect for a putter and will come off without residue if I take it off. Its available on Amazon and  comes in packages as few as 3, which I what I bought to try it out.

 

I have not tried it on an iron or wood, so I don't know how it feels or if it holds up to a full swing, but it worked perfectly on a putter and I'll keep using it rather than cut off original grips.

[smorg]

18 hours ago, coldwareragolfer said:

But you still have 3 sets in your possession?

Yes.  I think they are great looking irons....one of my favorite MacGregor designs.  I purchased one set on Ebay for a song at the depths of the great recession.  A couple years ago I snagged the other two set at two different Goodwill stores three days apart.  If memory is correct I think I paid $1.99 per club at GW.  I'm a sucker for the ceramic and copper faces (Colokrom) of old Macs.

[cold_war_era_golfer]

1 hour ago, smorg said:

Yes.  I think they are great looking irons....one of my favorite MacGregor designs.  I purchased one set on Ebay for a song at the depths of the great recession.  A couple years ago I snagged the other two set at two different Goodwill stores three days apart.  If memory is correct I think I paid $1.99 per club at GW.  I'm a sucker for the ceramic and copper faces (Colokrom) of old Macs.

Love it!  I have 3 sets of Turfriders and 66 Dynapowers.  I get it.

[Swingingk]

23 hours ago, No_Catchy_Nickname said:

 

The tape can be removed without problem. I've used a different tape specially for golf clubs, but I don't know if it's available where you are, and is probably more expensive than the tennis tape. I'm only using this more expensive one because I can get it nearby, whereas I'd have to go further afield for the tennis stuff. If I were in Britain, I'd get the tennis tape.

I usually put the tape on an old club when I get it to see if I like the club. If it's a keeper, I then re-grip, though recently I have started to try playing a club with the wrap on it on a permanent basis.

Tennis tape?  Around here we call that Hockey Tape.  😆

[russad]

On 2/14/2021 at 7:22 PM, Foozle said:

Thanks for the tip. I play midsize grips so would have a little room to over wrap a standard grip. I must look out for the tape you are referring to. I assume it comes off clean again?

The '66's are not too bad but the '67's have an issue with the grips having lost adhesion and so moving on the shaft. Easy fix if you can remove the grip and reapply on fresh tape but with old rubber I would be very nervous trying to blow them off - 100% sure they would explode. I have seen them eased off by pushing wire down the grip and working it round. Any one tried that and what is the % success rate like?

As you ease the wire in (I use a stretched out wire coathanger) add a few drops of mineral turps which dissolves the glue on the tape. You can find YouTube videos of people doing it.

 

 

[Foozle]

1 hour ago, russad said:

As you ease the wire in (I use a stretched out wire coathanger) add a few drops of mineral turps which dissolves the glue on the tape. You can find YouTube videos of people doing it.

 

 

Thanks for the tip russad. I think it was on You Tube I saw this method of grip removal. I wondered if old rubber might tear? Have you had any casualties doing this? 

[Jiggered]

9 hours ago, Foozle said:

Thanks for the tip russad. I think it was on You Tube I saw this method of grip removal. I wondered if old rubber might tear? Have you had any casualties doing this? 

 

I know what you're saying!

 

It might be the UK climate but some of my old rubber grips are more like Bakelite than rubber. 

And don't get me started on old Victory Green grips, they come off as more of a powder form than as a grip.

[russad]

11 hours ago, Foozle said:

Thanks for the tip russad. I think it was on You Tube I saw this method of grip removal. I wondered if old rubber might tear? Have you had any casualties doing this? 

No casualties so far @Foozle, but I haven't done any really old grips yet. I do it slowly and carefully, the turps is the key I think; I apply it with an eye-dropper once I have the wire in a little way and then it gets much easier to slide the wire in and around the shaft. Here is a photo of my 'tool'

 

[raggal62]

Bought this blade style grip removal tool from Golfworks years ago for this purpose. I've used it many times on pliable rubber grips. Works fine but probably would tear apart hard, dried out grips.

[cold_war_era_golfer]

So you guys are removing the old grips and trying to reuse them?

Or just the one with the slippery grips?  
 

That seems like a lot of work cut I admire that if saving the old grips is your goal!

 

I’ve recently pulled off old Victory grips from the 60s and just used the grip cutter tool that came with my new grips.  
 

They came off like a crusty powder and I had to work at picking all that off for awhile.

 

They were melted on a set of 66

Dynapowers.  
 

 

Edited February 16, 2021 by coldwareragolfer

[Stephen8802]

When you have old rubber grips that have hardened, hit them with the heat gun before you cut them off. I do it until you can start to smell the rubber. The heat gun can soften them enough that they cut off like newer grips rather than chip off like stone. Heat guns fix more problems than duct tape.

 

I remove old, dried grips without remorse. Golf clubs are no use to me if I can’t play them.

[Foozle]

5 hours ago, coldwareragolfer said:

So you guys are removing the old grips and trying to reuse them?

Or just the one with the slippery grips?  
 

That seems like a lot of work cut I admire that if saving the old grips is your goal!

 

I’ve recently pulled off old Victory grips from the 60s and just used the grip cutter tool that came with my new grips.  
 

They came off like a crusty powder and I had to work at picking all that off for awhile.

 

They were melted on a set of 66

Dynapowers.  
 

 

I have no issue with removing generic grips such as Victory grips. I recently changed those on my Fg17's and had a real battle getting the old ones off - a bit of heat might have helped.

Like Stephen, I own clubs to play and enjoy. My dilemma is with original club specific grips like the MT grips discussed above. I am willing to put a bit of effort into retaining them if they can be saved and made playable. A bit of shine like the '66's can usually be dealt with by a scrub with warm soapy water. However  the '67's would need the grips removed and reapplied. I have a set of '76 Staff's with original Wilson grips with the same problem.

I will give russad's coathanger and spirits method a careful try.

Thanks for the tips and advice.

[mocokid]

try light sand paper for those grips.  

[Swingingk]

I've found that Spray Nine helps to restore some tackiness to hard grips.  It won't soften them really but you might get enough tack to make them playable.  Spray it on there heavy and leave it soak in for a few minutes before wiping them off vigorously with a rough towel.  You might need to do it a few times.  

[russad]

On 2/16/2021 at 12:48 PM, coldwareragolfer said:

So you guys are removing the old grips and trying to reuse them?

Or just the one with the slippery grips?  
 

That seems like a lot of work cut I admire that if saving the old grips is your goal!

 

I’ve recently pulled off old Victory grips from the 60s and just used the grip cutter tool that came with my new grips.  
 

They came off like a crusty powder and I had to work at picking all that off for awhile.

 

They were melted on a set of 66

Dynapowers.  
 

 

More of a case of a grip that is still OK but has become loose enough to twist on the shaft so need to get it off,  apply new tape and put the grip back on. Especially if you can't get new grips like the ones on the set.

[golfunderpar18]

My set of RMT2’s

[Swingingk]

Awesome.  Those are the bladiest blade of all blades in blade-dom.

 

Although technically speaking the MT stamping does actually make it a cavity back...   😂

Edited February 22, 2021 by Swingingk

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

On 2/22/2021 at 2:30 PM, Swingingk said:

Awesome.  Those are the bladiest blade of all blades in blade-dom.

 

Although technically speaking the MT stamping does actually make it a cavity back...   😂

 

Yes, I bet those stampings raise the Maltby Playability Factor up by a couple of points to -398🤣

Edited February 23, 2021 by No_Catchy_Nickname