What Year/Model for Haig Ultra Irons?

[jmcorr4]

Years ago I played with a guy who had a beautiful set of Haig Ultra Irons.  I have always want a set.  Does anyone know of the best Haig Ultra Irons to have?  I also love the Crenshaw grinds but those seem Impossible to find.  Thank you!

[Woodridge]

I had a brand new set of the non-Crenshaw grind Haig Ultras. I think mine were 1984. I should never have got rid of them. I'm not sure there's a bad version of Ultra's out there. A couple of years ago someone was selling a never used set of the same version I had and I was very tempted. 

Edited February 13, 2021 by Woodridge

[cold_war_era_golfer]

I had a set of 1958s and 1967s.  The 58s are somewhat rarer than the 67s.  I let them both go as to I prefer the look of the Wilson Staff Fluid Feels to the Haigs.  The Haigs are beautiful!

 

The 58s played VERY similar to the Wilson Staffs of the same era.  The 67 had a MUCH wider sole compared to the 67 Wilson Staffs.  

 

Not sure if I'm answering your questions.

Edited December 13, 2021 by cold_war_era_golfer

[jmcorr4]

Thank you for the feedback.  I keep checking ebay!

[br61]

I wish I still had mine's. My parents bought a set of Haig Ultras for my 15th birthday back in 1976 and I played them throughout my high school. That is my very first set, about a thousand sets ago. Ha

[deejaid]

2003 was my first return to classic clubs, and it was a set of Haig Ultra’s that did it.   I was totally discouraged by my play with my new Hogan Apex Edge irons with their big, wide sole.  I happened upon a used golf shop and found what I believe were 1969 or 70 Haig Ultra’s and just started striping them into the net.  $75 and I walked out with a set of classics.

 

I played those clubs for the next year and played some of the best golf of my life. It helped that I was laid off and got a nice severance so I had plenty of time to work on my game, but those Haig’s were just so pure to hit.   I then figured I might as well add some persimmons to the bag as well since I hit the old irons great maybe the woods would be the same results.

 

I packed most of my belongings, including the Haig’s and the no name persimmons in my girlfriend’s (now wife) garage as I moved down to Los Angeles for a year of school.  Unfortunately my brother-in-law was cleaning the garage and assumed the old golf clubs were something to get rid of and the Haig’s and persimmons were gone.

 

Now here I am nearly 20 years later with hundreds of persimmon woods and plenty of old forged iron sets, so be careful!  Those Haig’s might be you gateway drug to a serious classic golf addiction. 😁

[NRJyzr]

5 hours ago, deejaid said:

Unfortunately my brother-in-law was cleaning the garage and assumed the old golf clubs were something to get rid of

 

I hope he's been made aware of his colossal Foxtrot Uniform....

 

[deejaid]

52 minutes ago, NRJyzr said:

 

I hope he's been made aware of his colossal Foxtrot Uniform....

 

Oh, he is a colossal Foxtrot Uniform so I don’t even talk to him. 😁

[Buzzkill]

[Swingingk]

I don't have a set of Ultra's... yet, but I do have two other sets of Hagens and can vouch for both.  One set are the 1972 (I think) Hagen Ultradyne's with the red button on the back, and the other set are Walter Hagen "The Haig" from I think about 1976.  Both look and play very nice.  I don't think you can go wrong with any Hagen iron really.  It is true that they are very high quality and were expensive for their time.  The fit and finish are very fine and the chrome is thick.
One thing I have noticed about Hagens of the 70's is that the muscle weight tends to be located heavily in the center of the head and behind the ball.  I think this makes the CG fairly high and not as forgiving as Wilsons of the same era with their weight lower and more toward the toe.  The feel of a pure strike is incomparable but you need to put a pretty good swing on it to find it.  Hagens seem to have a feel all their own and it's really cool.  That's been my experience anyway.  
 

[jmcorr4]

1 hour ago, Swingingk said:

I don't have a set of Ultra's... yet, but I do have two other sets of Hagens and can vouch for both.  One set are the 1972 (I think) Hagen Ultradyne's with the red button on the back, and the other set are Walter Hagen "The Haig" from I think about 1976.  Both look and play very nice.  I don't think you can go wrong with any Hagen iron really.  It is true that they are very high quality and were expensive for their time.  The fit and finish are very fine and the chrome is thick.
One thing I have noticed about Hagens of the 70's is that the muscle weight tends to be located heavily in the center of the head and behind the ball.  I think this makes the CG fairly high and not as forgiving as Wilsons of the same era with their weight lower and more toward the toe.  The feel of a pure strike is incomparable but you need to put a pretty good swing on it to find it.  Hagens seem to have a feel all their own and it's really cool.  That's been my experience anyway.  
 

Thank you.  I think I'm just gonna try and find what appear to be the nicest set I can find, buy'm and have fun.  I really enjoy this classic thread forum.  As a kid in the late 70's early 80's I fell so in love with the classic game.  Every bit of it.  I was very lucky that my parents belonged to a private club and was taught the game by classic old school men.  Besides Persimmon, Blades and Balata: they wore pants, smoked cigs, wreaked of The Clubman after shave, wore shined leather golf shoes, drank brown booze, played cards and played great golf!!!  The sounds and smells of that were the best and I miss it so much.  I wish there were a place to play where all those things were required.

[Joe S]

If you like the Crenshaw Grinds but can't find them then you should also be on the lookout for the 1964 Haig Ultra's.  The Crenshaw grinds were based on these.  I got lucky a few years ago and found both sets within about 2 weeks of each other at two different Goodwills.

 

 

[Swingingk]

10 minutes ago, Joe S said:

If you like the Crenshaw Grinds but can't find them then you should also be on the lookout for the 1964 Haig Ultra's.  The Crenshaw grinds were based on these.  I got lucky a few years ago and found both sets within about 2 weeks of each other at two different Goodwills.

 

 

Mmmm... now that's what a blade should look like!  Beautiful photography too.  

[Joe S]

Just now, Swingingk said:

Mmmm... now that's what a blade should look like!  Beautiful photography too.  

 

I can't take credit for the photo, I plucked it from the internet.  I was too lazy to go downstairs and take a picture of mine.  This one is much better than mine would have been anyway.  They are beautiful irons.  

[Swingingk]

26 minutes ago, Joe S said:

 

I can't take credit for the photo, I plucked it from the internet.  I was too lazy to go downstairs and take a picture of mine.  This one is much better than mine would have been anyway.  They are beautiful irons.  

Ha!  Well it's the thought that counts.  😆

[jmcorr4]

55 minutes ago, Joe S said:

If you like the Crenshaw Grinds but can't find them then you should also be on the lookout for the 1964 Haig Ultra's.  The Crenshaw grinds were based on these.  I got lucky a few years ago and found both sets within about 2 weeks of each other at two different Goodwills.

 

 

Yes!  That's the one!  Were there sets produced in the 80's that had that look and similar markings?

 

[Swingingk]

4 hours ago, jmcorr4 said:

Thank you.  I think I'm just gonna try and find what appear to be the nicest set I can find, buy'm and have fun.  I really enjoy this classic thread forum.  As a kid in the late 70's early 80's I fell so in love with the classic game.  Every bit of it.  I was very lucky that my parents belonged to a private club and was taught the game by classic old school men.  Besides Persimmon, Blades and Balata: they wore pants, smoked cigs, wreaked of The Clubman after shave, wore shined leather golf shoes, drank brown booze, played cards and played great golf!!!  The sounds and smells of that were the best and I miss it so much.  I wish there were a place to play where all those things were required.

Haha!  I golf a lot as a single and I've been sent out with groups of old school hardcore hustlers like that a bunch of times.  They're a lot of fun.  They drink, smoke, gamble, and laugh a lot.  Crazy stories, dirty jokes, and fun-to-watch short games.  No more persimmons but the rest stays the same.  Good times.

[russad]

6 hours ago, Swingingk said:

I don't have a set of Ultra's... yet, but I do have two other sets of Hagens and can vouch for both.  One set are the 1972 (I think) Hagen Ultradyne's with the red button on the back, and the other set are Walter Hagen "The Haig" from I think about 1976.  Both look and play very nice.  I don't think you can go wrong with any Hagen iron really.  It is true that they are very high quality and were expensive for their time.  The fit and finish are very fine and the chrome is thick.
One thing I have noticed about Hagens of the 70's is that the muscle weight tends to be located heavily in the center of the head and behind the ball.  I think this makes the CG fairly high and not as forgiving as Wilsons of the same era with their weight lower and more toward the toe.  The feel of a pure strike is incomparable but you need to put a pretty good swing on it to find it.  Hagens seem to have a feel all their own and it's really cool.  That's been my experience anyway.  
 

A beautiful lustre on these irons @Swingingk, lovely to look at.

[Joe S]

8 hours ago, jmcorr4 said:

Yes!  That's the one!  Were there sets produced in the 80's that had that look and similar markings?

 

 

The Crenshaw Grinds were made in the mid to late 80's.  Here are 2 irons from both sets.  

 

 

[cold_war_era_golfer]

I should have asked here first as to I woulda let them go to a Haig lover for even cheaper.

I bought these for a song and although I coulda relisted them for much more but something just feels wrong trying to make a profit off other vintage golfers so I let them go to the first person who offered me what I paid for them.

 

[Dyna-PoweredGuy]

The sets of Haig Ultra that I love the most are between 1957 and 1965.  I have sets, or at least wedges, from each year.  My favorite is the 1958s Haig Ultra*Powereds because they closely resemble the coveted 1958 Wilson Dyna-Powereds.  The latter are one of the best sets of irons ever made, IMHO.  The Hagen version is a bit jazzier, and much rarer.  I will post photos of both.   There Crenshaw grind is said to be based on the 1964s, which actually is 1963-64.   Those years have Haig Ultra in all caps. The 1965s are very similar, and have a mix of upper- and lower-case letters.  All three years have a diamond between Haig and Ultra.  Very little has been published about the 1957 through 1965 Haig Ultras.  I will be doing a YouTube video on these spectacular irons — which, IMHO, are the most beautiful forged irons ever made.  

[Robert L.]

In my vintage set I'm playing a set of Haig Ultras made in 1963. For me they are the very pinnacle of irons. If you have a smooth swing and can hit them on the sweet spot then you will be richly rewarded. However, off-center strikes will be punished, like all other quality blade irons. I lucked out and got these at a yard sale back in the early 90s for about $20 for a set of 3-PW.

[Robert L.]

23 hours ago, Dyna-PoweredGuy said:

The sets of Haig Ultra that I love the most are between 1957 and 1965.  I have sets, or at least wedges, from each year.  My favorite is the 1958s Haig Ultra*Powereds because they closely resemble the coveted 1958 Wilson Dyna-Powereds.  The latter are one of the best sets of irons ever made, IMHO.  The Hagen version is a bit jazzier, and much rarer.  I will post photos of both.   There Crenshaw grind is said to be based on the 1964s, which actually is 1963-64.   Those years have Haig Ultra in all caps. The 1965s are very similar, and have a mix of upper- and lower-case letters.  All three years have a diamond between Haig and Ultra.  Very little has been published about the 1957 through 1965 Haig Ultras.  I will be doing a YouTube video on these spectacular irons — which, IMHO, are the most beautiful forged irons ever made.  

In case anyone wants to date their Haigs what I did was go to the Ironfinder website and compare the pictures for the year with the Haigs I had.

 

https://www.ironfinder.com/Individual-Irons/hagen/

[dnewma04]

I have a set of 67 (I believe), 70 and maybe a set of 76/77.  The 70s are my favorite but it mostly comes down to a cosmetic preference for them.  I think they all play pretty similarly.  A friend had some Crenshaw grinds and I did like them, but I'm a bit of a digger on the course and on the wrong course, I could see myself carving some canyons into fairways hitting them.

[bcstones]

On 2/13/2021 at 10:28 AM, jmcorr4 said:

Years ago I played with a guy who had a beautiful set of Haig Ultra Irons.  I have always want a set.  Does anyone know of the best Haig Ultra Irons to have?  I also love the Crenshaw grinds but those seem Impossible to find.  Thank you!

I realize this is almost a year old thread....however, I'm trying to get the year for these Haig Ultra irons. I love their handling & design...but in all the reference I have & what I dredge up on the net, the closest I've come is a set offered for sale in Australia, no way to contact or ask questions.
This is an extra set, a wee bit dirty, but will clean up nicely once I figure out their age. The pic is the 7 iron.
Any ideas?

[bcstones]

On 6/14/2022 at 3:20 PM, bcstones said:

I realize this is almost a year old thread....however, I'm trying to get the year for these Haig Ultra irons. I love their handling & design...but in all the reference I have & what I dredge up on the net, the closest I've come is a set offered for sale in Australia, no way to contact or ask questions.
This is an extra set, a wee bit dirty, but will clean up nicely once I figure out their age. The pic is the 7 iron.
Any ideas?

a copy of Golf Club Identification & Price Guide just got delivered....so, I've answered my own question - these are the 1974 thru '76 Haig Ultra 66 model....

[Joe S]

38 minutes ago, bcstones said:

a copy of Golf Club Identification & Price Guide just got delivered....so, I've answered my own question - these are the 1974 thru '76 Haig Ultra 66 model....

 

Very useful item.  Did you get the 3rd edition?

[bcstones]

3 hours ago, Joe S said:

 

Very useful item.  Did you get the 3rd edition?

yes I did get the 3rd edetion, as well as the 1st & 2nd....the first two were only around ~$13 each. I was curious as to the addendems...it was a wee bit strange to realize that everything was posted backwards - from present to past LOL

[HoganApexBlades]

On 6/16/2022 at 7:25 PM, bcstones said:

yes I did get the 3rd edetion, as well as the 1st & 2nd....the first two were only around ~$13 each. I was curious as to the addendems...it was a wee bit strange to realize that everything was posted backwards - from present to past LOL

I was very disappointed that Editions 1 & 2 have such minimal information on Walter Hagen golf clubs, specifically nothing pre-1970s.

[bcstones]

2 hours ago, HoganApexBlades said:

I was very disappointed that Editions 1 & 2 have such minimal information on Walter Hagen golf clubs, specifically nothing pre-1970s.

Think you'd have to go to Kaplan's for that....oops, just checked & Kaplan's doesn't mention Haig irons till the 70s. I have a set of Walter Hagen pyratone shafted clubs (no mention of Wilson/or loga on them anywhere), that puts them into the '30s or '40. I just checked a couple of sets of Ultradyne & Ultra, no mention of Wilson on them either....hmmmmm