What is the "Holy Grail" persimmon wood you hope to obtain?

[cohee]

On 7/7/2021 at 9:13 PM, LeftyMac said:

Lefty Wood Brothers Texan.  Dave Wood describes them as "ultra rare".  Too slow on Ebay 12 months ago to grab one, won't make that mistake again if one ever comes up.

 

There's one up there right now, LeftyMac! $900, ouch.

[RobotDoctor]

The value of Wood Brothers, especially the made for tour, custom and rare woods has escalated in recent months thanks to two or three collectors I know of.  🤔

 

😁

 

The prices are slowly starting to come down now so hopefully the special Wood Brothers woods will also come down.  There are still good buys for those who want the standard OTR Texan that isn't specifically made for a tour player of custom specs that are apparently different than OTR.

[MrFlipper]

Okay I'll throw some out there, haven't ever seen them discussed here or for sale on the bay.

 

Golfcraft Dick Mayer (1957?). Beautiful woods, great grain. Hand me downs from my dad. Never could hit the driver. Drove with the 2 wood as a kid, it got a neck crack 5 ish years in, and was retired. Carried the 3 wood prob 20 years until metal wood days (early mid 90's for me). Just wonderful clubs. Never seen any others.

 

Keep them with my old set at my daughter's house, look at them each trip. So much nostalgia with old golfers and their old clubs. That 3 wood is like my lifelong best friend lol. I'd love to just see another one.

[mubob1977]

I’d like to find a really nice 945 and M43. I have both but neither is particularly memorable in terms of grain.

[RobotDoctor]

8 minutes ago, mubob1977 said:

I’d like to find a really nice 945 and M43. I have both but neither is particularly memorable in terms of grain.

M43s show up on a semi-regular basis.  945Ws not so much.

[chazpet]

Recently got back into persimmons after learning the game with hand-me-down Hogan Radial woods and irons about 10 years ago while working at a golf course in the summers. The two dream clubs are on opposite ends of the timeline, but both I hear are top in terms of quality. I keep hearing that 50s Macgregor woods are the best ever made, and would love to put them to the test. I will also one day get  a custom set of woods from NCW and Tad Moore or another of the current club makers out there, just a matter of when!

[RobotDoctor]

15 hours ago, chazpet said:

Recently got back into persimmons after learning the game with hand-me-down Hogan Radial woods and irons about 10 years ago while working at a golf course in the summers. The two dream clubs are on opposite ends of the timeline, but both I hear are top in terms of quality. I keep hearing that 50s Macgregor woods are the best ever made, and would love to put them to the test. I will also one day get  a custom set of woods from NCW and Tad Moore or another of the current club makers out there, just a matter of when!

Welcome to the persimmon wood craze.  What makes the MacGregor woods of the 40s and 50s highly sought after is the old growth persimmon blocks and the unparalleled craftsmanship of these woods.  Old growth persimmon is harder than younger persimmon.  In the late 50s and early 60s old growth persimmon was harder to come by.  The classic lines of the early to mid 50s pro line woods not only produced beautiful woods but the design was nearly perfect for form and function.  Is is why the 693s, 945s, M85s and M43s of the 50s were played until the end of the persimmon days.  The only two companies that made a ripple in the persimmon wood era of the 80s and early 90s was Wood Brothers and Cleveland Classics.  I believe Wood Brothers made a series of woods as close to the 50s MacGregors in terms of quality of craftsmanship and quality of persimmon.  While the woods made for NCW (Tad Moore) appear to be nicely made, the persimmon blocks simply don’t compare to the old growth blocks MacGregor used.  
 

Edited December 26, 2021 by RobotDoctor

[mubob1977]

I’d like one of the early 60s MacGregor drivers with the aluminum firing pin insert. I think Lee Trevino used one in the late 70s and early 80s. As an avowed Trevino fan, I’d like to have what he had. I think Seve also played one of those drivers.

[RobotDoctor]

Lee Trevino played a 1960 PT1W

[tstephen]

Lucky me I did obtain the jumbo 693 17 years ago.

[freddiec]

Here is an amazing 945 I just acquired recently. Its stunning and really perfect. I like the straight grained the classic 1980 stain color. Its a superb refinish.  I also love the pear shape and great face profile on this 945. I can't put it down.  I've been collection about 18 years now and this is one of the best I've had. 

[golfunderpar18]

I’d like to find a wood brothers Australian.  The hunt is the most fun.
 

i have a pretty good collection so far of a dozen or so m85’s mostly drivers plus many fairways, M75 set, M65 set, a set of all original 1-2-3-4 945’s, all original set of 693’s, four WW specials, 3 LFF’s  and 30 odd wood brothers Texans, all Americans and an all Japan currently.  I have 250-300 persimmons I’d guess.  I cringe to count them!   I’ve created an inventory list of my wood bros only so far.   At some point I’ll do it with all of my clubs.  With irons, putters etc I’m likely around 600 clubs.
 

Edited January 3, 2022 by golfunderpar18

[Foozle]

47 minutes ago, golfunderpar18 said:

I’d like to find a wood brothers Australian.  The hunt is the most fun.
 

i have a pretty good collection so far of a dozen or so m85’s mostly drivers plus many fairways, M75 set, M65 set, a set of all original 1-2-3-4 945’s, all original set of 693’s, four WW specials, 3 LFF’s  and 30 odd wood brothers Texans, all Americans and an all Japan currently.  I have 250-300 persimmons I’d guess.  I cringe to count them!   I’ve created an inventory list of my wood bros only so far.   At some point I’ll do it with all of my clubs.  With irons, putters etc I’m likely around 600 clubs.
 

Great collection! 

I have been adding to my classic Mac's with a set of M75W's and a '52 5 screw M75W to add to my TA Pro Model, set of TA 693's and set of M43's. Ideally I would have liked a set of M85's but classic Mac's are scarce this side of the pond so often you need to grab what you can. A decent set of 945's would now complete that part of my collection. 

On the inventory, I have done that and don't recommend it! Scared myself before I could complete the club count! 😱

From where I stopped counting, I am guessing I am hovering in the 1,000 range probably breaking down as 750 irons (almost entirely sets), 150 woods, 50 wedges and a similar number of putters. 

Great fear if I completed the count and was under the 1,000 I would do something "symbolic" and marriage ending for the 1,000th. Wood Bros or LFF most likely......Mind you, the results themselves are probably marriage ending......

As I say, not an exercise I can recommend!

[elwhippy]

I fear finding any decent block of timber is going to get harder as the collectors seem to have snapped them all up years ago. More modern Mizuno, Powell and other models are our only hope. 

[golfunderpar18]

15 minutes ago, elwhippy said:

I fear finding any decent block of timber is going to get harder as the collectors seem to have snapped them all up years ago. More modern Mizuno, Powell and other models are our only hope. 

They are definitely around.   I can’t believe how many I found this past year and I wasn’t really trying!   

[RobotDoctor]

On 1/3/2022 at 12:54 PM, elwhippy said:

I fear finding any decent block of timber is going to get harder as the collectors seem to have snapped them all up years ago. More modern Mizuno, Powell and other models are our only hope. 

 

On 1/3/2022 at 1:10 PM, golfunderpar18 said:

They are definitely around.   I can’t believe how many I found this past year and I wasn’t really trying!   

I agree, great MacGregor blocks are showing up on a regular basis.  Some can be obtained for a really decent price while others are commanding a higher price.  I picked up a couple of great sets of MacGregors in original condition this past October on eBay.  The set of 693s is a full set and the M43s are a set of 1-3.  Both drivers are being restored by Dave Wood right now and he has told me they are outstanding and top tier. 

Patience is needed these days in finding great MacGregors.  I have often taken a chance on some of my woods and so far have had every one pay off with restoration to where they turned out outstanding.  I just love finding woods that have been neglected only to return them to top tier restored glory.

[thepunch_out]

Really happy to have found a nice '54-55 MacGregor 945W to add to the bag recently. This has been a tough club to track down to round out my Big "4" from MacGregor, but it's a solid club and was worth the wait. I actually really like the yellow paint fill on this club too as opposed to white, but the finish is a little beat up so I'm hoping to send it out for a refinish this year.

[OsnolaKinnard]

MacGregor LFF

MacGregor GB1

Wood Bros, Texan, American, and Auatralian

 

[RobotDoctor]

On 2/27/2022 at 6:45 PM, thepunch_out said:

Really happy to have found a nice '54-55 MacGregor 945W to add to the bag recently. This has been a tough club to track down to round out my Big "4" from MacGregor, but it's a solid club and was worth the wait. I actually really like the yellow paint fill on this club too as opposed to white, but the finish is a little beat up so I'm hoping to send it out for a refinish this year.

Well done! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 That’s one of drivers I’m in the hunt for.  

[Hickory4ever]

An original Forgan or Jack White Driver or Brassie from the 1920’s. 

[The Aspidistra in the Hall]

10 hours ago, Hickory4ever said:

An original Forgan or Jack White Driver or Brassie from the 1920’s. 

Something like this, you mean?

[Hickory4ever]

Very nice. I have a couple Jack White woods but they are not suitable for play.

 

Do you play them?

[twidener]

I found and purchased my "Holy Grail" persimmon driver a few years ago, and it was in near mint condition. It was a 1966 Hogan persimmon deep face driver. That was the first year of the inverted "Y" insert and the club set square. Beginning with the 1967 model the deep face drivers had a 1/2 degree hooked face, which I couldn't stand to look at. In 1966 I was playing on my high school team and every so often I would play 9 holes with an insurance salesman at our club. He had one of these Hogan drivers and it seemed he never missed a fairway. I got to hit it once and it felt great. I never bought one back then because they were so expensive, $26.00. They are pretty rare and I looked for years trying to find one and finally did. Bought it from an old guy in Michigan and I guess he didn't use it that much. All original shaft, grip and a real solid persimmon head that is still tight, no swelling. I paid $50.00 for it.

[The Aspidistra in the Hall]

2 hours ago, Hickory4ever said:

Very nice. I have a couple Jack White woods but they are not suitable for play.

 

Do you play them?

No, my number one gamer is a 1930s Spalding Cushion Neck R T Jones driver with a new shaft I made and put in. It goes as well as most of my steel shafted drivers. Over the years I've had a number of really good tee clubs. The back-up is a Jas Anderson, St Andrews that was so good one of our brethren on here tried to make out it was illegal/ out of era during a US/Europe match in Italy.

BTW, you will have noted that the Jack White driver is his own replica of the  Bobby Jones 'Jeannie Deans' used to win his Grand Slam and now in the R&A Museum in St Andrews.

Edited March 5, 2022 by The Aspidistra in the Hall

[Hickory4ever]

 

I actually forgot about these, I picked them up last fall. They are a Jack White Brassie and Spoon and I will play with them in a couple historical events. My normal gamer is an original Wilsonian Brassie. It had an insert put in the face on restoration which makes it very durable. I play over 100 rounds a year with hickory and try not to wear out my originals woods.

 

We did not get many Forgans here in Canada so they are difficult to find. I am on BOD of the Golf Historical Society of Canada and know most of the keen collectors, just have not been able to find a Forgan. 

[The Aspidistra in the Hall]

3 hours ago, Hickory4ever said:

 

I actually forgot about these, I picked them up last fall. They are a Jack White Brassie and Spoon and I will play with them in a couple historical events. My normal gamer is an original Wilsonian Brassie. It had an insert put in the face on restoration which makes it very durable. I play over 100 rounds a year with hickory and try not to wear out my originals woods.

 

We did not get many Forgans here in Canada so they are difficult to find. I am on BOD of the Golf Historical Society of Canada and know most of the keen collectors, just have not been able to find a Forgan. 

I didn't know that Jack White made clubs for Yeomans....good info. Also I know that Boris Lietzow, who runs Jack White's in Gullane has 'Hickory Forever' as his callsign, from about 4 years ago to my knowledge.

[Hickory4ever]

I got these clubs from one of the leading historians in Canada. Sadly, he passed away two weeks ago. He was in bad health and wanted them to go to someone who would appreciate them. 
 

I will play them in special events to honour him. We are having at least half a dozen events at clubs celebrating their 100th this year which is an appropriate place for them to come out to play.

 

Would love a couple Forgans and someday I will find them.

 

I chose the Hickory4ever for my golf nickname, my other passion is photography and I go by Primes4ever in those forums.

 

 

[baetown415]

Cleveland Classic TC15 in mint condition (i.e. not refinished)

[The Aspidistra in the Hall]

10 hours ago, Hickory4ever said:

I got these clubs from one of the leading historians in Canada. Sadly, he passed away two weeks ago. He was in bad health and wanted them to go to someone who would appreciate them. 
 

I will play them in special events to honour him. We are having at least half a dozen events at clubs celebrating their 100th this year which is an appropriate place for them to come out to play.

 

Would love a couple Forgans and someday I will find them.

 

I chose the Hickory4ever for my golf nickname, my other passion is photography and I go by Primes4ever in those forums.

 

 

Sorry to hear about your golf historian pal, leaving you those clubs was a great legacy and recognition. Can you show the 'Jack White' connection in a photo? There may be other clubs out there and we shall know what to look for.

Did you play at the RQGC celebrations for the 400th anniversary of Quebec's founding? If so, we might well have met.

[Hickory4ever]

4 hours ago, The Aspidistra in the Hall said:

Sorry to hear about your golf historian pal, leaving you those clubs was a great legacy and recognition. Can you show the 'Jack White' connection in a photo? There may be other clubs out there and we shall know what to look for.

Did you play at the RQGC celebrations for the 400th anniversary of Quebec's founding? If so, we might well have met.

 

This is the marking of the clubs. The gentleman that I got these from was our go to guy in identifying and was a wealth of knowledge, we will miss him.

 

I was not present in Quebec City for the event you participated in unfortunately.