A bit of Mac History

[stickfish]

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,62962.0.html

 

all credit to the poster over in GCA, may be something my friend Stu hadn’t heard before.  Loved the line from Hogan RE: the golf balls and have heard it told a few times.  Sure sounds like something he would respond with.

 

cheers

<><

Edited October 20, 2021 by stickfish

[elwhippy]

Brilliant article. My memory of MacGregor balls is that they were dreadful. 

[stickfish]

The Spaulding Dot was just before my time really but do remember them, seems like a few color combinations with the script and number?    Can anyone imagine being the Ball rep for MacGregor trying to win over Hogan?    The Ben Hogan?
 

 

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Good read that, thank you👍

 

I've heard lots about how bad the MacGregor balls were, but I don't think I've ever actually played one. I'm not even sure they were available in the UK in the Eighties when I was playing. 

 

I did buy a box of MacGregor Elite balls recently, which were a late era balata or balata-like ball. Anyway, they're certainly a wound ball, but I've yet to put them into play.

[Bensdad]

I bought and played one dozen of the Macgregor Tourney balls in the early 80's.  In those days most folks carried a ring to check the roundness of a balata ball during the round.  Most of the Tourney's wouldn't pass the roundness test as I took them out of the sleeve.  When hit once they tended to lose whatever round shape they might have had.  In fact, you could see with your naked eye the flat spots on the ball.  If Jack played this ball during his early career his talent far exceeded his equipment.

 

Just my experience with what I considered a faulty product.

[NRJyzr]

An interesting story about Jack and the MacGregor ball...

 

Years ago, when 2nd Swing stores were in their initial incarnation, and expanding around the country, I would visit several of the stores to check out the assorted toys.  Especially the older blades.  😉

 

At the store in Burnsville, MN, there happened to be an older gentleman working there.  Had several conversations with him over a year or two.  He was a retired MacGregor tour rep.  Enjoyed telling stories about worming for MacGregor, still had a velvet cushioned box that contained samples of clubheads available in the Personal Program.

 

One day, we were talking about something or another, and the golf ball came up.  I brought up the common line of thought about Jack and the ball, he won in spite of it, etc.  He got a sly little smile on his face and told me about a trip he'd made to the Titleist ball plant.  Was being given a tour of the manufacturing process, watching product in varying stages, all the fun.

 

He sees balls coming through the stamping line, getting the logo and number.  The balls are being stamped "MacGregor" however, not Titleist.  He asked about it, was told these were balls being made for Jack.

 

I found that very interesting.

 

[BIG STU]

On 10/20/2021 at 3:54 PM, stickfish said:

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,62962.0.html

 

all credit to the poster over in GCA, may be something my friend Stu hadn’t heard before.  Loved the line from Hogan RE: the golf balls and have heard it told a few times.  Sure sounds like something he would respond with.

 

cheers

<><

Good to hear from you again Fish---- I had read that article before but it was refreshing to read again--- Yep Mr Hogan told it like it was point blank---- It was also written along the years Jack Nicklaus thought the Mac balls were junk too and he actually used Titleist branded as MT Tourney. My old man was a Mac dealer in the 60s and he always said the Mac balls were junk. My old mans favorite was the Red Dot Dunlop Maxflis followed by the Titleist Balata, But he would play the Spalding Dot and in later years when he became a Wilson Staffer he played the Wilson balls. 

[BIG STU]

On 10/23/2021 at 3:43 AM, No_Catchy_Nickname said:

Good read that, thank you👍

 

I've heard lots about how bad the MacGregor balls were, but I don't think I've ever actually played one. I'm not even sure they were available in the UK in the Eighties when I was playing. 

 

I did buy a box of MacGregor Elite balls recently, which were a late era balata or balata-like ball. Anyway, they're certainly a wound ball, but I've yet to put them into play.

I think and do not take this for gospel that Nicklaus was under contract when in Europe with Slazenger and played the Slagenzer ball when it was a first line quality balata ball--- Our older UK brethern can add more detail on this

[BIG STU]

21 hours ago, Bensdad said:

I bought and played one dozen of the Macgregor Tourney balls in the early 80's.  In those days most folks carried a ring to check the roundness of a balata ball during the round.  Most of the Tourney's wouldn't pass the roundness test as I took them out of the sleeve.  When hit once they tended to lose whatever round shape they might have had.  In fact, you could see with your naked eye the flat spots on the ball.  If Jack played this ball during his early career his talent far exceeded his equipment.

 

Just my experience with what I considered a faulty product.

LOL I still have my metal ball roundness guage--- It is still attached to my old white Ping Staff bag in the back of the building. LOL again my old man played for big money and took no chances. He checked every ball he intended to play and when he picked out a couple dozen for his use he took them out of the box and put them in egg cartons and turned them on a regular basis like a Mother Hen does eggs. He was fully convinced if you let them sitting in the same place for long they would settle and get out of round. I personally have not seen it happen

[elwhippy]

Slazenger Balata was the equal of Maxfli (same company), Bridgestone and Titleist. 

[BIG STU]

3 hours ago, elwhippy said:

Slazenger Balata was the equal of Maxfli (same company), Bridgestone and Titleist. 

My personal Holy Grail of all Balata balls was the Maxfli HT-100---- I liked the USA sized Slazenger balatas too. As far as the European small balls ( yes we could get them) the Penfolds and Dunlop 65s in balata

[mahonie]

On 10/24/2021 at 6:06 PM, BIG STU said:

My personal Holy Grail of all Balata balls was the Maxfli HT-100---- I liked the USA sized Slazenger balatas too. As far as the European small balls ( yes we could get them) the Penfolds and Dunlop 65s in balata

I have a couple of original Dunlop 65s from the 1960s still unopened in their black plastic wrapping given to me by an old friend who passed earlier this year (he played to a single figure handicap well into his 80s and was a real gentleman). I don’t think I will ever unwrap them.

[xgolfx]

My good friend, Gene Troy, was the head of MacGregor golf and signed Jack Nicklaus. He thought he had made a mistake when he passed on Palmer who had left Wilson. Gene said to me that he didn’t give a s**t about sales outside the USA. I do not think Jack won any event without playing  MacGregor at that time, but I am not positive.

 

CHARLEY PENNA