Need help IDing this club.

[Tim Schoch]

I found a Palmer club I've never seen before and no one seems to have a handle on what model it is.  I posted it over in Equipment.  Here's the link....

 

 

[bcstones]

try showing all the pics of the face, back, sole, hosel, shaft band & grip....I checked the pics you put up on that other site...not enough...

It looks like an attempt to copy the early '60as Ping Ballnmatic clubs

[Bigarch]

My guess is the club is from around 1970-1972 when First Flight ultimately became Pro Group.  I think Palmer took over Pro Group in 72 but he was endorsing some First Flight stuff prior to that when they were a legit brand.  Then the First Flight stuff ended up getting pushed off to Sears stores with Palmer's name on it... and it really ruined the brand.  I've seen some First Flight clubs with similar designed clubheads... and a lot of the First Flights had that "shaft over" hosel design.

[bcstones]

19 hours ago, Bigarch said:

My guess is the club is from around 1970-1972 when First Flight ultimately became Pro Group.  I think Palmer took over Pro Group in 72 but he was endorsing some First Flight stuff prior to that when they were a legit brand.  Then the First Flight stuff ended up getting pushed off to Sears stores with Palmer's name on it... and it really ruined the brand.  I've seen some First Flight clubs with similar designed clubheads... and a lot of the First Flights had that "shaft over" hosel design.

Actually it was the other way around....First Flight/ProGroup took over Palmer Golf after Palmer gave Sears the authority to use his "NAME" only to use on clubs. It ruined Palmer, not First Flight/Pro Group...

the club shown looks like the FTD clubs that First Flight put out sometime after Ping came out w/the Ballnmatic clubs in the ealy '60s

Edited April 25, 2023 by bcstones
misspelled FTD (was FTC)

[Bigarch]

Close to same design

 

[bcstones]

Here are a couple of orphan FTD clubs, the only place it mentions First Flight is the shaft band...Maltby's guide has an excellent history of First Flight, their connection to Arnold Palmer & change to Pro Group...

only problem, I can't find out when these were made as Maltby's seems to say that First Flight w/arrow is on most of the later editions...perhaps this was '75 model.

 

I have a set of Palmer Tru-Matics & a set of FTD irons like the ones shown...both were up for sale by me at an event locally, a guy caught a glimpse of the FTD's & quickly came into booth, he admitted he thought they might be a set of Ping's Ballnmatics. We both had a chuckle...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by bcstones