Are any of my Dad's old persimmons worth gaming today?

[edapp]

Played in a scramble yesterday and one one hole you had to tee off with a persimmon driver. I actually hit the ball very well and it felt fantastic, which got me thinking about growing up with them and that i knew my dad still had a bunch of his from back in the day. I pulled a few out and dusted them off, but i have no idea what im looking at if any are really worth putting in a sunday bag. If you were going to game one or two of these, which would you pick? 

#1: Orlimar Diamond 7

 

#2: H&B PowerBilt Grand Slam 1 and 5

 

#3: Ben Hogan Personal Model 1,3,5 (I believe these are what i grew up with)

 

#4: Wilson/Sam Snead Championship 1,3

 

 

#5 Johnny Palmer Tournament / Spalding 1,3

 

If there is anything in here of particular value or interest, id be happy to take more photos. My gut says either the powerbilts or hogans for now, but i might have to swing the shafts a few times. I am guessing they are all regular flex as my dad never had a high swing speed. I wonder if my local shop can re-shaft these....

 

 

[ssp]

just a heads-up - those look laminated not persimmon.

[edapp]

2 minutes ago, ssp said:

just a heads-up - those look laminated not persimmon.

Good to know. I know absolutely nothing about these or any other "woods" 🙂 

[ssp]

1 minute ago, edapp said:

Good to know. I know absolutely nothing about these or any other "woods" 🙂 

Can tell the difference by looking at the face of them.  The laminated are layers of wood.  Persimmon is a single block of wood.  Persimmon consider higher quality and desirable.

[SnowbirdTom]

You may be surprised and pleased to swing them as they are. Yes, all laminated heads, but they’ll play well for you and hold up condition wise.  None are of any great value to collectors.

[bcstones]

@edapp it would help to see the faces of each...the Olimar's & the Wilson 4300's, from the top, look like laminated. As for the Hogan's, the PowerBilt's...it would help to see the face, they could very well be solid persimmon. Can't tell on the Spalding's.
Please take pics of the faces....

Thanks....oh, and they ALL look playable

[edapp]

They all appear laminated, the Johnny Palmer faces are painted which i assume also means laminated.  A significant variance in shaft length amongst the sets as well. 

[weakputt]

You would be lucky to average $5.00 each for your laminates.

[Stephen8802]

The Hogans would be great to play. If you enjoy it, you can always go out and buy some persimmons, but for now, re-grip the Hogans and have at it.

 

Laminated clubs play just as well as persimmons. Persimmons have a nicer feel and are nicer looking, but laminated clubs can take more abuse. Most people who play wood love that persimmon feel, so that's what we have.

 

If you just want to see if you like wood, you can't do much better than a set of Hogans.

[Bigarch]

I think its great that you have all of those.  All of them are worth taking a swing with.  Here in the USA, we're pretty snobbish about persimmon but the laminates hit really well too.  I'd love to hit that Orlimar 7 wood.  I'll bet it will surprise you how well you hit it, especially out of the rough.

[edapp]

I believe the additional wear of the 3 wood in the Hogan set is because it was in my bag as a kid in the late 90's early 2000's. Some nostalgia there. 

I might try a round with either the hogan 1 or 3 wood, and that Olimar 7 and see how it goes. New grips this weekend! 

Thanks for the input guys. Wasn't really concerned with the value of the clubs moreso the question of "are these worth swinging"  which you answered for me. They will continue sitting in the corner of my office with the rest of these vintage clubs. I might also try one of these wooden shafted putters as well...

[edapp]

[elwhippy]

The Hogan driver looks in great condition. 

[SnowbirdTom]

That first (wood headed) putter would look fantastic refinished and probably stay in one of my playing bags.  Wow!  Try some WD-40 and a soft bristle wire brush on the last Spalding steel putter.  It should clean up nicely.  

[Jiggered]

Nice selection of woods.

 

The Spalding woods look like their polymer range of heads which they called "Terpolymite".

 

All should play well but my choice would be the Wilson Sam Snead, Swing Weight woods, they look to be somewhere around the 1950s in date.

[mocokid]

On 12/15/2023 at 8:15 AM, elwhippy said:

The Hogan driver looks in great condition. 

Play the hogan's and orlimar,  goodwill the rest. The  hickories I don't know about. 

[Langlands]

I hope you try them all out at some point. They are great clubs, and look like they have been well looked after during their life.

[freddiec]

I agree, the Hogan's would be great to hit and definitely I would try those Spaldings ! 

[Pepperturbo]

A buddy has his fathers.  On my last trip I was able to use his Persimmon (solid blocks of wood) 1-3-5wd, and ancient Spalding blades for a few rounds.  Had to really concentrate to make sure I put a good strike on the ball.  None of those clubs were anywhere near as lengthy as my clubs, but they were pure fun making them work.   

 

No way I would game them regularly.  Guessing, I lost 10-20yds with each club.

[WipeyFade]

If it were me I would play the Hogans. I know the others aren’t collectibles but you should keep them just for sentimental value. As far as playability goes, I only lose about 20 yards on good strikes between my modern driver and persimmon driver. They will be a lot more playable than you think. 

Edited December 20, 2023 by WipeyFade

[Shallowface]

On 12/14/2023 at 5:40 PM, Bigarch said:

I think its great that you have all of those.  All of them are worth taking a swing with.  Here in the USA, we're pretty snobbish about persimmon but the laminates hit really well too.  I'd love to hit that Orlimar 7 wood.  I'll bet it will surprise you how well you hit it, especially out of the rough.

I remember when they came out with the original Orlimar Trimetal.  Jesse Ortiz said something along the lines of the Trimetal was no better than their wooden clubs like the one pictured above, but it was impossible to sell wooden clubs at that point.

 

I've never had a wooden Orlimar, but I still use the Trimetals at times today.  That 11 degree "driver" is a monster fairway wood.  I see a lot of them at the thrifts.  $300 each when they first came out, $3.00 today.

[deejaid]

That Orlimar 7 wood could easily go in the bag as a long iron/hybrid replacement.  Great club.