Nick Faldo's Equipment

[The Gachet]

They don't make them like they used to. From the archives...

Great archive pictures chip, I recognise them from the Mizuno TP golf brochure back from the early 90's. Do you have any of the pictures of the pages from the wedges section !?

I only have '97 onwards hope these help Gachet. I always regret not picking up the shoes when they went down to £30 a year later I'm such a Scrooge LOL!

Wow, cool ! It's great to see this old stuff again, much appreciated chip and thanks very much for posting !!!

Thanks Gatchet and thanks for all the work you've put into this thread. Do you know if Nick used the Dual Force Rossie mallet or the smaller Dual Force Rossie 2 to win the Masters?

No problem chip, he used an Odyssey Dual Force Rossie II as below:

 

 

[Roland]

Just thought I'd say what a true Gent Barry Willett was. He was at wentworth wandering around the van in 2007 Just doing a small stint as a hobby since his retirement. He showed me all the way round the van and bought me a coffee, Although only chatting for 1/2 an hour the guy had so much information in him it was like talking to a clubmaking and tour story library. The tour will miss him.

[cop]

This tread is why I love GolfWrx keep them coming.

[The Gachet]

Another one of Faldo's personalised Scotty Cameron's.

 

 

 

 

[The Gachet]

Here are some interesting shots from his 1989 instructional book 'Golf - The Winning Formula' clearly showing him using those so-called blank Mizuno TP-9's which he had great success with in the US Masters that year. You can also see that he was using the good ol' green and black Golf Pride Victory SwingRite Full-Cord grips and what appears to be a Ping Pal putter.

 

Loving that bullseye wear mark on the backswing shot, probably about an 8-iron.

 

 

 

 

 

[mat562]

A fantastic book.

A terrible pair of golf shoes.

There's a good chance the secretary at my club would ban you from the course if you turned up wearing a pair of those.

[The Gachet]

[quote name='mat562' date='11 January 2010 - 05:54 PM' timestamp='1263232466' post='2174724']
A fantastic book.

A terrible pair of golf shoes.

There's a good chance the secretary at my club would ban you from the course if you turned up wearing a pair of those.
[/quote]
Those shoes do look absolutely terrible and like something you would find in a supermarket twenty plus years ago !

Mat, was I correct in identifying that putter as the old original Manganese Bronze Ping Pal job !? If so, did he ever use it in tournament play as I know he used a BeCu Ping Pal 2 in 1987 !?

[ragin cajun]

Great thread! A little off topic but when did Faldo switch to the Chris Dimarco style putter grip?

[mat562]

Paul, I remember him switching about a bit over the back end of the '87 season and throughout '88. It was that awkward time when he was struggling with his putting - specifically the pace of his putts - and, a bit like many of us, he went through a few putters as a bit of a remedy. His putting woes prompted that memorable quip from a member of the press corps when, after bemoaning the fact that he was continually leaving a lot of makeable putts short but dead on line, one wag replied 'Why not just hit them a bit harder then..?'

I seem to remember he played most of '88 with a flat-soled, sound slotted Ping Anser - certainly at Lytham and at the World Matchplay anyway - but I vaguely remember him having a clonk with that Pal somewhere, plus the old Bullseye that he started the '89 season with before going to that Taylor Made TPA mallet that he had great success with for a season or three.

[lead]

[quote name='The Gachet' date='11 January 2010 - 01:05 PM' timestamp='1263233131' post='2174742']
[quote name='mat562' date='11 January 2010 - 05:54 PM' timestamp='1263232466' post='2174724']
A fantastic book.

A terrible pair of golf shoes.

There's a good chance the secretary at my club would ban you from the course if you turned up wearing a pair of those.
[/quote]
Those shoes do look absolutely terrible and like something you would find in a supermarket twenty plus years ago !

Mat, was I correct in identifying that putter as the old original Manganese Bronze Ping Pal job !? If so, did he ever use it in tournament play as I know he used a BeCu Ping Pal 2 in 1987 !?
[/quote]

I think those shoes were Stylo?

/lead

[The Gachet]

[quote name='mat562' date='11 January 2010 - 06:45 PM' timestamp='1263235530' post='2174820']
Paul, I remember him switching about a bit over the back end of the '87 season and throughout '88. It was that awkward time when he was struggling with his putting - specifically the pace of his putts - and, a bit like many of us, he went through a few putters as a bit of a remedy. His putting woes prompted that memorable quip from a member of the press corps when, after bemoaning the fact that he was continually leaving a lot of makeable putts short but dead on line, one wag replied 'Why not just hit them a bit harder then..?'

I seem to remember he played most of '88 with a flat-soled, sound slotted Ping Anser - certainly at Lytham and at the World Matchplay anyway - but I vaguely remember him having a clonk with that Pal somewhere, plus the old Bullseye that he started the '89 season with before going to that Taylor Made TPA mallet that he had great success with for a season or three.
[/quote]
Cheers Mat, great knowledge and information, loving that comment 'Why not just hit them a bit harder then', easier said than done as we all know !

Yeah lead, pretty sure that they are Stylo as he would have been with them then and I unfortunately can't help but remember those ghastly things at the time !!!

[chip75]

At least Nick's fashion sense has slightly improved. Pictures from the short lived Faldo Collection and his Adams club line with the Ping Pal Series.
[attachment=520928:falcol1.jpg]
[attachment=520929:adams01.jpg]
[attachment=520930:adams2.jpg]

[chip75]

I forgot to mention you can tell Nick loved the driver when Tom Watson's used to promote it LOL!

[The Gachet]

Here is a bit more from his book explaining the decision to move from Titleist golf balls to Bridgestone.

"Bridgestone, despite it's Western sounding name, is also a Japanese company, and one that has for some time had more than fifty percent of it's domestic golf-ball market. I had for most of my competitive life played with Titleist, as have many professionals down the years."

"Bridgestone were anxious to spread their sales to other golf-oriented countries, and part of that programme was to have a leading player play their ball. John Simpson from IMG had been talking to them for some time, and when he had the basis of a worthwhile deal, broached the subject with me. I had tried their product on one of my trips to Japan and have to say it no way matched up to my Titleist. I certainly wasn't the player to surrender a significant playing advantage in return for huge sums to play an indifferent ball."

"That didn't deter Bridgestone. They agreed to a deal, a significant part of which involved working closely with their research and development department. Early in 1990 they made me some balls, but they really weren't up to scratch. In discussions it emerged that one of the central problems was that the ball sounded wrong off the club, more of a thud than a click."

"We had a session around the time of the 1991 U.S. Open, with a group of technicians who sat around listening to me hit shots, both with their ball and other makes. They nodded sagely, said little and went away. Three months later they came back with a ball for me to try, and it was a revelation. They had completely redesigned the ball. It must have cost millions, but they said it was my comments about the sound that put them on the right track. They were prepared to go to any lengths to get it right: if I had suggested they move the factory, I think they might have done it."

"The following summer we launched the ball, the Rextar, at the Open Championship at Muirfield, It will have done the launch and subsequent sales no harm that I went on to win the Championship."

"I am now the test bed for all their technological advancements. They have gone on seeking further improvements and the ball I currently use, the Rextar Balata 40, is the best ball I have ever played. They have also developed a ball for playing in the wind, which I tried out the last time I went to Japan and found was extraordinary. In strong winds it flies lower for the same strike and travels just as far as an ordinary ball in calm conditions - all within the ball constraints laid down by the Royal & Ancient."

[jaskanski]

Great story on the Bridgestone ball. Faldo and Price were the two poster boys, Rextar and Precept respectively.
As a segway, can anyone remember the story behind Faldo getting the 'wrong compression' ball in a tournament? I vaguely rember it a few years ago - the Masters? I certainly remember Faldo playing the wrong ball too - '94 Open I think.

[chip75]

[quote name='The Gachet' date='11 January 2010 - 08:00 PM' timestamp='1263240005' post='2174970']
Here is a bit more from his book explaining the decision to move from Titleist golf balls to Bridgestone.

"Bridgestone, despite it's Western sounding name, is also a Japanese company, and one that has for some time had more than fifty percent of it's domestic golf-ball market. I had for most of my competitive life played with Titleist, as have many professionals down the years."

"Bridgestone were anxious to spread their sales to other golf-oriented countries, and part of that programme was to have a leading player play their ball. John Simpson from IMG had been talking to them for some time, and when he had the basis of a worthwhile deal, broached the subject with me. I had tried their product on one of my trips to Japan and have to say it no way matched up to my Titleist. I certainly wasn't the player to surrender a significant playing advantage in return for huge sums to play an indifferent ball."

"That didn't deter Bridgestone. They agreed to a deal, a significant part of which involved working closely with their research and development department. Early in 1990 they made me some balls, but they really weren't up to scratch. In discussions it emerged that one of the central problems was that the ball sounded wrong off the club, more of a thud than a click."

"We had a session around the time of the 1991 U.S. Open, with a group of technicians who sat around listening to me hit shots, both with their ball and other makes. They nodded sagely, said little and went away. Three months later they came back with a ball for me to try, and it was a revelation. They had completely redesigned the ball. It must have cost millions, but they said it was my comments about the sound that put them on the right track. They were prepared to go to any lengths to get it right: if I had suggested they move the factory, I think they might have done it."

"The following summer we launched the ball, the Rextar, at the Open Championship at Muirfield, It will have done the launch and subsequent sales no harm that I went on to win the Championship."

"I am now the test bed for all their technological advancements. They have gone on seeking further improvements and the ball I currently use, the Rextar Balata 40, is the best ball I have ever played. They have also developed a ball for playing in the wind, which I tried out the last time I went to Japan and found was extraordinary. In strong winds it flies lower for the same strike and travels just as far as an ordinary ball in calm conditions - all within the ball constraints laid down by the Royal & Ancient."
[/quote]

Another great snippet from Gatchet. On the ball front I remeber reading Tony Jackilin's biography a few years back... after his major wins Tony was courted by lots of companies and he went to a new ball manufacturer whose name I don't recall, as it turned out Tony's game started to nosedive quite rapidly so he went to the company and told that their ball wasn't up to scratch which they replied with "we know we just wanted a big name attached to us for publicity..." I remember Nick (as Gatchet quoted) saying how important the sound of the ball was especially when putting how hard they worked on getting the right 'click' (there's an amusing non PC Nick anecdote about the language barrier LOL) they really moved ball technology along - now most balls have a 'click' or as my dad says they sound like 'china'. It's a same the Rextar name wasn't continued weren't there a set of irons from Bridgestone?

[The Gachet]

I forgot to mention you can tell Nick loved the driver when Tom Watson's used to promote it LOL!

Apart from this instance I hardly ever saw him use it either !?

 

[mat562]

I remember him whacking one of those drivers (perhaps that very one) into his Adams staff bag at Birkdale along with a few unflattering comments about the quality of Adams clubs. Good thing he was playing a bagful of Mizunos at the time really.

[The Gachet]

It's a shame the Rextar name wasn't continued weren't there a set of irons from Bridgestone?

Yeah, not the prettiest of clubs !

 

[chip75]

Those irons are awesome I'm sorry now I asked LOL! Some more ads.
[attachment=520971:falprice.jpg]
[attachment=520972:pringle.jpg]
[attachment=520977:bridge.jpg]

And a position all golfers should try to get in...
[attachment=520978:falfan.jpg]

[mat562]

I bet Fanny wouldn't be willing to do that for Sandy Lyle. "Yes. I'm swinging it a lot better. And the doctors say Fanny's fractured skull isn't as serious as we first thought..."

I remember that Faldo/Price advert; designed to capitalise upon the success of the two most prominent Bridgestone ball users of the time. Faldo with his Rextar and Price with the perplexingly-named Precept EV Extra Spin... that didn't spin much at all if we're honest. Yes, I know it was a two piece job and, compared to other pebble-like balls it did have a bit of extra spin, but you needed to be able to hit it naturally with more spin than a Greg Norman pitching wedge off hardpan for it to be any use to you as a ball. Price apparently did. Which makes you wonder, a bit like Greg Norman himself, how on earth he managed to get on so well for several years with a Tour Edition.

Wasn't one of the design features of the Rextar a high spin rate with the longer clubs? I seem to remember Faldo remarking that he was quite a low spin player naturally and needed a bit of extra lift when he was hitting a long iron or a fairway wood. One of the failings of the early balls he tried was, as I recall, his inability to flight it strongly with the long irons. As well as the sound thing off the putter face.

Just an aside, but who on earth was responsible for the charicature of Faldo hitting that drive? It looks more like a young Jimmy Tarbuck than it does Faldo. Hopefully the bloke's gone on to find his true calling in life because, God knows, it certainly isn't art.

[chip75]

[quote name='mat562' date='11 January 2010 - 09:03 PM' timestamp='1263243804' post='2175115']
I bet Fanny wouldn't be willing to do that for Sandy Lyle. "Yes. I'm swinging it a lot better. And the doctors say Fanny's fractured skull isn't as serious as we first thought..."

I remember that Faldo/Price advert; designed to capitalise upon the success of the two most prominent Bridgestone ball users of the time. Faldo with his Rextar and Price with the perplexingly-named Precept EV Extra Spin... that didn't spin much at all if we're honest. Yes, I know it was a two piece job and, compared to other pebble-like balls it did have a bit of extra spin, but you needed to be able to hit it naturally with more spin than a Greg Norman pitching wedge off hardpan for it to be any use to you as a ball. Price apparently did. Which makes you wonder, a bit like Greg Norman himself, how on earth he managed to get on so well for several years with a Tour Edition.

Wasn't one of the design features of the Rextar a high spin rate with the longer clubs? I seem to remember Faldo remarking that he was quite a low spin player naturally and needed a bit of extra lift when he was hitting a long iron or a fairway wood. One of the failings of the early balls he tried was, as I recall, his inability to flight it strongly with the long irons. As well as the sound thing off the putter face.

Just an aside, but who on earth was responsible for the charicature of Faldo hitting that drive? It looks more like a young Jimmy Tarbuck than it does Faldo. Hopefully the bloke's gone on to find his true calling in life because, God knows, it certainly isn't art.
[/quote]

You're spot-on about the artwork Mat the Price picture was identical apart from their faces and shoes. It's like when they advertise apparel in catalogues when the models have no idea how to hold a club - something that alaways irks me LOL!

[The Gachet]

 

 

[Caldymat]

what balls where the other pro's using? and was Faldo using Titliest Tour Balata before the rextar??

Would love to see some old pics of what they were using...

[chip75]

[quote name='Caldymat' date='12 January 2010 - 10:52 AM' timestamp='1263293572' post='2176521']
what balls where the other pro's using? and was Faldo using Titliest Tour Balata before the rextar??

Would love to see some old pics of what they were using...
[/quote]

Gachet and Mat can give you a definitive answer on Nick's ball choice but he used a Maxfli HT and the Titleist balata not sure what he used before moving to Bridgestone probably the Titleist which was with the Maxfli HT the ball of the late '80's early'90's. The Spalding Tour Edition was used by Price and Norman for a while before they went to Precept and Maxfli. If I remeber people like Couples and Woosanm were Maxfli guys but most players were Titleist guys.

[mat562]

Faldo was a Maxfli HT man for his first Open Championship title but switched to Titleist for the interim period of several years until his involvement with Bridgestone.

Woosnam started out as a Maxfli staffer in the Mid '80s and stuck with a Maxfli ball for all of his banner years, including his Masters win. Lyle was the same; played Maxfli clubs in the mid '80s and stuck with a Maxfli ball for the rest of the '80s and early '90s after signing with Mizuno, albeit I've read that he occasionally played a Titleist ball over in the U.S. during the late '80s. Couples and Strange were both Maxfli men during the late '80s and early/mid '90s too and bagged their respective major titles with HT Balatas.

Norman was contracted to Spalding for most of the 1980s and used a Tour Edition ball as part of his contract from '86 or so onwards. He has been critical of the ball, and its high spin rate in the past and actually defected to a Titleist ball for a time during the '88 season out of frustration. One of the main reasons to ditch Spalding in the early '90s, according to Norman himself, was a dissatisfaction with the equipment and particularly with the Tour Edition ball which he felt was unsuited to his game. Enter an investment in Tom Crow's Cobra brand and the freedom to negotiate a ball contract with Maxfli to pay their HT and XS models during the 1990s.

Seve was a Titleist man through and through from what I remember, using their balls for all of his heyday until he ended up signing a contract with Callaway in his twilight years. Langer the same. A long-time Titleist man for all his best years along with Jose Maria Olazabal.

[Caldymat]

What was before the Tour Balata and the Professional? Was it the 364 or something?

[chip75]

[quote name='Caldymat' date='12 January 2010 - 05:59 PM' timestamp='1263319173' post='2177141']
What was before the Tour Balata and the Professional? Was it the 364 or something?
[/quote]

Something like that LOL. I remember Elk used a discontinued ball for a while it might have been the 364 the name was dimple related.

[chip75]

[quote name='ragin cajun' date='11 January 2010 - 06:32 PM' timestamp='1263234728' post='2174795']
Great thread! A little off topic but when did Faldo switch to the Chris Dimarco style putter grip?
[/quote]

It was around the time of his Taylor Made contract I think. I remember he caused a stir when he went crosshanded in '95 and I think he's used a belly putter on a few occassions (including his first Senior Open).

[attachment=521652:75664848.jpg][attachment=521651:89234562.jpg]

[The Gachet]

1983 British Open at Royal Birkdale.

 

 

1987 British Open at Muirfield using a Beryllium Copper Ping Pal 2 on his way to his first major victory.

 

 

1989 US Masters using the blank Mizuno TP-9's on route for his first of three Masters.

 

 

1990 British Open at St. Andrews finishing his third round with a 67.