biggest OEM golf club "flops"

[Racurl]

Just an interesting sidebar.......

 

I don't even remember the brand of these clubs (something like Patty Berg or Kermit Zarley or something), but I found a set of clubs in my Grandfathers's garage that had the set make-up of:

 

3 Iron

3 1/2 Iron

4 Iron

4 1/2 Iron

5 Iron

5 1/2 Iron

6 Iron

6 1/2 Iron

7 Iron

8 Iron

9 Iron

 

As strange as it seems, they actually had HALF Irons! I gotta believe that they were flops back in the 40's or 50's!

 

I suppose that I should have saved them.....the kids used them to practice the game by hitting rocks out of the driveway!

[8602081]

My 1st thought was the Burrows golf line. I still have a burrows mallet that has the cutout center in it.

 

Next up was the VAS irons, what about the ceramic headed Cobra driver with the red shaft that Daly won the '91 PGA with, it was a quick up & gone too, right?

 

 

I have VAS irons in my garage.

It's not that bad as people think. Yes, it's very ugly and it has purble labels.

But it's good for beginners.

[Ronzo]

Nothing beats the c4!!!! :russian_roulette:

 

 

An appropriately named club if ever there was one.

 

A block of plastic explosive was the best thing for that piece of junk.

 

When Callaway marketed it in the Czech Republic, the product was named "Semtex".

[touch]

Liquid Metal irons at a price ointof wha $2800.00 about 15 years ago.

 

Yeah nice try.........choke.

 

Any Nike putter

 

Alien wedges

 

Callaway C4

 

Brush tee's

 

Etonic shoes (give it up already!)

 

Ping golf balls ( remember the two color balls?)

 

Those upside down thick at the bottom grips

 

Impact bags

 

Dunlop equipment from discount stores, Kmart and Sports Authority

 

Leaning towards the R9 as a 1/2 flop.

[smash@gouge]

i've got two more nobody has mentioned. There was a square headed driver from the early 90's. It was the Whistler from accuform golf and cubic balance put out a grooveless driver a few years after that sounded like a tin can. Unfortunately

[smash@gouge]

i've got two more nobody has mentioned. There was a square headed driver from the early 90's. It was the Whistler from accuform golf and cubic balance put out a grooveless driver a few years after that sounded like a tin can. Unfortunately I

[parpar41]

i've got two more nobody has mentioned. There was a square headed driver from the early 90's. It was the Whistler from accuform golf and cubic balance put out a grooveless driver a few years after that sounded like a tin can. Unfortunately

 

 

Not sure the Whistler square driver from Accuform golf qualifies as a "flop" ; it may just have been a head of its time. I'm pretty sure I read on this Board that the Whistler was designed by Tom Stites many years before he went to work at Nike to design the Sumo Square.

[prouse25]

Since the obvious have been stated, I'll throw in the TM Bubble Shaft. Yeah, it's not a "club" but the shaft does attach the "club"head! :D

 

Wilson Fat Shafts

Tommy Armour E.Q.L.

 

 

 

3JACK

 

Couldn't disagree more. We're talking about "flops" here which to me means items that didn't sell.

 

Taylormade's Bubble line sold like crazy back in the day. Also, the Fat Shaft line put Wilson back on the map in terms of golf equipment and also sold pretty well back in their day. In fact, I know plenty of people who played both.

 

As for chippers, they're not for everyone but the concept isn't a flop. I hear they are excellent sellers.

 

I can think of at least 25 members at my club STILL playing the Wilson Fat Shaft.

 

For Me, I'll call the Scotty Cameron "Kombi" as being the next flop

 

Is it me or is the Komba just another Ping copy (Craz-e)?

 

Ryan

 

 

 

Don't knock this one until you have tried it. Time will tell if this is a sales flop, but the Kombi performance is amazing. Not a traditional designed putter, but this one is deadly accurate. It could easily be the best high MOI putter made.

[ButterCutter2]

anyone else remember the Adila One shafts? those were big busts.

[CPHoya]

New nominee (I think): that first Nike Driver (the blue one).

 

That was awful.

[Everest209]

"The Chipper" no matter the OEM, if you make it, it is a flop.

 

 

I'm not joking when I say this, you have no idea how wrong you are, you'd never guess but chippers sell like crazy.

 

 

Sadly I know and without sounding prejudice or ignorant, look at the skill level directly related to the consumers who are purchasing them. You cannot call golfers who bag a chipper skillfull!

 

Learn to use a wedge even if it is a Texas Wedge (yo putta)!

 

Ignorant, your right on that one..... my friends dad is a 10 handicap and uses a chipper, whatever works....

 

And yes, I thought they were extremely weak looking at first too.

[hsu.mitch]

What about McHenry Metals?

[touch]

Burrow's wedges with the sandwich metals and hole cavity.

 

Driver's died real fast too.

[TapTap]

Ha, Ha great thread--- my picks are based on pre-release hype:

Liquid Metal line--

Mac Burrows line

Callaway C4-- (for me the # 1 flop ever. I cant believe Annika actually won a major with this POS)

Wilson Invex -( See Annika comments-- Daly won the Open with this POS)

Wilson Deep Red 2- the follow up to a fairly good driver--sucked

Cobra Gravity Back line--Almost killed this company

Titlest Howitzer Driver-with the Fuse shaft, what a crappy product.

TaylorMade Inergel ball--my #2 flop all time.

[CarloGolfer]

New nominee (I think): that first Nike Driver (the blue one).

 

That was awful.

 

I believe you are speaking of this driver.

 

 

 

But... you are wrong. I used to absolutely destroy that driver and to this day regret ever having gotten rid of it.

[whiteout73]

Gotta go with the Callaway C4. I got one on the cheap a week or two after they came out, it lasted all of one round. HORRIBLE feel and sound. I immediately put in on eBay, while I could still get something for it.

[jaskanski]

Snake Eyes?

After the initial buzz surrounding their pretty decent forged wedges and irons died, the company seems to be be dying along with it. They seem to be going down the same route as Ram and the last I saw (in the UK anyway) they were trying the online direct marketing tactic. Not good.

[mat562]

...that first Nike Driver (the blue one). That was awful.

 

I believe you are speaking of this driver.

 

 

 

I've still got one of those, and actually blew the dust off it and played it for a while last summer to decent effect. Yes, compared to the 975D it was the mad brother who lives in a caravan at the bottom of the garden to the Titleist Elton John, but it was a decent driver, I thought, for its time.

 

The blue paint job and the fake rivets on the sole always meant it was going to be a hard slog though...

 

Pity.

[CarloGolfer]

I've still got one of those, and actually blew the dust off it and played it for a while last summer to decent effect. Yes, compared to the 975D it was the mad brother who lives in a caravan at the bottom of the garden to the Titleist Elton John, but it was a decent driver, I thought, for its time.

 

The blue paint job and the fake rivets on the sole always meant it was going to be a hard slog though...

 

Pity.

 

 

Now that I think of it, maybe it was the shaft I really loved. I switched from the 975D to the Nike, but I was playing the same shaft in each club. It was the purple/blue and yellow shaft (proforce?) that Furyk used to play.

 

great shaft.

[mat562]

An old rhubarb and custard ProForce 65 is in the old mothballed 975D I've got too. And I've also got a R7TP Tour Spoon with a ProForce FW shaft that's a fantastic club. Before I ended up being introduced to a Grafalloy Blue, that shaft was the best thing since sliced bread as far as I was concerned. Colour scheme excepted...

[acoomz]

This thread is great - rekindled a few old memories for me. In no particular order here's my list of flops: -

 

1. Taylormade "Inergel" golf balls (anyone remember or indeed ever play them ?)

 

2. Those Hi Tec CDT golf shoes that Padraig Harrington said added 6 - 10 yards to his drives.

 

3. Slazenger K1 Speed driver (The one that Sam Torrence was unashamedly advertising on the Golf Channel UK as having a "Double kick" shaft and could help you drive the ball over 300 yards. It was hideous and should have been burned)

 

4. C4 gets my vote too.

 

5. MAC by Burrows Golf drivers (one the local pros had the full kit and caboodle in his shop, interchangeable heads and shafts... the bag stayed full for years)

 

6. Alien wedge

 

7. The "Perfect Club"

 

8. The "Controller" driving iron. (I bought one whilst watching the infomercial late one night after a few too many glasses of wine..hated it)

 

9. TM Nubbins putters ( I had one - felt awful)

 

10. Srixon putters

 

11. Cleveland putters

 

12. 907 drivers

[mbbrewer]

What about the Titleist Starship Driver. This thing was a POS hook machine.

http://www.titleist.com/historical_clubs/details.asp?id=28

[BDoubleG]

Hahah...the Inergel. Great ball for one and a half holes, then just became god-awful. It was like they lost their freshness.

[icreate]

I vote for the Nickent big square driver (3DX). Heinously big and loud. Awful. Can't believe I fell for the "bargain" price. There was a reason.

[BDoubleG]

This thread is great - rekindled a few old memories for me. In no particular order here's my list of flops: -

 

1. Taylormade "Inergel" golf balls (anyone remember or indeed ever play them ?)

 

2. Those Hi Tec CDT golf shoes that Padraig Harrington said added 6 - 10 yards to his drives.

 

3. Slazenger K1 Speed driver (The one that Sam Torrence was unashamedly advertising on the Golf Channel UK as having a "Double kick" shaft and could help you drive the ball over 300 yards. It was hideous and should have been burned)

 

4. C4 gets my vote too.

 

5. MAC by Burrows Golf drivers (one the local pros had the full kit and caboodle in his shop, interchangeable heads and shafts... the bag stayed full for years)

 

6. Alien wedge

 

7. The "Perfect Club"

 

8. The "Controller" driving iron. (I bought one whilst watching the infomercial late one night after a few too many glasses of wine..hated it)

 

9. TM Nubbins putters ( I had one - felt awful)

 

10. Srixon putters

 

11. Cleveland putters

 

12. 907 drivers

 

 

I disagree with the nubbins; until recently, I gamed it for the last 5 years...I've always really liked the feel.

[JD3]

Killer Bee drivers from about 15 years ago. they were like 48" long, had a yellow shaft w/ black circles, and some nitwit in knickers was their spokesman.

lol

 

here's one on Ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/NICE-RARE-48-KILLER-BE...%3A1%7C294%3A50

[Ruleschamp]

Spokesman for Killer Bee was Rocky Thompson, who had much more success on the Senior Tour (not Champions during most of his heyday there) than regular tour. He was also the mayor of Toco, Texas.

 

Biggest flops of all time were the Callaway C4 and Taylor Made Innergel balls.

[AndrewS]

I didn't read the whole thread, so forgive me if the Goldwin line has been mentioned. They came out with the LCG rage and their AVDP line. Where did they go?

 

Also, Orlimar and their "trimetal" series with the extra super duper hard faces. The fairway woods were really popular it seemed, but then they started making irons and stuff and now they're gone as well.

 

Carbite putters? I know a few people who bought those.

 

 

I also have to say that I liked the innergel balls and their plastic container for freshness :lol: Something about hitting what I thought to be a gel like substance always made the ball feel good to me.

[Abs777]

I had the Orlimar 3 wood for 3 years. The depth of that club was so skinny. When you hit it well the ball would rocket.

[TexasTBag]

LOL, my old man has a 55 gallon drum in his garage that has a lot of the clubs mentioned in this thread just collecting dust.

 

I have to say that the Killer Bee's had to be a tremendous flop.

Didn't Yonex make a driver with a graphite head? I never saw one on the course.

 

I saw that someone mentioned the bubble shaft. I had one on a beat up burner all through college, I loved that club!