Wood Brothers Texan

[freddiec]

Here is another fine example of Dave Wood's custom Tour drivers. This one was custom made for Seve Ballesteros. Dave made several of these drivers for Seve that had the Map of Spain. "Duro Con Aceite" means "Hardened with Oil" in Spanish- which was Seve's idea. 1 and 3 forths inches deep, around D4 SW and 13 oz overall weight. 43.5 inches long with a DGX100 shaft.

[rtv]

Great story from Mr. Wood relating to that model http://www.davewoodarts.com/venus.html

[Texsport]

freddiec

Another great and historic Wood Bros!

Thanks for posting.


Texsport

[Johnny Hack]

freddiec, your collection is just outstanding and as far as I am concerned, that "Espania" is the absolute Cream of the Crop!
You are indeed one fortunate !@#!@ to have such a great collection!

[rex235]

Freddie-

It's been a year....

Thanks again for letting me know about the LH "Texan"....

...what it looked like then-and how it looks now...

Dave was right.....It just gets better looking every day...


[attachment=1433741:100_0267.JPG]

[tembolo1284]

[quote name='Texsport' timestamp='1289153180' post='2778888']
Spanish Texan as per Seve request.
[attachment=680549:SEVEEspania#1.jpg]

NOTES:

This is not my club but I have this pic in my collection. Notice no loft on sole plate as with other Tour Issued clubs.

This black finish is the same as on my Eye-O-Matic firing pin model made originally for Seve.

Dave also made a USA model Texan with a US map on the sole.

Texsport
[/quote]

My god this is just beautiful. Can you imagine one with Brasil map on the sole? I think i'd faint.

[Blade Junkie]

[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1356096109' post='6099953']


My god this is just beautiful. Can you imagine one with Brasil map on the sole? I think i'd faint.
[/quote]

Hahaha ... "The Brazilian" .. never heard of a Wood Bros one of those ... for sure it would have to have a lighter stain alignment strip on the crown

[tembolo1284]

O Brasileiro! Haha.

[guisician]

[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1356096109' post='6099953']
[quote name='Texsport' timestamp='1289153180' post='2778888']
Spanish Texan as per Seve request.
[attachment=680549:SEVEEspania#1.jpg]

NOTES:

This is not my club but I have this pic in my collection. Notice no loft on sole plate as with other Tour Issued clubs.

This black finish is the same as on my Eye-O-Matic firing pin model made originally for Seve.

Dave also made a USA model Texan with a US map on the sole.

Texsport
[/quote]

My god this is just beautiful. Can you imagine one with Brasil map on the sole? I think i'd faint.
[/quote]

Tembolo,

Glad you found this Seve Wood Bros. custom thread; this is the beauty I was talking about yesterday. BTW, what's "oil hardened" in Portuguese? Be prepared, you never know!

[Ironmaster Oddities]

[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1356096109' post='6099953']
[quote name='Texsport' timestamp='1289153180' post='2778888']
Spanish Texan as per Seve request.
[attachment=680549:SEVEEspania#1.jpg]

NOTES:

This is not my club but I have this pic in my collection. Notice no loft on sole plate as with other Tour Issued clubs.

This black finish is the same as on my Eye-O-Matic firing pin model made originally for Seve.

Dave also made a USA model Texan with a US map on the sole.

Texsport
[/quote]

My god this is just beautiful. Can you imagine one with Brasil map on the sole? I think i'd faint.
[/quote]
Instead of oil hardened, it would be stamped "bikini waxed". That leaves us with a couple rather graphic alignment icons.

[freddiec]

This is more for some of the new folks who may not have seen this info I posted 3 years ago.

Some interesting info about Langer's Texan as well as some more history of the club.


I had a very cool opportunity to communicate back and forth with Dave Wood, the founder of Wood Bros, who made some of the finest persimmon woods for Tour Players as well as the public. Dave said it would be ok if I shared this info with wrx. I wanted to do so because i know there are still a lot of persimmon fans out there, especially us that have a great appreciation for the infamous Texan, one of the best looking drivers of all time. As most are aware Wood Bros custom made persimmon drivers for a lot of the tour players in the 80s and early 90s, including Jeff Maggert, Bernard Langer, Bob Tway to name a few. Dave is a super nice guy and was open to a few questions I had about persimmons in general.

I asked Dave what Bernhard Langer's Texan was like and if it was any different in size compared to what a non tour player would get their hands on.

DW Answer - Your observations are correct. Most of the retail Texan heads were based on an altered turning master, who's DNA, was tied to the MacGregor Nelson model 69 that was used in the M85. As a raw turning form, the apex of its height on the face profile, would be slightly over 1 3/4". The crown height began at 2".
But these dimensions are in the turning masters raw form. I think most Texan face depths would measure between 1 5/8 to slightly under 1 3/4" in finished form, due to top-line edges and stain line optics. (sole radius and leading edge cambering affected this visually as well)

As you are intimately aware Fred, WB Driving Instruments were hand crafted and sculpted from solid blocks, Overall they look the same, but upon critical inspection... each had is own uniqueness and character. Many variables in club-making to achieve the finished specifications and harmonized optical results.

Langers head did not appear overly deep, because he wanted his top-line softly rolled under. The stain line would encroach on the face. Bernhard also liked for the face-line to appear very square at address, so the toe stain-line would continue to the edge of the face profile. If you took that same head and brought the stain-line downward, it would look closed to his eye. Another detail was that he wanted the club bored to 56.5 degrees, which was upright for the time, but he wanted it to appear flat at address. To do this the crown was lowered and blended just a little more than a standard model. Very subtle things. He was a perfectionist and a technician and always a challenge to work with.

F - I also asked Dave is a Tour player had a preference in a certain grain patter in the wood, or where they less concerned with grain, but more so with shape, face angle, weight, ect.

DW- Their first concerns would be the heads physical specifications such as loft, face progression, lie angle etc. Then, profile optics (shape). Actually grain and growth rings were controlled it the raw flitch of persimmon, before it was turned from a master. You always want the growth lines going into the face, even on a tight U or Horseshoe. All of our Driving Instruments, Texan, All-American, Australian, Japan etc, were very choice blocks. Although they were oil hardened and cured to weight, we started the process with the most dense persimmon.

Many Tour players did like to see uniqueness in the grain like the carbon spots on the one being offered. Hal Sutton had one that he loved that had a lot of carbon in it. He called it "Christine" like the car in the horror film by Steven King.

DW- Many people think that I changed the name from "Texas Golf Co." to "Wood Bros." because my brothers, Don and Charlie started working there while in college, but actually... The name was inspired by "The Blues Bros" and intended to be a fraternal brand

Some general info about the making of Wood Bros Persimmon instruments:

Stage one of the WB Persimmon oil hardening process, required that all raw turnings were soaked in linseed oil vats for several months, to unify and strengthen the persimmons grain and increase its total gram weight... Stage two, required baking the wood turnings in the hot Texas sun, within glass covered, solar hot boxes, for several more months.......... Once the Oil Hardening process was complete, the heavy-and-dense wood block, was sculpted into its classically symmetrical shape to exact gram weight. No holes, lead or internal weights were ever used, all were completely solid blocks controlled by mass and geometry .... More than one hundred hand craft stages later, a totally solid Championship Balanced driving instrument was ready for play (Wood Bros was the first club maker to mark precise Degree's of loft on woods- a practice that all equipment producers soon followed and continue today)... During the 1980's and 1990's Tour Players using Texan Driver's won more than 150 TOUR events worldwide and six Major Championships..... All Tour Players custom ordered and purchased their Drivers and Fairway woods from Wood Bros...Bernhard Langer purchased a Texan similar to the one being offered, to win the 1993 Masters Tournament... The FINAL Major Championship to be won with a wooden driver..

pic of Langer's 1993 bag used to win the Masters Tournament below

[super20dan]

i got my texan from the bargin barrel at play it agins for 10$.-in mint shape!

[Texsport]

[quote name='super20dan' timestamp='1387539792' post='8327007']
i got my texan from the bargin barrel at play it agins for 10$.-in mint shape!
[/quote]

Nice pickup on a retail Texan!

The stories and number of ways these clubs were acquired keep this thread alive.

New stories are being told, even today.

Texsport

[super20dan]

check out jmo,s bag! today you wont find that many diff name brands in a tour players bag. todays contracts wouldnt allow it. looks like jmo.knew what he liked and was going to play it. i have several peices from that bag. the driver -founders club 3 wood and the wilson staff sw. if the putter is an anser we all have one. almost left out the ping eye2 knife. what model staff blades are those?

[Blade Junkie]

[quote name='super20dan' timestamp='1387595171' post='8330379']
check out jmo,s bag! today you wont find that many diff name brands in a tour players bag. todays contracts wouldnt allow it. looks like jmo.knew what he liked and was going to play it. i have several peices from that bag. the driver -founders club 3 wood and the wilson staff sw. if the putter is an anser we all have one. almost left out the ping eye2 knife. what model staff blades are those?
[/quote]

It's Bernhard Langer's bag ... Olazabal's is the next bag down in that article which is not pictured.

The whole article is on here somewhere - I think it was vintage WITB, or Masters Winners WITB or something like that. I recall Faldo also in the list, Woosnam and Crenshaw too.

[freddiec]

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/160781-vintage-masters-witb-shots/

[teevons]

have not seen Mat in long time, use to really like his posts

[oldschoolrocker]

Freddiec,

Thanks for the repost for us newer to the forum guys.

[freddiec]

Oldschool, glad to bring these great older threads back alive for the newbies.. We've covered a lot of ground over the last 6 years or so...

Teevons, Matt always has a great point of view and expresses it so well. He's also been around and seen alot in Europe , wish he would get back here.

[Texsport]

Latest Wood Bros auction price sales:

All American sold for $262

Masters model sold for $522

Prices for Wood Bros holding strong!

Texsport

[freddiec]

Texsport, here is one I hit well. Very similar grain as your Outlaw and also has some carbon. Very M85ish head. Dave told me it must have been inspired by Crenshaw's driver. Its a model from around 1987 or 88.

[Texsport]

Beautiful! Looks to have quite a deep face.

Texsport

[Bilko]

Hi Gents, can anyone tell me when Wood Bros started using serial numbers on their clubs? And if there is any significance to the numbers? i.e. the first two digits are the year of manufacture etc.



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[size=3]And thanks guys for sharing the images of your cl[/size][size=3]ubs, I’m truly envious.[/size]

Cheers.

[freddiec]

I am pretty sure wb started putting serial numbers on Texan necks in 1994. And yes the first 2 numeric digits reflect the year. I did have a conversation one time with Dave Wood and the topic of serial numbers came up and up if I remember correctly he did say that they started doing these numbers on retail clubs in 1994 and the first two digits do reflect the year

[Bilko]

[quote name='freddiec' timestamp='1388512382' post='8374385']
I am pretty sure wb started putting serial numbers on Texan necks in 1994. And yes the first 2 numeric digits reflect the year. I did have a conversation one time with Dave Wood and the topic of serial numbers came up and up if I remember correctly he did say that they started doing these numbers on retail clubs in 1994 and the first two digits do reflect the year
[/quote]

[size=2] Thank you freddiec, I have a club with numbers & some without, and looking at the images here & on Ebay I was just curious as it appears the majority don't have them.[/size]

[freddiec]

Bilko, you should post some pics of your Wood Bros. We would like to see them. Do yours have a "WB" on the skirt? If so, it might have been a tour model. Dave Wood (by hand) engraved the "WB" on the skirt and earlier models had them on the crown. Lets see yours... Happy New Year..

[Bilko]

I don't think mine are special (except to me), I can't quite work out how to insert images so I will try to add links from Flickr, cheers.

[Bilko]

[size=2] I should have included, the Driver (T9600189) has a WB UST shaft & the 3 Wood (no serial #) has a WB G.Loomis shaft, I have a number of Corkers & KK's that I have picked when the opportunity arose but it's the Texan's that I now actively seek.[/size]

[size=2]Years ago I use to drool over them in the Edwin Watts catalogues, I could never afford them back then[/size] .

[freddiec]

Very nice clubs! The 3 wood especially, I love wb blonde finish !! Keepers !!!

[freddiec]

Here is another great example of a Dave Wood (Wood Bros) hand crafted Texan persimmon drivers. I spoke to Dave Wood about this club and he thinks there is an excellent chance it was made up for Mark Books. The BH06 was made for a few Hogan Staff players. Mark and Ben Crenshaw's were close friends and played a similar looking turning master with a light walnut stain. This club has a really nice spec, D2 SW, 13.2 overall ounces and a S300 shaft, which Mark played, he also used an Apex 4 shaft. Its a real beauty.