Sam Snead's Clubs

[jmcf1949]

Not sure about his prime, but I watched Sam play an exibition in Dearborn, MI in probably 1971. His red and white Wilson Staff bag contained 1,3,and 4 woods and a mixed set of three different Staff Dynapower model irons. He putted side-saddle with what looked to be a Bullseye. He probably shot 70 or so and I was stunned at listening to the contact he made with the ball (perfect), as well as how easily he worked the ball around a kind of narrow course.

JIm

[tembolo1284]

[quote name='jmcf1949' timestamp='1303667018' post='3181606']
Not sure about his prime, but I watched Sam play an exibition in Dearborn, MI in probably 1971. His red and white Wilson Staff bag contained 1,3,and 4 woods and a mixed set of three different Staff Dynapower model irons. He putted side-saddle with what looked to be a Bullseye. He probably shot 70 or so and I was stunned at listening to the contact he made with the ball (perfect), as well as how easily he worked the ball around a kind of narrow course.

JIm
[/quote]


wow, very cool! What was his general shot shape that day?

[jmcf1949]

[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1305308198' post='3231051']
[quote name='jmcf1949' timestamp='1303667018' post='3181606']
Not sure about his prime, but I watched Sam play an exibition in Dearborn, MI in probably 1971. His red and white Wilson Staff bag contained 1,3,and 4 woods and a mixed set of three different Staff Dynapower model irons. He putted side-saddle with what looked to be a Bullseye. He probably shot 70 or so and I was stunned at listening to the contact he made with the ball (perfect), as well as how easily he worked the ball around a kind of narrow course.

JIm
[/quote]


wow, very cool! What was his general shot shape that day?
[/quote]

He worked the ball both ways, but seemed to set up a bit closed and kind of pulled the ball on target. He was amazing to watch with an easy, very relaxed action that sort of reminded me of Julios Boros in some ways. But the sound at impact that good players create is what sticks out in my mind.

Jim

[tembolo1284]

that's some good stuff.

[bubbagump12]

may not relate but my dad got a box of wilson snead golf balls things look ancient, wanted to drive one but i think they would imploded or something. upload a photo later of them the box looks really cool

[tembolo1284]

Trying to find his specs but having no luck. Quite a few articles on Hogan but nothing on Snead really. Makes me sad.

[Texsport]

I am fortunate enough to own a couple of Sam Snead's personal clubs, purchased from his son - a PW and a putter.

The PW is a Wilson DynaPower 1977 or '78 model, from the year he won the Senior tournament in Austin, Texas which led to the beginning of today's Senior Tour two years later. Mr Snead was 66 at that time, but had finished 3rd in the PGA Championship in 1974, at age 62 ( 3 top 10s in PGA at ages 60,61,and 62)

The club is a Wilson DynaPower, red sole button, stamped SAM SNEAD, L- 436.

I had my club guy, a PGA Master Professional, chech the specs.

Length 35 1/4"
Lie. 66 1/2*
Loft. 49*
Swing Weight D-5

No remarkable sole grind except that the sole is pretty flat - little to no camber either front to back or heel to toe.

Grip is standard size Tour Velvet.

Shaft is Dynamic with 2 small red bands on the shaft below the grip, 1 5/8" apart. I'm not sure if they are marks for gripping on chips, or something Wilson had on shafts at that time. I believe they may be gripping marks because the putter I have has a tape band around the shaft where he gripped it with his right fingers when putting.

Relative to how he played, I have read that he hit a lot of partial shots to greens, and loved to fool opponents in match play, who practiced bag peeking. He'd intentionally club up and hit a soft shot with guys who wanted to know what he was hitting.

A story relating to his partial shot abilities comes from a Houston pro who formally worked at Memorial Park, the long time site of the Houston Open on Tour.

Sam was playing a practice round with Bob Goalby and Julius Boros at Memorial. They needed a 4th and invited the club pro, my friend, to join them. There is a 190 yd par 3 hole across a gully, guarded in front by bunkers left and right. - used to #16 I think. Sam told the others to go ahead and play, then asked them what they had hit - 4 and 5-irons. Sam then took a 2-iron and hit a soft cut 2 feet from the hole. My friend tells that story every time Sam Snead is mentioned, even today, decades later.

Texsport

[tembolo1284]

that's awesome texsport! Thanks very much for that post!

[Wriggles]

Sam Snead was my favorite golfer when I was a boy. I recall buying a straw hat like his at age 14. A true story. An older guy I golfed with went to Oglebay (not very far from where we live.)with his wife, sometime in the 1960's or 70's. (The wife was still very attractive when I met her in the 1990's, a really nice person.) Anyhow, the husband and wife were watching an event which Sam was in, and seeing the lady, Sam immediately approached her and introduced himself. He asked her how she was enjoying the tourney, etc. She took it good naturedly, but declined his advances.

The low level Blue Ridge irons were very popular clubs. I had a few clubs from the Goodwill about a decade ago. Not very good clubs, in my opinion.

[dlygrisse]

[quote name='Wriggles' timestamp='1397233921' post='9068759']
Sam Snead was my favorite golfer when I was a boy. I recall buying a straw hat like his at age 14. A true story. An older guy I golfed with went to Oglebay (not very far from where we live.)with his wife, sometime in the 1960's or 70's. (The wife was still very attractive when I met her in the 1990's, a really nice person.) Anyhow, the husband and wife were watching an event which Sam was in, and seeing the lady, Sam immediately approached her and introduced himself. He asked her how she was enjoying the tourney, etc. She took it good naturedly, but declined his advances.

The low level Blue Ridge irons were very popular clubs. I had a few clubs from the Goodwill about a decade ago. Not very good clubs, in my opinion.
[/quote]

The Blue Ridge clubs were the department store clubs I believe. The Staffs were the pro line clubs.

[super20dan]

they were crappy clubs. department store stock

[BIG STU]

[quote name='jmcf1949' timestamp='1306673104' post='3270358']
[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1305308198' post='3231051']
[quote name='jmcf1949' timestamp='1303667018' post='3181606']
Not sure about his prime, but I watched Sam play an exibition in Dearborn, MI in probably 1971. His red and white Wilson Staff bag contained 1,3,and 4 woods and a mixed set of three different Staff Dynapower model irons. He putted side-saddle with what looked to be a Bullseye. He probably shot 70 or so and I was stunned at listening to the contact he made with the ball (perfect), as well as how easily he worked the ball around a kind of narrow course.

JIm
[/quote]


wow, very cool! What was his general shot shape that day?
[/quote]

He worked the ball both ways, but seemed to set up a bit closed and kind of pulled the ball on target. He was amazing to watch with an easy, very relaxed action that sort of reminded me of Julios Boros in some ways. But the sound at impact that good players create is what sticks out in my mind.

Jim
[/quote]I saw him play in the Greater Greensboro open in about 66/67 but was young and did not know enough about golf to remember his shot shape. AJ Bonnar in one of his videos describes it like a pull hook called the "shondell" don't know where AJ got that

[Texsport]

Follow up to my previous post.

My pro friend told me this morning that Mr Snead gave him a little memento of that round, which he still has - a 3 ball sleeve of Sam's golf balls marked SS and numbered 00.

He added that there are stories about Sam being difficult some times, but he couldn't have been nicer to my friend.

Texsport

[tembolo1284]

Great stuff Texsport. Any other stories about Sammy would be great!

[Texsport]

[quote name='NRJyzr' timestamp='1397701305' post='9108769']
I admit I'm tempted to buy a new SLDR driver. I have spin issues off the tee, and something like the SLDR would certainly be helpful.

I'm also tempted to buy a couple new persimmon woods. I've only been thinking that for a half dozen years. Need to work up to those sorts of things, can't just jump right in.
[/quote]

I had the club measured, instead of estimating.

Numbers posted in my original post.

More upright and with a stronger loft than I guessed.

It appears that players have bent their clubs stronger to fit their games for a long time, if fact, if you think about it, it's reasonable to believe that they did more bending then, because they didn't have the selection of trajectories offered by modern golf ball and shaft alternatives we have today.

Texsport

[Dinosaur]

[quote name='GatorNate11' timestamp='1300181882' post='3056698']
[quote name='dlygrisse' timestamp='1300138874' post='3055087']
[quote name='JASONR5' timestamp='1300137386' post='3055009']
[quote name='Ironmaster Oddities' timestamp='1300134149' post='3054851']
My bad. I stand corrected. Bob
[/quote]

I assumed you were using the Ben Hogan line. Ben always liked to say Snead was from WV because he thought it made Sam sound like a hillbilly.
[/quote]


He lived most of his life in WV didn't he?, he was the head Professional emeritus at the Greenbriar in WV for many years.

Sam really played the hillbilly thing up quite well, kind of a modern day John Daly, but not as mentally unstable, that schtick put a lot of $$$ in those tin cans in his back yard.
[/quote]

He spent quite a bit of time here yes. He played the course literally less than 2 mins from me once, totally destroyed it. And not everyone from West Virginia are hillbillies lol
[/quote]

The ones from Roncavert are.