Just how much has the iron improved over the years

[BIG STU]

[quote name='mahonie' timestamp='1429044910' post='11358951']
[quote name='stevemcgee99' timestamp='1427676354' post='11242317']
I wonder if this is the case:

Cavity backs are 'hot', and more difficult to control distance? Maybe that's why modern golfers use lasers?

You swing the club and it will hit the modern ball a given distance (players often refer to their clubs as 'my 140 yard club'), so measuring distance is how to reliably choose the right club?
[/quote]

How times have changed! I remember a story relating to Lee Trevino and I think Willie Aitchison who was asked to caddie for Trevino at an Open in the late 1960s. The story goes that Trevino was given a local caddie for a practice round and after 9 holes he had had enough and Trevino asked for another caddie. In steps Aitchison. On the tenth hole, a par 4, Trevino hits a drive into the middle of the fairway leaving a shot of about 150 yards.

Trevino asks Aitchison: 'Yardage?'
Aitchison responds: '7 iron.' in his slow Scottish brogue.
T: 'I asked for the yardage!'
A: 'I said 7 iron.'
T: 'Give me five balls.'
Aitchison passed Trevino five balls and he proceeded to hit Driver, 3 iron, Pitching Wedge, putter and then 7 iron onto the green.
T: 'When I ask for a yardage, I want the yardage. I'll pick the clubs. If you can understand that we'll be fine.'
They obviously went on to great success in the Open in the following years.

I miss the days when golf had such talents as Trevino, Seve and the like who just saw a shot and not a yardage.
[/quote] I had not ever heard that story before but that sounds just like Trevino. I have seen quite a few of those old golf hustlers that could do stuff like that

[BIG STU]

[quote name='stevemcgee99' timestamp='1428996056' post='11354169']
How many people in the first year of golfing can hit a 2 iron?

If they try a 1956 Dynapowered blade, they'll stand a chance.
[/quote]OMG! the thrill of the sting when you miss one of those------ or the feel when you pure it!

[Forged4ever]

1952......

1992......

2014......

What goes around, comes around

Perfection is timeless.....

Stay Well My Friends,
Richard

Later Ed: 04/15/15, 12:46p-> Apologies on my second date as I originally put up "1987" to match the second pic below, which should have been the Mizzy TN-87s, which were basically a copy of the Mr. Hogan's Personals, as that was the iron that Tsuneyuki(Tommy) Nakajima played prior to getting together with Mizzy. I inadvertently posted the Mizzy MP-14s, pictured below, lol, thinking that they were the 87s, as I am using my phone, am medicated and looking out of one eye, lol, and I can't see for s***, lol. Apologies for the snafu, though it doesn't matter cuz the 14's cosmetic design was taken from the 87's, which were taken from the Personals, bla, bla, bla . It's all good, lol. Take Care, RP II

[xgolfx]

In the era when scots emigrated to the USA as home pros, one test of an apprentice to become a pro was ball striking. Armour had my dad and Toney hit balls with each club in the bag. If you had the ability to hit each club, (driver to niblick)100 yards dead straight, you were allowed to work for the Black Scot. He became the Silver Scot when his hair turned gray. A shot that modern equipment has destroyed in my opinion, is the quail high 4 wood. Every pro had it in his bag, but Demaret was the best I ever saw at it. It was executed in the same manner as a baseball player putting the bat on the ball. Hand action squared the face with slow swing speed. The ball would fly 150 to 175 yards, never more than 15 feet off the ground. Trevino above was making his point in the same manner. Caddies were not consulted as today.

CHARLEY PENNA

[stevemcgee99]

[quote name='Forged4ever' timestamp='1429042095' post='11358603']Regarding the 56's, and this is just my opinion, however those ain't blades, at least not to me.[/quote]I can see what you mean by that.

[BIG STU]

[quote name='xgolfx' timestamp='1429055423' post='11360043']
In the era when scots emigrated to the USA as home pros, one test of an apprentice to become a pro was ball striking. Armour had my dad and Toney hit balls with each club in the bag. If you had the ability to hit each club, (driver to niblick)100 yards dead straight, you were allowed to work for the Black Scot. He became the Silver Scot when his hair turned gray. A shot that modern equipment has destroyed in my opinion, is the quail high 4 wood. Every pro had it in his bag, but Demaret was the best I ever saw at it. It was executed in the same manner as a baseball player putting the bat on the ball. Hand action squared the face with slow swing speed. The ball would fly 150 to 175 yards, never more than 15 feet off the ground. Trevino above was making his point in the same manner. Caddies were not consulted as today.

CHARLEY PENNA
[/quote]I have heard my Dad talk about JD and the quail high 4 wood. Now days most courses tend to have forced carries to a green and sadly that shot wont cut it any more. I always hit my version of it with a 1 or 2 iron. I have sort of revamped it when last week I built me a 2 iron for some of those 200 235 yard tee shots I need on some of the courses here. I can hit it off the tee but not off the ground any more my SS is too slow

[BIG STU]

[quote name='Forged4ever' timestamp='1429053332' post='11359811']
1952......

1987......

2014......

What goes around, comes around

Perfection is timeless.....

Stay Well My Friends,
Richard
[/quote]Yep you could take all 3 of those irons and frequency the correct shaft for a person and it would be hard to tell the difference as far as hitting them. Now for a feel person such as myself I would venture to say the Mizzy would have a softer feel due to their steel and steel forging processes. This is pure speculation on my part because I have never hit any of the examples you posted. the Hogans are a timely beautiful classic and the TMAGS are beautiful but I would probably do a rebuild on the Mizunos for my money

[Forged4ever]

[quote name='stevemcgee99' timestamp='1429081568' post='11362517']
[quote name='Forged4ever' timestamp='1429042095' post='11358603']Regarding the 56's, and this is just my opinion, however those ain't blades, at least not to me.[/quote]I can see what you mean by that.
[/quote]Hey Steve, thanks for taking the time to respond

I in no means was trying to be insulting regard the 55s or 56s cuz they are a fine iron(well, I only played the 56s, though I'm sure that the 55s are right there), and I would have no problem playing them, I just don't consider them blades in the classification of a true one piece MB-

It doesn't even have to be forged cuz as WC said here, and I've said numerous times in other threads, and the Mizzy Staffers, Luke and Stacy included, proved in their "blind" test, if most people hit blank identically shaped, spec'd forged and cast irons, very, very, very few peeps could tell the difference(Absolutely none of the Mizzy Staffers could)-

My only point is that there is only so much that can be done with a solid piece of metal versus what can be done with the CBs, GI & SGI irons.

And like Kathy Marie, Stu, OldSchool, Birly and many others in here, I'm still sorta in a time warp, lol, though the fore mentioned have adapted better than I, lol.

I always considered a "blade" putter to be a heel-shafted or Bulls Eye design, flat backed putter. When I used the Bulls Eye "Flanged" putter and peeps asked me what putter that I used, I said "Bulls Eye Flanged" and not just "Bulls Eye Blade" cuz to me, the blade was "flat back," no flange. The 8802 got a pass on that cuz they all were flanged and so they were just called "heel shafted blades."

You can imagine my consternation when I first picked up a Ping Anser and the Asst. said "now that's a nice blade right there."

I looked around like "WTF?," he must be talkin bout another putter on the rack, LMAO.

Nope-

And time and evolution marches on

I'll tell ya another nice iron that I hit though didn't play and that was the i25-

A tad too much off-set however that is a very nice iron.

There are so many nice irons out there today, and depending on one's abilities, eye(cosmetic preferences) and mental requirements, it's a great time to learn/play the game.

Well, thanks again Steve and have a great season My Friend

All the Best,
Richard

[scomac2002]

[quote name='Forged4ever' timestamp='1429104418' post='11363499']

I'll tell ya another nice iron that I hit though didn't play and that was the i25-

A tad too much off-set however that is a very nice iron.

There are so many nice irons out there today, and depending on one's abilities, eye(cosmetic preferences) and mental requirements, it's a great time to learn/play the game.

[/quote]

Heh, heh, heh; I have to chuckle Richard that the i25 is now considered a [i]player's iron, [/i]IOW if your handicap isn't in the single figures, you need not apply. I agree that they are a very nice iron, in fact I have a set in my modern bag in spite of my ordinary skill set. Now keeping in mind that my vintage clubs -- Precision II Dictactor BeCu -- are also cavity backed and have a fair bit of offset, I'm quite certain that the i25s are more forgiving -- as in a larger sweet spot, higher launching and hotter off the face -- which results in more yards, but it begs the question: Just what exactly constitutes a [i]game improvement iron[/i], or gawd forbid a [i]super game improvement iron [/i]and what does that really do for the player in this day and age? How did anyone manage to play golf prior to oh, I don't know, about 2002?
FWIW, even with my very, very short time working with older clubs, I can sense a marked improvement in my swing tempo. Yes, it's a conscious effort on my part, but it seems easier to accomplish with the additional weight and improved balance of the older clubs. You don't get this [i]rock on a string[/i] sensation that seems to promote overswinging. At least that's my experience

[xgolfx]

[quote name='BIG STU' timestamp='1429081996' post='11362523']
[quote name='xgolfx' timestamp='1429055423' post='11360043']
In the era when scots emigrated to the USA as home pros, one test of an apprentice to become a pro was ball striking. Armour had my dad and Toney hit balls with each club in the bag. If you had the ability to hit each club, (driver to niblick)100 yards dead straight, you were allowed to work for the Black Scot. He became the Silver Scot when his hair turned gray. A shot that modern equipment has destroyed in my opinion, is the quail high 4 wood. Every pro had it in his bag, but Demaret was the best I ever saw at it. It was executed in the same manner as a baseball player putting the bat on the ball. Hand action squared the face with slow swing speed. The ball would fly 150 to 175 yards, never more than 15 feet off the ground. Trevino above was making his point in the same manner. Caddies were not consulted as today.

CHARLEY PENNA
[/quote]I have heard my Dad talk about JD and the quail high 4 wood. Now days most courses tend to have forced carries to a green and sadly that shot wont cut it any more. I always hit my version of it with a 1 or 2 iron. I have sort of revamped it when last week I built me a 2 iron for some of those 200 235 yard tee shots I need on some of the courses here. I can hit it off the tee but not off the ground any more my SS is too slow
[/quote]


Take a look at what is in the bag of J B Holmes . The only tour edge club in his bag is a so called three iron. He has used it for a couple years and has hit it 247 yards according to the TV announcers. He has a club deal, (with another manufacturer) but uses this club. Wouldn't you love to know what players would use if they were not paid?


CHARLEY PENNA

[Forged4ever]

[quote name='scomac2002' timestamp='1429109739' post='11364625']
[quote name='Forged4ever' timestamp='1429104418' post='11363499']
I'll tell ya another nice iron that I hit though didn't play and that was the i25-

A tad too much off-set however that is a very nice iron.

There are so many nice irons out there today, and depending on one's abilities, eye(cosmetic preferences) and mental requirements, it's a great time to learn/play the game.

[/quote]

Heh, heh, heh; I have to chuckle Richard that the i25 is now considered a [i]player's iron, [/i]IOW if your handicap isn't in the single figures, you need not apply. I agree that they are a very nice iron, in fact I have a set in my modern bag in spite of my ordinary skill set. Now keeping in mind that my vintage clubs -- Precision II Dictactor BeCu -- are also cavity backed and have a fair bit of offset, I'm quite certain that the i25s are more forgiving -- as in a larger sweet spot, higher launching and hotter off the face -- which results in more yards, but it begs the question: Just what exactly constitutes a [i]game improvement iron[/i], or gawd forbid a [i]super game improvement iron [/i]and what does that really do for the player in this day and age? How did anyone manage to play golf prior to oh, I don't know, about 2002?
FWIW, even with my very, very short time working with older clubs, I can sense a marked improvement in my swing tempo. Yes, it's a conscious effort on my part, but it seems easier to accomplish with the additional weight and improved balance of the older clubs. You don't get this [i]rock on a string[/i] sensation that seems to promote overswinging. At least that's my experience
[/quote]Hey Mac, Thank You for responding

Regarding the GIs and SGIs, I am not qualified to answer that as the only time in my life that I've hit/played a GI/SGI iron was when, in a buzzed state following our weekly Inter-Club Swat, my good Bud and I swapped irons for a round, with me taking his RBZs and him playin my 68s. He was a -3 at the time and a former Plus and played collegiately at Penn State, so he still had the swing, he just played 1-2 times a week with little no practice in between and didn't want to "fight" the blade-

For me, I had a ton of "flyers," lmao, and I'm talkin half way up pine trees behind the green flyers, lol, along with an inability to tell a "nutted" shot from a slightly "off" shot. I miss heel side when I do and my misses sounded like my pured shots. Distance control was a nightmare and I don't know that that would be "cured" by playing them more because when I "pured" one, say with a 7i, it was 185-190ish, when my blade 7i's were 167-172yds.

I believe, and this is strictly my opinion, that certain GI irons and most SGI irons make up and compensate for one's swing faults by letting one "get away" with less than stellar swings.

Now don't get me wrong. When I come back to the game, I would love an iron that, where as a slight miss hit with my 68s/59s leaves me in the green side 2nd cut or a green side bunker, instead, the iron would leave me on the far side of the green or the fringe, bottom line, leaving me with a putter in my hands versus a wedge or chipping iron.

We'll see

Have a great season My Friend

Golfingly Yours,
Richard

[Atrayn]

Richard,

Really feeling what you are saying here. I recently went to some Hogan redlines in a retro-set I recently put together. My Callaway Xforged are noticeably different in feel on mishits and I experienced the same results.

Love the feel of these blades as well as the set of Wilson FG-17's I also have. The misses are felt immediately on slight off center hits and the resulting shot isn't as penalizing at times. I've actually played much better from the fairway since changing back to these two sets. Now it's a matter of which set is going into the bag for good.

Hogan is beating Wilson right now only because I love the pitching wedge in the FG-17 set. My Equalizer will be arriving shortly, so that will most likely determine the final make up.

[Forged4ever]

[quote name='Atrayn' timestamp='1429113218' post='11365273']
Richard,

Really feeling what you are saying here. I recently went to some Hogan redlines in a retro-set I recently put together. My Callaway Xforged are noticeably different in feel on mishits and I experienced the same results.

Love the feel of these blades as well as the set of Wilson FG-17's I also have. The misses are felt immediately on slight off center hits and the resulting shot isn't as penalizing at times. I've actually played much better from the fairway since changing back to these two sets. Now it's a matter of which set is going into the bag for good.

Hogan is beating Wilson right now only because I love the pitching wedge in the FG-17 set. My Equalizer will be arriving shortly, so that will most likely determine the final make up.
[/quote]Those Redines are a great iron, no doubt.

Regarding Staff, which I played from 1967-1986, while I played the 17s from their introduction in '81 thru 1984 when I went back to the '71 Dynapower Button Backs till I went to Mizzy in '86, the Button Backs are my All-Time fave Staff iron, as they were my Grandmother's also, who taught me the game, passed her irons to me every two years till I was 14yo, lol, along with being a 5-Time Womens' State Am Champ.

The current Staff Tour Fg100's are designed after he Button Backs.

LMAO, yep, what goes around, comes around, especially when it's iconic, lol.

The very Best to You with your irons and Your season

Golfingly Yours,
Richard

[BIG STU]

[quote name='xgolfx' timestamp='1429109786' post='11364631']
[quote name='BIG STU' timestamp='1429081996' post='11362523']
[quote name='xgolfx' timestamp='1429055423' post='11360043']
In the era when scots emigrated to the USA as home pros, one test of an apprentice to become a pro was ball striking. Armour had my dad and Toney hit balls with each club in the bag. If you had the ability to hit each club, (driver to niblick)100 yards dead straight, you were allowed to work for the Black Scot. He became the Silver Scot when his hair turned gray. A shot that modern equipment has destroyed in my opinion, is the quail high 4 wood. Every pro had it in his bag, but Demaret was the best I ever saw at it. It was executed in the same manner as a baseball player putting the bat on the ball. Hand action squared the face with slow swing speed. The ball would fly 150 to 175 yards, never more than 15 feet off the ground. Trevino above was making his point in the same manner. Caddies were not consulted as today.

CHARLEY PENNA
[/quote]I have heard my Dad talk about JD and the quail high 4 wood. Now days most courses tend to have forced carries to a green and sadly that shot wont cut it any more. I always hit my version of it with a 1 or 2 iron. I have sort of revamped it when last week I built me a 2 iron for some of those 200 235 yard tee shots I need on some of the courses here. I can hit it off the tee but not off the ground any more my SS is too slow
[/quote]


Take a look at what is in the bag of J B Holmes . The only tour edge club in his bag is a so called three iron. He has used it for a couple years and has hit it 247 yards according to the TV announcers. He has a club deal, (with another manufacturer) but uses this club. Wouldn't you love to know what players would use if they were not paid?


CHARLEY PENNA
[/quote]I do know for years when both Tom Lehman and Kenny Perry were TM staffers that both of them played the old TM R7 irons for years and back in the day I knew a PGA tour player and it was not Tom Watson that had a Ram deal and did not have one Ram club in the bag in fact I remember he had about 8 different brands of clubs in his bag.

[stevemcgee99]

[quote name='Forged4ever' timestamp='1429104418' post='11363499']I always considered a "blade" putter to be a heel-shafted or Bulls Eye design, flat backed putter

Well, thanks again Steve and have a great season My Friend [/quote]

Yes my Hogan PC looks like a blade, and actually feels like I've hit the ball with the side of a sword.
The Dynapowereds feel like I've hit the ball with a dead blow hammer.

And, luckily for me, my 'season' is 365 days. But I can tell this year is going to be pretty good!

[quote name='scomac2002' timestamp='1429109739' post='11364625']
How did anyone manage to play golf prior to oh, I don't know, about 2002?[/quote]

I used to say that about rock climbing shoes. The best players at the time, using 50-year-old equipment, had much better shots than the best players today.

[quote name='Forged4ever' timestamp='1429111987' post='11365051']Distance control was a nightmare and I don't know that that would be "cured" by playing them more because when I "pured" one, say with a 7i, it was 185-190ish, when my blade 7i's were 167-172yds.[/quote]

I'm convinced this is why people take laser sights out for every shot. They can't feel what they're doing at all!

[Atrayn]

[quote name='xgolfx' timestamp='1429109786' post='11364631']
[quote name='BIG STU' timestamp='1429081996' post='11362523']
[quote name='xgolfx' timestamp='1429055423' post='11360043']
In the era when scots emigrated to the USA as home pros, one test of an apprentice to become a pro was ball striking. Armour had my dad and Toney hit balls with each club in the bag. If you had the ability to hit each club, (driver to niblick)100 yards dead straight, you were allowed to work for the Black Scot. He became the Silver Scot when his hair turned gray. A shot that modern equipment has destroyed in my opinion, is the quail high 4 wood. Every pro had it in his bag, but Demaret was the best I ever saw at it. It was executed in the same manner as a baseball player putting the bat on the ball. Hand action squared the face with slow swing speed. The ball would fly 150 to 175 yards, never more than 15 feet off the ground. Trevino above was making his point in the same manner. Caddies were not consulted as today.

CHARLEY PENNA
[/quote]I have heard my Dad talk about JD and the quail high 4 wood. Now days most courses tend to have forced carries to a green and sadly that shot wont cut it any more. I always hit my version of it with a 1 or 2 iron. I have sort of revamped it when last week I built me a 2 iron for some of those 200 235 yard tee shots I need on some of the courses here. I can hit it off the tee but not off the ground any more my SS is too slow
[/quote]


Take a look at what is in the bag of J B Holmes . The only tour edge club in his bag is a so called three iron. He has used it for a couple years and has hit it 247 yards according to the TV announcers. He has a club deal, (with another manufacturer) but uses this club. Wouldn't you love to know what players would use if they were not paid?


CHARLEY PENNA
[/quote]

Since Charley contributed, thought I'd throw up a couple pics of the MacGregor Tourney TP's I have.
I bought these and they are refinished. A bit disappointed that they didn't mask the faces....but they are great to hit.

[stixman]

[quote name='BIG STU' timestamp='1429046255' post='11359097']
[quote name='mahonie' timestamp='1429044910' post='11358951']
[quote name='stevemcgee99' timestamp='1427676354' post='11242317']
I wonder if this is the case:

Cavity backs are 'hot', and more difficult to control distance? Maybe that's why modern golfers use lasers?

You swing the club and it will hit the modern ball a given distance (players often refer to their clubs as 'my 140 yard club'), so measuring distance is how to reliably choose the right club?
[/quote]

How times have changed! I remember a story relating to Lee Trevino and I think Willie Aitchison who was asked to caddie for Trevino at an Open in the late 1960s. The story goes that Trevino was given a local caddie for a practice round and after 9 holes he had had enough and Trevino asked for another caddie. In steps Aitchison. On the tenth hole, a par 4, Trevino hits a drive into the middle of the fairway leaving a shot of about 150 yards.

Trevino asks Aitchison: 'Yardage?'
Aitchison responds: '7 iron.' in his slow Scottish brogue.
T: 'I asked for the yardage!'
A: 'I said 7 iron.'
T: 'Give me five balls.'
Aitchison passed Trevino five balls and he proceeded to hit Driver, 3 iron, Pitching Wedge, putter and then 7 iron onto the green.
T: 'When I ask for a yardage, I want the yardage. I'll pick the clubs. If you can understand that we'll be fine.'
They obviously went on to great success in the Open in the following years.

I miss the days when golf had such talents as Trevino, Seve and the like who just saw a shot and not a yardage.
[/quote] I had not ever heard that story before but that sounds just like Trevino. I have seen quite a few of those old golf hustlers that could do stuff like that
[/quote]

There was a story around when I was growing up that Christy O'Connor (himself), for a bet, hit a green with every club in the bag, so it must have been a thing that top ball strikers could do. And Christy was gifted!

[mahonie]

[quote name='stixman' timestamp='1429181135' post='11371451']
[quote name='BIG STU' timestamp='1429046255' post='11359097']
[quote name='mahonie' timestamp='1429044910' post='11358951']
[quote name='stevemcgee99' timestamp='1427676354' post='11242317']
I wonder if this is the case:

Cavity backs are 'hot', and more difficult to control distance? Maybe that's why modern golfers use lasers?

You swing the club and it will hit the modern ball a given distance (players often refer to their clubs as 'my 140 yard club'), so measuring distance is how to reliably choose the right club?
[/quote]

How times have changed! I remember a story relating to Lee Trevino and I think Willie Aitchison who was asked to caddie for Trevino at an Open in the late 1960s. The story goes that Trevino was given a local caddie for a practice round and after 9 holes he had had enough and Trevino asked for another caddie. In steps Aitchison. On the tenth hole, a par 4, Trevino hits a drive into the middle of the fairway leaving a shot of about 150 yards.

Trevino asks Aitchison: 'Yardage?'
Aitchison responds: '7 iron.' in his slow Scottish brogue.
T: 'I asked for the yardage!'
A: 'I said 7 iron.'
T: 'Give me five balls.'
Aitchison passed Trevino five balls and he proceeded to hit Driver, 3 iron, Pitching Wedge, putter and then 7 iron onto the green.
T: 'When I ask for a yardage, I want the yardage. I'll pick the clubs. If you can understand that we'll be fine.'
They obviously went on to great success in the Open in the following years.

I miss the days when golf had such talents as Trevino, Seve and the like who just saw a shot and not a yardage.
[/quote] I had not ever heard that story before but that sounds just like Trevino. I have seen quite a few of those old golf hustlers that could do stuff like that
[/quote]

There was a story around when I was growing up that Christy O'Connor (himself), for a bet, hit a green with every club in the bag, so it must have been a thing that top ball strikers could do. And Christy was gifted!
[/quote]

From memory I think that Christy O'Connor learned to play on the hard packed sands of Dublin Bay...if he didn't strike the ball properly it didn't go anywhere. The very first club I owned was a Christy O'Connor 8 iron that had the smallest head...helped me learn to hit the ball properly. 8 iron is still my favourite club.

[Jack Pearsall]

Never was a Wilson or Macgregor guy, always was a Hogan guy.
Now when JP sees a Personal or esp. a Precision, he is unnerved by the tiny soles.
It is a visceral response.

The baggage you carry with you to the swing.
If you believe, anything is possible every now and again.

People still break down their front knee on the takeaway. Late weight shifts abound.
A waggle. A wiggle. A mosquito.

Little pud shots veering right. Stinging hands. Right elbow twinge of pain.
"You are such a putz for playing real blades."

[Nspiel58]

[color=#282828][size=4]"You are such a putz for playing real blades." [/size][/color]Can I quote you on that statement Jack? : )

[dennybb]

From the 1960's to now the irons have improved greatly.

 

I'm not familar with the irons you have, but would think b/c of the narrow sole and such that they would be from the 70 or 80's.

 

The balls have improved greatly. I've been playing golf since the early 60's and have spent thousands on new drivers supposed to add 20 yards to my drives. I should be hitting the ball about 900 yards off the T if all those claims were true. What I play with now is an 80's Yonex ADX driver, A lynx Persimmon 3 wood, which I can hit as far as any new drivers I have tried out at the range, and straighter too. My Irons are 1985 Lynx radius soles, which I am glad I held onto, after trying Taylor mades, Hogans, Armour's Titleist, I also still have a set of DCI's Which would stand against just about any iron made nowadays. I saw a pro hit a bunch of vintage 6 irons, and new Taylor made 6 iron. For carry distance the 1993 Hogan Apex not only was longer but longer by 16 yards than the new colorful shiny black Taylor which was obviously the inferior club to the Apex.

[baloo]

The question I come back to is has all this change actually made the game more enjoyable? I don't think so. Since switching to vintage gear I've enjoyed the game more than ever.

 

I guess that means I believe that the irons really haven't gotten better at all. If you want to hit 7 irons 200 yards, then yes, they're much better now.

 

BTW, this comes from a 'younger' poster. I think my generation is missing out.

[scruffynick]

Honestly, I don't think irons have improved much over the last 40 years. Most irons are easier to hit as the heads and sweet spot are larger but if you're a half decent ball stricker the larger sweet spot really doesn't make any difference. Like baloo says, hitting older irons smack bang in the middle makes golf sooo much more enjoyable. That's why I enjoy playing my old ping karsten iii rails more than any other club.....you actually have to learn to hit a golf ball properly!

[augustgolf]

Honestly, I don't think irons have improved much over the last 40 years. Most irons are easier to hit as the heads and sweet spot are larger but if you're a half decent ball stricker the larger sweet spot really doesn't make any difference. Like baloo says, hitting older irons smack bang in the middle makes golf sooo much more enjoyable. That's why I enjoy playing my old ping karsten iii rails more than any other club.....you actually have to learn to hit a golf ball properly!

 

Just an opinion....but even the K III rails had a lot of GI built into them, especially the soles.

 

Want to learn how to hit a golf ball properly? Find you a set of Tourney 985's from the 60's & 70's, the irons that just every great collegiate player at the time had in their bag....Strange, Haas, Koch, Bean, Crenshaw, Kite....you get the picture.

 

And, even today, when I play my Karsten I's....they are still much easier to hit (more forgiving) than my Apex '73 satin backs, but the Hogans just have a purer feel on dead center hits, and a greater sting on off center hits.

[scruffynick]

Honestly, I don't think irons have improved much over the last 40 years. Most irons are easier to hit as the heads and sweet spot are larger but if you're a half decent ball stricker the larger sweet spot really doesn't make any difference. Like baloo says, hitting older irons smack bang in the middle makes golf sooo much more enjoyable. That's why I enjoy playing my old ping karsten iii rails more than any other club.....you actually have to learn to hit a golf ball properly!

 

Just an opinion....but even the K III rails had a lot of GI built into them, especially the soles.

 

Want to learn how to hit a golf ball properly? Find you a set of Tourney 985's from the 60's & 70's, the irons that just every great collegiate player at the time had in their bag....Strange, Haas, Koch, Bean, Crenshaw, Kite....you get the picture.

 

And, even today, when I play my Karsten I's....they are still much easier to hit (more forgiving) than my Apex '73 satin backs, but the Hogans just have a purer feel on dead center hits, and a greater sting on off center hits.

Can't disagree but I learnt playing golf using fg17s, but I enjoy the k3s more. After all they are from 1976 and after all these years still perform as good as anything out there

[scomac2002]

Can't disagree but I learnt playing golf using fg17s, but I enjoy the k3s more. After all they are from 1976 and after all these years still perform as good as anything out there

 

My Precision II's are a mid 80's vintage BeCu cavity back best described as an Eye 2 clone. The Precisions play as well as anything that I've hit over the years. They don't launch as high as the newer stuff, but that may have as much to do with the shaft choice as anything. I don't really notice appreciably more forgiveness with the new stuff and my scoring reflects that.

[scruffynick]

Can't disagree but I learnt playing golf using fg17s, but I enjoy the k3s more. After all they are from 1976 and after all these years still perform as good as anything out there

 

My Precision II's are a mid 80's vintage BeCu cavity back best described as an Eye 2 clone. The Precisions play as well as anything that I've hit over the years. They don't launch as high as the newer stuff, but that may have as much to do with the shaft choice as anything. I don't really notice appreciably more forgiveness with the new stuff and my scoring reflects that.

I tried some taylormade rac os irons a few years back, my God they almost went to the moon they went that high!!! I think I just like a smaller head and an iron that creates a lower penetrating ball flight

[Jordan Speeth]

My old man once went to ping hq many years ago for a club fitting session. Apart from him, the only other two in the building was snooker pro Steve Davis and his manager / pal Barry Hearn. The old boy got invited to join them for lunch.

After said nibbles, the fitter dude pulls out a set of prototype sticks that were to become the G2 irons.

Less than half a dozen skelps later, the Barry man pulls out the cheque book and says "give me as many sets as you can....price no object...if we're gonna be in the sheet, it might as well be 20 yards closer to the pin in the sheet"

pd

 

I don't get your point...

[Jordan Speeth]

In the era when scots emigrated to the USA as home pros, one test of an apprentice to become a pro was ball striking. Armour had my dad and Toney hit balls with each club in the bag. If you had the ability to hit each club, (driver to niblick)100 yards dead straight, you were allowed to work for the Black Scot. He became the Silver Scot when his hair turned gray. A shot that modern equipment has destroyed in my opinion, is the quail high 4 wood. Every pro had it in his bag, but Demaret was the best I ever saw at it. It was executed in the same manner as a baseball player putting the bat on the ball. Hand action squared the face with slow swing speed. The ball would fly 150 to 175 yards, never more than 15 feet off the ground. Trevino above was making his point in the same manner. Caddies were not consulted as today.

 

CHARLEY PENNA

I have heard my Dad talk about JD and the quail high 4 wood. Now days most courses tend to have forced carries to a green and sadly that shot wont cut it any more. I always hit my version of it with a 1 or 2 iron. I have sort of revamped it when last week I built me a 2 iron for some of those 200 235 yard tee shots I need on some of the courses here. I can hit it off the tee but not off the ground any more my SS is too slow

 

 

Take a look at what is in the bag of J B Holmes . The only tour edge club in his bag is a so called three iron. He has used it for a couple years and has hit it 247 yards according to the TV announcers. He has a club deal, (with another manufacturer) but uses this club. Wouldn't you love to know what players would use if they were not paid?

 

 

CHARLEY PENNA

I do know for years when both Tom Lehman and Kenny Perry were TM staffers that both of them played the old TM R7 irons for years and back in the day I knew a PGA tour player and it was not Tom Watson that had a Ram deal and did not have one Ram club in the bag in fact I remember he had about 8 different brands of clubs in his bag.

 

Was that Dave Hill?

[defender2803]

2011-2016 in only four pages. Love this forum.