Wilson Staff Fluid Feel Blades vs. Ben Hogan Apex 2 White Cameos

[quakergolfer24]

I am looking at getting a set of either the Wilsons or the Hogans. Could you guys give me some insight on these clubs and which one in your opinion is better??

[A V Twiss]

I have owned both the fluid feels and a set of Hogan Red Lines. Both were fitted with stiff shafts that were not entirely suited to my swing but I could hit them. The Wilson Staff's were a solid iron but, as expected, were a little shorter than modern clubs due to the traditional lofts. My bad mishit is a thin shot and by God they stung. Distance loss on mishits was significant. The Hogan Red LInes were very similar except the Apex shaft (number 4) felt a little more lively than the Wilson's shaft. They were about a club shorter than my Ping irons. Again distance loss was significant on mishits. For short pitches and finesse shots the Hogans felt better. I hope this helps.

[weeicemon]

Buy the Hogan Apex IIs and find yourself a vintage Staff sand wedge (pre-'62). One of the greatest vintage, forged combos ever, IMO.

[golfbum9]

Depends on which year Staffs. but for what it's worth, the ApexII Cameo's were my favorite Hogan iron.
If '69 Bulletback or '71 Buttonback, than no- I'd go with either of those.

[quakergolfer24]

They are these ones..Im not sure on the year though...



[url="http://media4.stracka.com/my/photos/1/8/8/8/1888_201161910152.jpg"]http://media4.stracka.com/my/photos/1/8/8/8/1888_201161910152.jpg[/url]

[golfbum9]

'89-90. Those will have slightly stronger lofts than the ApexII being 10 years newer. Shafts are likely Dynamic Gold s300 vs the Apex 4- so differences there aslo. Feel? They're both as solid as any. Personally I would pick the Wilson because I prefer a square toe section and Hogan irons seemed to always have a "big toe" look to me.

[quakergolfer24]

Yeah I know exactlywhat you are saying. Im leaning toward the Wilsons for sure. Do you guys reccomend any other older blades that I should look into before I make my purchase??

[golfbum9]

Indeed. Golden Ram Tour Grinds. and done

[quakergolfer24]

Ill definitely look into the Golden Ram since I am hearing so much good about them . Anything from Macgregor thats worth looking into??

[drewspin]

[quote name='quakergolfer24' timestamp='1313696356' post='3499761']
Ill definitely look into the Golden Ram since I am hearing so much good about them . Anything from Macgregor thats worth looking into??
[/quote]

VIP by Nicklaus

[golfbum9]

[quote name='drewspin' timestamp='1313698184' post='3499863']
[quote name='quakergolfer24' timestamp='1313696356' post='3499761']
Ill definitely look into the Golden Ram since I am hearing so much good about them . Anything from Macgregor thats worth looking into??
[/quote]

VIP by Nicklaus
[/quote]
Don't know how I forgot the VIP!
Not a huge fan of a sharp leading edge, zero bounce and camber, aka the flat MacGregor sole... but I should've kept my PMB customs

Dunlop Maxfli's are another if you can find them.

[quakergolfer24]

are all gold ram tour grinds featherlite?? or is there a difference?? im clearly neew to the old school club market

[Nspiel58]

Love the Hogan choice, but I find that essentially most blades have the same feel. I have about 15 different sets of blades and I really can't tell the difference between them. With the exception of a couple of sets which have regular shafts, most of my irons have True Temper S300s. A well-struck ball feels the same to me. There's that "click" which occurs when the sweet-spot is contacted and I can't differentiate between any clubs. The sound of the click may vary slightly, but the ball comes off the club head the same way. What's most important to me is how the head looks at address. If it's pleasing to the eye, that's what's important. Your swing and your shaft do the rest. I would pick what is most pleasing to the eye at address, but make sure the shaft is right, and grip size as well. But you probably already know these things. Hope I'm not stating the obvious.

[quakergolfer24]

No I definitely understand what you mean Nspiel58. I really like the look of the wilsons and golden rams so i guess its all about which ones I like the best now lol.

[quakergolfer24]

What about Wilson X31 blades?? or Dyna Power Fluid Feels??

[golfbum9]

[quote name='quakergolfer24' timestamp='1313720553' post='3500892']
are all gold ram tour grinds featherlite?? or is there a difference?? im clearly neew to the old school club market
[/quote]
No. The Golden Ram Tour Grind Featherlites are not it.
Rather, the Golden Ram Tour Grind '79-82 (my personal favorites ), 83-85 Vibration Matched and '87/8 Frequency Matched are the ones I was referencing. Or if your lucky and come across a set of TW282's... but those are pretty rare.
The '94/5 RAM Fx Tour Grind also, but not as nice as the 80's models are in my opinion. The late 90's RAM Fx Nickel are another but are cast- if that matters to you....

Hope this helps!

[A V Twiss]

[quote name='quakergolfer24' timestamp='1313694795' post='3499695']
They are these ones..Im not sure on the year though...



[url="http://media4.stracka.com/my/photos/1/8/8/8/1888_201161910152.jpg"]http://media4.strack...01161910152.jpg[/url]
[/quote]

These are not the ones I owned. Mine were button backs.

[quakergolfer24]

[quote name='A V Twiss' timestamp='1313735626' post='3501434']
[quote name='quakergolfer24' timestamp='1313694795' post='3499695']
They are these ones..Im not sure on the year though...



[url="http://media4.stracka.com/my/photos/1/8/8/8/1888_201161910152.jpg"]http://media4.strack...01161910152.jpg[/url]
[/quote]

These are not the ones I owned. Mine were button backs.
[/quote]


Those are the exact ones Im leaning towards getting right now. I love the clean look of them.

[GatorNate11]

I have a set of Golden Ram TG's sitting in my living room, they feel sweeet when hit pure. However, they have R shafts in them, so until I get them changed (I've been saying that since March) they won't be seeing much use. The fact that I am a blade addict certainly helped me to purchase those, and the feel was amazing. I remember the first shot I hit, cool March morning, 7i out of the rough, couldn't even feel the ball leave the face, absolutely awesome the way it felt coming off.

[drewspin]

I think the newer staffs you are looking at are going to be slightly easier to hit because they have moved some weight around to get the the sweet spot (center of percussion) to move a bit more toward the toe.

Skip the x-31s they were the Wilson store brand and not the pro-line offering.

As mentioned above, the Made in Australia Maxfli Australian blade is another one to look at. You may find these have a bit more offset in the shorter irons than either the staffs or Hogans. Another great feeling blade.

[quakergolfer24]

what about Walter Hagen Haig Ultras??? any info on these?these ones right here.

[url="http://clubsofdistinction.com/codimages/haig6689w.JPG"]http://clubsofdistinction.com/codimages/haig6689w.JPG[/url]

[golfbum9]

[quote name='GatorNate11' timestamp='1313768665' post='3502214']
I have a set of Golden Ram TG's sitting in my living room, they feel sweeet when hit pure. However, they have R shafts in them, so until I get them changed (I've been saying that since March) they won't be seeing much use. The fact that I am a blade addict certainly helped me to purchase those, and the feel was amazing. I remember the first shot I hit, cool March morning, 7i out of the rough, couldn't even feel the ball leave the face, absolutely awesome the way it felt coming off.
[/quote]
Dibs on those shafts once you pull them? Trade you my original Dynamics too, if you want

PM me if interested

[Herm33]

I'll throw another vote in for the Hogans although it seems you're more set on the Wilson or Ram's, which are both awesome as well. I'm more of a Hogan fan myself as my dad had the Apex II's when I was a kid, so I've always gravitated to those.

Right now I own a set of White Cameos and 2 sets of '88 Apex Redlines, one of which is just the heads that were recently refinished by the Iron Factory. The thing that's killing me is that I haven't found the time yet to get our local fitting center to get a recommendation on shaft type, flex, and any loft and lie adjustments. However, I have had both sets to the range quite a bit this year and the feeling when you catch one just right is awesome.

[quakergolfer24]

What about hogan apex pcs?? hogans are definitely sharp clubs im just looking at all options. but its basically between hogans or wilsons.

[dalehead]

I'm not clear. Do you have a set of Wilsons you are considering or are you looking for a set?
I have 2-PW with DG S300's available.

[quakergolfer24]

[quote name='dalehead' timestamp='1313786387' post='3503190']
I'm not clear. Do you have a set of Wilsons you are considering or are you looking for a set?
I have 2-PW with DG S300's available.
[/quote]


I am considering getting a set. PM me pics and the price and Ill consider it for sure.

[Shallowface]

[quote name='drewspin' timestamp='1313774304' post='3502539']
I think the newer staffs you are looking at are going to be slightly easier to hit because they have moved some weight around to get the the sweet spot (center of percussion) to move a bit more toward the toe.

Skip the x-31s they were the Wilson store brand and not the pro-line offering.

As mentioned above, the Made in Australia Maxfli Australian blade is another one to look at. You may find these have a bit more offset in the shorter irons than either the staffs or Hogans. Another great feeling blade.
[/quote]

The X-31s were part of the Wilson pro-line from the mid 1960s through the mid 1980s.

The 1976 model was one of the very first forged clubs with a cavity back (probably second only to the early attempts by Karsten). The Hogan Edge is often thought of as being the first, but that's not the case.

I think you might be thinking of the K-28s. Those were a store line club.

[okesa]

[size="4"]It's really good fun to read this 'cos it's a bit like when people ask;'which are better-blondes or brunettes?' or 'red wine-white wine?'
Although a lefty I have played most of the irons mentioned previously in the thread but my particular favourites would be; Hogan Apex II Cameo,Ram Tour Grind and from the Wilson stable I would go for the FG-17 Tour Blade which I reckon to be one of the very best irons ever made.
[/size]

[quakergolfer24]

So the X31's are pretty comparable to the staffs then?? I really like the looks of this model X31 its super clean looking. Can someone tell me why it says National Investors Life Insurance Company in that button??

[url="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3113/2551742496_5600760881_o.jpg"]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3113/2551742496_5600760881_o.jpg[/url]

[RRH]

[url="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Macgregor-Jack-Nicklaus-VIP-Golf-Iron-set-3-PW-/380207209344?pt=Golf_Clubs&hash=item58861d9b80"]Nicklaus VIP for $60[/url]

Pretty cool