Spalding Pro Flite Irons

Danny B · November 30, 2011

This is my first post on the forums after reading hundreds. It's nice to see others who are just as obsessed about this game as myself. Well I just got back from the Goodwiil Store with a $20 bag of old clubs and the irons are Spalding Pro Flites. They look like a pretty nice blade and actually are in good shape. I cleaned up the 8 iron to see how they would clean up and it came out looking great.. My questions are has anybody here played these and what year/s they were made. Bad thing is there was only 3-8 iron, no 9 or pw. All serial numbers match though. Shaft bands say Spalding Lightweight and Medium which I assume is the flex. There is a matching set of woods but they aren't in as nice shape.

Danny

Ol_Pardner · December 1, 2011

Danny,
Don't know what clubs you usually play, but I think that you will enjoy these. I played a full set of Spalding Top Flites, probably came out one or more years before your clubs (judging by the pics). I qualified for my high school golf team with them in 1971. 1-3-4-5 wds, 2-SW, and a TPM putter. Of course, that was back in the days when most people stuck with their sticks for years, in my case 10-years. I would occasionally swap out a putter(for a Bullseye) or SW (First Flight Monster), but the basic set stayed the same. They had the Medium Lightweight shafts with a blue band. Someone once told me that they were known as "Vanadium" shafts, and had a tendency to be a little more "firm" than True Temper Dynamics of the same flex.

The woods were laminates, and when the driver shaft eventually became loose, instead of just having the original shaft reset, I opted for a stiffer TT Dynamic shaft. BIG MISTAKE! Some idiot in the golf shop the club was sent to, instead of "shimming" the Dynamic shaft in--slightly smaller diameter, I guess--drilled a hole 1/8"+ through the neck about 2.5" to 3" above the sole, and bent a rivet through the neck and shaft and re-"whipped" over it. Needless to say, after a few rounds of play, the neck shattered and the driver head bent at a right angle. (They never would give me the name of the repair shop they used, at the time, but I did go looking for them!) I recently picked-up an older Spalding Custom Driver of that vintage off-of ebay. Got a great deal and this time the Dyanamic-S was seated properly. Hit it some and it really brought back some fond memories. I know that I have owned and hit other drivers further, but I always liked the soft feel and control I had with that driver.

Anyway, Danny if you like these sticks you might be on the lookout at your local thrift stores and fleamarkets for a Spalding Top Flite or an Elite MV2 model 9-i and PW, SW to round out your iron set. Those two lines would likely match up fairly well with your Pro Flites, which I have seen before but not often. If the woods are in really bad shape and you opt to not have them refinished, you might still want to touch them up a little bit and take them to the driving range for fun. I'm a "feel" player myself, and can pick up a club, waggle it, and know almost immediately whether or not I can hit it. That said, I have picked up a number of Hogan, MacGregor, and Wilson woods at thrift stores for from $1-$3. Some of these are in rough shape but still have some "life" in them. So, I lightly sand the clubface and sole, fill any gouges with wood fller or epoxy, let that dry, then sand the filler and spray on a few coats of Min-Wax High Gloss Polyurethene. Let each coat dry at least 24 hours, then lightly sand the coated area with "final coat" or "finish" sand paper, between each coat. You can find the Min-Wax in the paint section and the (best) sand paper in the automotive paint aisle of your local WalMart. If the woods have a black lacquer finish, before poly-coating, you can touch that up with enamel or model airplane paint, if you wish.

Probably more info than you wanted Danny, but I hope that you enjoy your clubs and your visits to Golfwrx.com. I know that I have enjoyed my vintage clubs and have learned a lot about them on this website. Play well and hitt'um where you aim'um!
Ol Pard'

Danny B · December 1, 2011

Thanks for the info Old Pard. I've played MP-32's for the past 5 years and played MP14's prior to that. I actually have been playing my 14's lately as I reshafted the 32's with DGHL shafts which I don't really care for. The 14's have DG S300's. As you can see, I'm partial to blades and have been looking for and purchasing some older models. I recently picked up a set of Hogan Apex 99's, Apex 50's, and Radials.

These Spaldings did come as a set with a 1,3,4, and 5 wood as yours did and it also has a matching SW. The fact that it came as a complete set makes me think its probaly a department store set and nothing really special? The woods actually aren't that bad after a second look. The irons feel like they have a nice weight to them. It's a shame there's no 9 or PW because this would be a nice set when they're all cleaned up. Shaft bands on these are gold colored. Grips are original but need to be changed.

I'm really not into restoring clubs at the moment but I'm sure thats something I will get into as I get older. Right now I just love the old style blades and want to play some of them. Thanks again.

Danny