Brands Gone Bye Bye

[PKMillerJr]

Which brands do you miss?

There are a number of brands of golf equipment that I can think of which were around when I was growing up that are no longer around or whose presence has greatly diminished. Which ones would you like to see come back? This could happen if current companies who own these brands would reintroduce them or if the brands which are not doing much would be reinvigorated or sold and someone would pump some money into them and relaunch them.

The brands that I remember which are gone include:

Pedersen
Spalding
Ram (It is in the UK but isn't the same.)
Hogan
Arnold Palmer
Slazenger?
Dunlop?
Sounder
Kenneth Smith

These brands are still in business but are not as strong as they were in their heyday:

MacgGregor
Powerbilt
Founder's Club

Anyone else with some other brands that would fit into one of these two categories? Please feel free to chime in. Also, post about the equipment you remember and loved and wish was still manufactured.

[Snufles]

Hogan

They were the classiest looking irons on the wall at any shop.


Heres hoping that Wilson Staff can pull out of the deep hole they let themselves fall into.

[dlygrisse]

My guess is that Hogan will win the vote, however companies like MacGregor really don't exist any longer, the name and trademarks were bought by Golfsmith....they are now really just a name, not a company that at one time made the best clubs in the world.


But yes, I think it is sad the Hogan brand no longer exists, it seems someone would want to take the brand and sell a top of the line forged blade, but maybe there just isn't any money doing that these days. I am pretty sure Callaway still owns the rights but I am pretty sure the brand is dead forever.

[doctorbloor]

Tommy Armour is toast, too, no? Great irons.

[PKMillerJr]

[quote name='doctorbloor' timestamp='1325344971' post='4009395']
Tommy Armour is toast, too, no? Great irons.
[/quote]

Good add. They still have a website but I don't think they do much.

http://www.tommyarmourgolf.com/Products.html

[Medic]

Two brands come to mind:

Browning - they still make incredible rifles but to the best of my knowledge they got completely out of the golf business. The irons they made back in the 80's were incredible and affordable. I looked up the brand and found my old set on eBay - the Browning Maxim. I remember when I bought them I looked at the 440's also but could not afford them. As it was I made payments on a layaway for the Maxims for a couple of months. I think it was back in 1983 and they were my first brand new set of irons.

Fila Golf - they made the original Titanium driver. An interesting and different gold color, a lighter weight, and a larger head size were all bound to get attention. But the sound off of the face was incredible. They had good customer service too - I fractured my face hitting a drive after I had owned the thing for about a year and when I called them they had me send it to them. They replaced it with the updated model. I played that thing for another three years until the Taylor Made R580 came out!

Both of the above brands were sort of obscure. To my knowledge no pros ever bagged them and I only recall a small number of ads in print for the product line. But they were quality products that delivered. I am glad I had the opportunity to own and play them before they faded away.

[Woodridge]

Kenneth Smith...They made great custom clubs back in the day. Their persimmon woods were beautiful. I'm trying to track down a cheap set of their irons to go with the woods I bought on the bay.

[PKMillerJr]

[quote name='dlygrisse' timestamp='1325344945' post='4009391']
My guess is that Hogan will win the vote, however companies like MacGregor really don't exist any longer, the name and trademarks were bought by Golfsmith....they are now really just a name, not a company that at one time made the best clubs in the world.


But yes, I think it is sad the Hogan brand no longer exists, it seems someone would want to take the brand and sell a top of the line forged blade, but maybe there just isn't any money doing that these days. I am pretty sure Callaway still owns the rights but I am pretty sure the brand is dead forever.
[/quote]


My understanding is that Callaway had planned to make the Ben Hogan brand their premier brand but then shut it down. Custom high end forged irons like the custom ones Scratch Golf makes were the plan. I had heard $10,000 sets of blades was the thought. This came from someone I know who was told this by a Callaway rep just before the brand was done away with. I wish Callaway would bring Hogan back or sell it to someone.

[PKMillerJr]

I would like to see Adams Golf buy the rights to Ram Golf and remanufacture the old Golden Ram Tour Grinds. Adams has Tom Watson and that would be a great fit. I think the Ram name has some pop to it still. Adams could make some high end wedges and irons under the Ram name.

[Medic]

[quote name='dlygrisse' timestamp='1325344945' post='4009391']
My guess is that Hogan will win the vote, however companies like MacGregor really don't exist any longer, the name and trademarks were bought by Golfsmith....they are now really just a name, not a company that at one time made the best clubs in the world.


But yes, I think it is sad the Hogan brand no longer exists, it seems someone would want to take the brand and sell a top of the line forged blade, but maybe there just isn't any money doing that these days. I am pretty sure Callaway still owns the rights but I am pretty sure the brand is dead forever.
[/quote]


I think you are right on the money - Callaway owns the brand name Hogan now. Some of the Callaway line of irons have the look of the Hogans in my humble.

Ironically there is another thread discussing Callaway's fiscal problems. Perhaps if they manufactured Hogan irons again, got a couple of their pros to game them, and ran some ads then they might actually realize increased sales. I personally know at least one player, a physician, who loves his Hogan irons and does not want to replace them because he cannot get the same brand again. I am certain he would buy a new set if it was available. (I tried to talk him into some Razr Forged last year and he was absolutely opposed citing how nice his Hogan's feel and he doesn't want to give up that feeling.)

[parpar41]

[b]Lynx[/b] golf used to be a real OEM at one time, too.

[Llortamaisey]

I heard Nicklaus Golf closed their doors this year. I wonder what companies will leave us or change hands next year.

[AP2 712]

Here are some flash in the pan companies from the 90s

Orlimar
Pure Spin
Alien
Nickent - now a DSG company

[Ping33]

I miss the Hogan and Ram brand. Used to game a set of Maxfli Aussie blades, man those were some sweet clubs, I wish I would have kept them.

[Ping33]

[quote name='parpar41' timestamp='1325347291' post='4009539']
[b]Lynx[/b] golf used to be a real OEM at one time, too.
[/quote]

Lynx used to be hugely popular back in the day, and then they just went away... Ping was their largest competitor at the time if memory serves me right. Lynx made some very nice gear, and as a kid was way out of my price range.

[PKMillerJr]

[quote name='parpar41' timestamp='1325347291' post='4009539']
[b]Lynx[/b] golf used to be a real OEM at one time, too.
[/quote]


Lynx is owned by Golfsmith. I hope Golfsmith doesn't do to MacGregor what they did to Lynx.

[PKMillerJr]

[quote name='Llortamaisey' timestamp='1325347688' post='4009557']
I heard Nicklaus Golf closed their doors this year. I wonder what companies will leave us or change hands next year.
[/quote]

I didn't hear that. Where did you hear that? I saw Nicklaus Golf is launching a new European website in 2012. I do not know for sure that you are mistaken but I do not think this is correct.

[Swisstrader98]

Wrong thread section...this is for discussion of JDM brands.

[Par Fore]

Tommy Armour had great irons with guys like Freddie Couples playing them, they are not owned by Sports Authority if i'm not mistaken and are nothing like their classic irons

[joekelli]

I would say Nickent. But if it was not for them going out of buisness and all of their products going for pennies on the dollar, I probably would have never tried their stuff. If you look at my WITB you will see I have turned into a Nickent HO!

[ZBigStick]

Tommy Armour
Lynx -------------> Golfsmith brands
MacGregor

Walter Hagen
Maxfli ------------> DSG brands
Nickent


I miss Hogan clubs the most. Top of the class, traditional styling. Sad to see it fall.

[PKMillerJr]

[quote name='joekelli' timestamp='1325351279' post='4009771']
I would say Nickent. But if it was not for them going out of buisness and all of their products going for pennies on the dollar, I probably would have never tried their stuff. If you look at my WITB you will see I have turned into a Nickent HO!
[/quote]

Nickent brand owned by Dick's Sporting Goods and being designed by Ralph Maltby Design of the GolfWorks in Newark, OH.

[Hambone1]

I believe Slazenger is also a DSG brand.

I would say the biggest for me is Sonartec. Some amazing fairway woods

[PKMillerJr]

[quote name='Hambone1' timestamp='1325351798' post='4009813']
I believe Slazenger is also a DSG brand.

I would say the biggest for me is Sonartec. Some amazing fairway woods
[/quote]

You may be right on that. Walter Hagen is also DSG.

[Ping_Ho]

Old taylormade

[Llortamaisey]

[quote name='PKMillerJr' timestamp='1325349452' post='4009653']
[quote name='Llortamaisey' timestamp='1325347688' post='4009557']
I heard Nicklaus Golf closed their doors this year. I wonder what companies will leave us or change hands next year.
[/quote]

I didn't hear that. Where did you hear that? I saw Nicklaus Golf is launching a new European website in 2012. I do not know for sure that you are mistaken but I do not think this is correct.
[/quote]

I don't know for sure. I heard it through a local golf retailer I have done business with in the past. He told me they were liquidating the entire stock back in October/November. He bought several clubs from them at a deep discount.

He was speaking about the American division so its possible the European division stayed open. I could be completely mistaken about the whole deal. I could have misheard him or he might have misspoke. I hope I'm wrong, frankly.

Obviously it's just heresay on my end. Maybe someone who follows Nicklaus a little closer can shed some light on the subject.

[swingdoc80]

I will second lynx, remember the parallax irons played by Erbie back in the day, The company is technically still about but the quality is awful,

I will also mention Ben Sayers and John Letters. Both technically still exist but only do budget equipment.

[MtlJeff]

Sonartec!

[benthegolfer]

I'd like to see Hogan and Powerbilt going strong. They are both great companies and have really produced some great products. There are a couple of sets of PB citiation forged irons around the shop that really look good looking down. They are a split set similar to Nike Pro Combo, or Cobra S3 Pro. I've thought about picking up a set, just to game every so often.

[square]

I do not miss any of the brands the OP mentioned.
I do wish the current existing brands would discontinue the cheesy badging and graphics common on today's modern clubs.