Fantasy Golf...Vintage Style

[kaboboom]

Taking this delusion to its limits...

Among my vintage golf fantasies is a vision of laying out my vintage clubs all over a selected course for people to re-live special moments in golf history using those same classic "tools of the trade". It wouldn't really be golfing as we know it, because we all know that nobody but Hogan can hit that 1 iron at Merion. But that 1iron still exists in someones collection and can be hit again (was it a Mac?), and certainly there are similar par 3s on almost any course where you could give golfers a chance to (unsuccessfully) duplicate Hogan's feat. In fact, with a little imagination and a bunch of vintage woods and irons, you could stage almost any 18 hole golf course to present modern golfers with nearly identical shots made famous through the ages by venerated professions using equipment we now all collect and recollect our heroes using to famously win tournaments. Don't bother keeping score....just marvel where the actual shots go compared to historic results. Then revel at the 19th hole after everyone has had an opportunity to produce the same result (exact yardage and equipment but some modern ball).

Not a classic tournaments per se, but what fun that would be as a collective effort. Pick a course (Pasatiempo comes to mind, but that's really pricey and about 1800 miles away), and do some research across all of golf history to re-create a series of shots based on some historical event from the past while considering the selected layout. Stage the right vintage equipment at the proper spots along the course with a little "historical marker" to set the stage, and let 'er rip. Anyone follow the concept, or have I had too much vodka?

Oh, and since the clubs are staged along the course, no carts!

[freddiec]

Thats great. Funny how I've thought of something very similar to your idea, actually almost exactly. In 84 when I caddied in the Women's open on the last day Hollis Stacy made a 2 on a med. size par 4 dog leg right from the corner of the dog leg. That would be one shot I thought would be fun to try to replicate from the same spot with the proper vintage club. I also thought it would be a fun event type thing.

[kaboboom]

I remember Hale Irwin hitting something like a 2 iron out of a trap at Pebble from like 220 yards out. to about 12 ft. Can you imagine trying to do that? Here's a blurb...

Hale Irwin is trailing by one on 18 when his tee shot sails off toward the ocean. Incredibly, it hits some rocks and bounces back onto the fairway; he makes birdie and forces a sudden-death play-off with Jim Nelford. Both golfers par the 15th, the starting hole. Then Irwin laces a 2-iron from the fairway bunker on the 16 to within 9 feet of the cup. He sinks the birdie for the win.

[teevons]

I have been lucky enough o play Palmers Bay Hill course several times. When you go to the marker where Robert Gamez hit the 7 iron on 18 for an eagle to beat Norman and see the size of the landing area and 170 plus yards, it is amazing.

[rex235]

Played Merion in '87....

recreated Hogan's 1 iron on 18.......

with 2 iron....

..worked for me!

Also, up at Boyne Highlands in MI, there is the Donald Ross Memorial Course.

18 holes from different Donald Ross gems...Yes... even that hole from Royal Dornoch...... #$%^&*()

Sounds like your idea could very well work there......

[freddiec]

In 97 I played Pebble. On 17 I played the US Open Tees which play about 200 to 210 depending on the pin. I didn't have a Mac 1 iron, but a Big Berth 3 iron. I made 3. Chip and putt from just over the green. I shot even on the front too.

[kaboboom]

So looking over the responses, we vintage players are probably more aware of famous, vintage shots on the famous courses that we play. If we attempt to compile then re-create these, we would want to know 1) the shot (yardage and position), 2) The course, 3) The player, 4) The setting (tournament, year, situation), and 5) The club. I think most of these are well known except the last one. Most of us can recall a decent amount of detail regarding famous shots, like Palmer driving the par four at Cherry Hills. But would we know the make and model of persimmon wood he used in great enough detail to simulate that part of the shot? I suspect almost every golf course has a par four that could be played from some tee box to duplicate the yardage. Now I'll go Google that shot, and see what I can discover about Arnold's clubs at that time. However, there is a good chance someone on this forum already knows...