A Set For All Seasons

[Kirasdad]

[quote name='okesa' timestamp='1383924594' post='8119270']
[size=5]Only problem being when she's also wearing polyester,the sparks ain't luuurve,it's static electricity![/size]

[size=5]And don't get too near the fire!!!!!!!![/size]
[/quote]

Oh yeah...now we're talking soda crackers! In, oh about, '75 or so I had a pair of Jantzen, red white and blue checked bell bottom pants, and a pair of red, white, and blue patent leather spikes (metal, of course) throw in a Munsingwear white shirt, (the ones with the big collar and the penguin logo) with blue trim and I was stylin' baby! Make Ricky Fowler look like a piker.

[okesa]

[size=5]Yep,Dave is looking pretty [i]MARR[/i]vellous in those slacks,that being the operative word to describe the fit in the ankle region.[/size]

[size=5]K'Dad,likewise with the shirts,they were so cool,I had lemon,red,light blue and navy and a pale blue Munsingwear cardigan with the floppy sleeves,worn with navy or mid grey Farah slacks and white wingtip brogue Footjoy Classics.[/size]

[size=5]All back in fashion now![/size]

[Ironmaster Oddities]

Yikes,
I thought it was Andy Williams (Mooooon Riverrrr) and his wife, the beautifully sexy, hot, and totally untalented Claudine Langier. But that would have been from even BEFORE polyester double knits, anjd before her affair(s) and their divorce.
b/t/w She killed Spider Sabich, world class downhill skier of the mid 1960's.

Nothing like a completely off-topic posting, eh?

[ScooterMcTavish]

Hey! I have the pants Dave Marr is wearing, except in baby blue/white.

I'll have to get some pics snapped on the course next year.

[okesa]

[size=5]And please don't read too much into Blade's post about 'dressing up' in the UK (am slightly concerned for him,Robert Redford????Whaaaaat?),any references to lumberjacks and their songs will be met with disdain and if disdain ain't good enough we'll try datdain.[/size]
[size=5]I will come out of the wardrobe (not closet!) and confess to adventures in cross-dressing at grammar school but luvvies it was all for the sake of art and culture........[/size]

[Ironmaster Oddities]

Which character did you play, Okessa?

[Ironmaster Oddities]

[quote name='dbuck47' timestamp='1383845176' post='8115340']
I am seriously thinking of asking Santa for a Joe Powell PT1W or Smoker 1. The PT is 11* and 43", the Smoker 1 12* and 42.5". Or I might ask them to make the PT in 12 or put a 43" shaft on the Smoker. My DSP J1 3 wood is a nominal 15*, and I hit it pretty consistently, but would like just a scosh more distance. My DSP J1 driver and my Toney Penna Mod 59 will both give me 230-250 on a good strike, but I don't seem to be able to put a good enough strike on them consistently, maybe 1 in 5. My bad shot with either is a low 190 yard slice or a 175 yard sky high pull. I am thinking about 11.5-12 degrees in about D-3 or D-4, DG Gold S300 might be just enough extra loft with a slightly more compact head to give a little more carry and roll and make me think swing and not kill.

Around about $225 is more than we talk about spending here, but it is still a lot less than a VW on a stick.
[/quote]
Duck, read a PM I sent you
Uncle Bob

[Kirasdad]

[quote name='Ironmaster Oddities' timestamp='1383938749' post='8120292']
Yikes,
I thought it was Andy Williams (Mooooon Riverrrr) and his wife, the beautifully sexy, hot, and totally untalented Claudine Langier. But that would have been from even BEFORE polyester double knits, anjd before her affair(s) and their divorce.
b/t/w She killed Spider Sabich, world class downhill skier of the mid 1960's.

Nothing like a completely off-topic posting, eh?
[/quote]

According to the defense attorney, Claudine "accidentally" shot Spider five times in the chest.

[okesa]

[size=5]Uncle Bob,I was the young Will Shakespeare and Princess Katherine of France I'm extreme left on bench (before the drag act) and standing extreme right is Tim Pigott-Smith who was head-boy of the school and now a well known actor and luvvie dahling,mwah![/size]
[size=5]He was an obnoxious oaf at school and a bully,my real moment of fame and glory came not on the stage but when I threw a plimsoll with unerring aim and hit him smack on the back of his head just behind his right earhole,not a good idea when you are a lightweight 11 year old and he was 18 and with two other prefects who like him,played in the 1st XV rugby team![/size]
[size=5]Could have been worse but halfway through the thrashing I threatened to tell my sister who 'Piggy' had the hots for LOL[/size]

[Ironmaster Oddities]

[quote name='Kirasdad' timestamp='1383950362' post='8121026']
[quote name='Ironmaster Oddities' timestamp='1383938749' post='8120292']
Yikes,
I thought it was Andy Williams (Mooooon Riverrrr) and his wife, the beautifully sexy, hot, and totally untalented Claudine Langier. But that would have been from even BEFORE polyester double knits, anjd before her affair(s) and their divorce.
b/t/w She killed Spider Sabich, world class downhill skier of the mid 1960's.

Nothing like a completely off-topic posting, eh?
[/quote]

According to the defense attorney, Claudine "accidentally" shot Spider five times in the chest.
[/quote]

The phone call to the police went something like this:

Hello, this is the police department.
Uh, hallo. Zees eees Claudine Longet. Zeer has been an accident. My lover has been shot. He may be dead.
Oh, no. A squad car and ambulance are on the way, ma'am. Are you sure he is dead?
I do not know eef eees dead.
Well, check to be sure he is dead, please and tell me.
Ok. Just a minute and I weeel make sure......bang, bang, bang. Yes I am sure eee eeees dead. Now what do you want me to do?

[ScooterMcTavish]

^^^ Funny stuff there Bob.

[quote name='ScooterMcTavish' timestamp='1383757093' post='8110168']
You know, B-S admitting to playing his Eye2s, OSR playing a Mizuno combo set. Prof playing APs (Why not MB 712s if I may ask? Who had final choice over which set? Hmmmm?).

This place is going to hell.....
[/quote]

In fact, I am now glad the golf season is over.

Last year, I had leant a friend my Mizuno Bettinardi A-02 putter to try, as he was fighting with direction using a clamshell. Well, it finally came home yesterday, and I made the mistake of taking off the headcover and swinging a few times with it. Gah, it sure feels nice.

As much as I've enjoyed the handsy putting with my flanged bullseye, and the fact that I almost never 3-putt a green with it, if there wasn't snow on the ground, I'd be out today playing with the Bettinardi.

Does this make me a bad person?

[okesa]

[size=5]Only if it becomes public knowledge.......[/size]

[oldschoolrocker]

Scoot, the Mizzy combos went to my oldest son, so he could trade his set of MP whatever's for 2 new Volkey wedges to round out his all Titlest bag. And he would still have some Muzzys to put in his Mizzy bag. Sad to say with that one the nut didn't fall far from the tree. His brother, on the other hand has owned only 2 sets, and then only one at a time during the last 15 years. That bit of non ho'ing came from his mothers side of the family. Her dad played one set and one set only for the last 20 years of his life. But, Papa Charlie did own every type of fishing rig know to man.

[birly-shirly]

[quote name='ScooterMcTavish' timestamp='1383757093' post='8110168']
You know, B-S admitting to playing his Eye2s, OSR playing a Mizuno combo set. Prof playing APs (Why not MB 712s if I may ask? Who had final choice over which set? Hmmmm?).

This place is going to hell.....
[/quote]

In my defence, I took the pings out and had a nightmare. No doubt the heads are forgiving, but I still had the worst time trying to hit decent shots.

Might be a lie issue. I've always liked sets a degree or two flat - depending on your "standard", even though I am of very average height, have short arms, and according to Pings static fitting charts, should be a degree or 2 upright.

This year I've been working on my swing and might just be swinging a little steeper - which could make the flat lie angles a poor fit.

The thing is - I can fix the lies on any other set in about 20 mins. If I was going to try and alter the lies on my pings by 2 or 3 degrees, I'd need to take a week of work...after six months of gym conditioning...

So Hogans back in the bag for tomorrow's game. And I scored a nice Hogan redline persimmon 3 wood to take out too. Weather forecast is good. Here's to normal service.

[HoldenCornfield]

My wife and I were watching a random show on Netflix the other night about Tiny Houses, and the radical movement of people, spurred by the recession, simplifying their lives, getting rid of their 'stuff' and their McMansions, and moving into 100-200 square foot houses. While we agreed that was a little too extreme for us, there were a lot of nice thoughts there. Especially the idea of unburdening ourselves of a lot of the accumulated material excess that we all carry around. Sometimes it can feel like a sack of bricks on our backs. But you know where my wife was going with this -- "We could start with your golf clubs."

DOH!

This isn't the first time the subject has come up. We've previously discussed the idea of living on the road as full time RVers. A few years ago, between marriages, I got the chance to travel the country for about a year when I was in another line of work. I travelled superlight and was in a new place every week. And I absolutely loved it. The freedom was exhilarating...then I re-married and re-nailed my feet to the Georgia clay, lol. No more rambling man. But the wanderlust has never been completely extinguished.

Whenever I bring up the RV subject, though, she always get me. "You know there would only be room for one set of golf clubs, right?" [size=4]So, now I'm asking myself, could I actually reduce my small golf hoard to just 14 clubs and one bag? ... Could you? [/size]

[size=4]And then it hits me -- I don't have to get rid of all of it, just put it in storage with the rest of our household furnishings when we downsize -- EUREKA! Although, I've read that most full time RVers do this and then a year later end up selling or giving away everything they've stored. But in the meantime, I've decided to do a trial run. I'm putting together my bag of favorite clubs and committing to this bag for the next 3 months. I'm calling them the Vintage All-Stars, and it looks something like this:[/size]

[size=4]Woods - 1968 MacGregor MTW2 Driver - 4w - 5w[/size]
[size=4]Irons - 1962 Wilson Turfider 2, 3 irons; 1957 Hogan Precision 4-pw; Hogan Sure Out sand wedge[/size]
[size=4]Putter - [Now accepting applications][/size]

[size=4]My bag needs to be versatile and lightweight so it will be my relatively new stand bag that I purchased around 2001-02. [/size]Committing to one set of clubs means I can no longer blame my sticks and change them out like slumping ballplayers. I'll have to be the one to adjust...Wait, could there actually be merit to that idea?[size=4] HA! [/size][size=4]Once upon a time I actually played with the same set of clubs for almost 8 years, so 3 months should be a piece of cake...maybe.[/size]

[size=4]Anybody else up for the challenge?[/size]

[oldschoolrocker]

Interesting thought process HC.
If I were going to go one bag only for the remainder of the summer/fall it would be:
SEOM m85w 2, 3, and 4 woods
'92 Wilson Staff Progressive
56* Wilson Dynapower SW- not sure of the year
Macgregor blade putter, matches the Colokroms

I know the '92 Wilson's aren't classic, or vintage, but I bought them last week as NOS at a liguidation sale and played the above setup yesterday and was very pleased.

So, if I go one bagging this is what I would play.

[dbuck47]

Almost thou persuadeth me.

I played with the same set of Wilson Staff Tour Blades from 1979 to 1992, and the same Wilson Geo Low Original 600 forged putter from about 1980 to 1992. These same irons and putter are my primary vintage playing partners as we speak, and I play them more often than any clubs I own. The same laminated Wilson Tour Block 3-4-5 woods were in the bag from 79-84, then started getting swapped out for persimmon and then metal in the nineties.

During all this time, there was a constant rotation of drivers of both metal and persimmon. I picked up a Wilson Staff JP pitching wedge in around 1981, lost it in around 87-88, and went through a period of several attempted replacements until I found a used one in a bin around 92-93. This wedge has pretty much been a constant regardless of the style bag I am using, and though I try others, I can never find one that matches how it feels to me.

My recently aquired PING Eye2 woods are at least equal, and possibly the most consistent woods I have ever owned wood or metal. With the 3 or the 5, off the tee or off the fairway, I have a very high confidence that I will have a playable result. On most courses I play, from the regular tees, I don't even need the driver.

I haven't yet putted on the course with the Auld Master putter, but on the carpet it shows a lot of potential, and if it plays out on the course, it could be a frequent companion.

I could quite happily play with the Tour Blades 2-PW, the FG-17 1 iron, the PING Eye2 3 and 5 woods, the JP wedge, and either the Wilson or Auld Master putter for the next 3 months, and likely will-most of the time.

Then there is that iniquity of golf, the shamble. My current scramble bag is an old Taylor Ti 360 driver with a UST/Mamiya Proforce shaft, a Taylor Raylor 16*, Callaway Heavenwood 3H and 4H, Cleveland Classic Blades 4,5,8,9,PW with DG S400's, a PING ZING 5 iron, a no name copper 55* sandwedge, a PING ZING2 53* sandwedge, usually the JP wedge, and whatever putter I am in the mood for. Lately the putter has been a very short Bullseye by Titleist Scotty Cameron Platinum blade.

I have actually played a scramble or two with a classic kit, and made out ok except for the tee shot. If I accept the position of designated put one in the fairway man, I am still ok and let the others go for it with the driver. Pride makes me want to use a few of my tee shots though. Honestly if I am playing my own ball for score, I am better with the aforementioned 3 wood, but I can occasionally pump one out there with that old Taylor.

Then of course there are the VIP remakes I haven't played with yet, the Hogan Speedslot driver I want to get refinished, and the Joe Powell DSP 1 and 3 that are too pretty to leave in the closet all the time.

And, I need to run by Goodwill to see what discarded trash might become my treasure today....

But almost, HC, almost thou persuadeth me.

[Kirasdad]

Ah...the old thread. Thanks for bringing it back to life.

As for the the posts, I have one word for you.

Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........

[HoldenCornfield]

[quote name='Kirasdad' timestamp='1404370369' post='9628489']
Ah...the old thread. Thanks for bringing it back to life.

As for the the posts, I have one word for you.

Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........
[/quote]

Are you down to just one set now, Kirasdad? Or is that one vintage set plus one hickory set?

[Kirasdad]

[quote name='HoldenCornfield' timestamp='1404391405' post='9629259']
[quote name='Kirasdad' timestamp='1404370369' post='9628489']
Ah...the old thread. Thanks for bringing it back to life.

As for the the posts, I have one word for you.

Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........
[/quote]

Are you down to just one set now, Kirasdad? Or is that one vintage set plus one hickory set?
[/quote]

Good question. To be precise I own 24 clubs. My set of hickories (9) plus my modern bag, which includes my Apex IIs (13) plus my Toski persimmons when I want to go vintage (2) oh and then there's is my Ironmaster for the all vintage bag (1). So that makes 25.

I kid people about this, but I get the whole looking and trying gear thing. It just got old for me. I wanted to spend more time playing and less time screwing around with equipment. When I got rid of everything that I didn't really want or use, it felt REALLY good.

[oldschoolrocker]

Something liberating about downsizing. I am attempting to do so myself.

[HoldenCornfield]

[quote name='oldschoolrocker' timestamp='1404399792' post='9630267']
Something liberating about downsizing. I am attempting to do so myself.
[/quote]

Me, too. After buying endless vintage junk from the thrift I have turned the tables. We folded down the seats in the minivan and loaded it up with the things we no longer use, which included about 30 golf clubs (including 3 sets of GI irons) and took it to the thrift today. It felt pretty good.

[dbuck47]

[quote name='HoldenCornfield' timestamp='1404408275' post='9631367']
[quote name='oldschoolrocker' timestamp='1404399792' post='9630267']
Something liberating about downsizing. I am attempting to do so myself.
[/quote]

Me, too. After buying endless vintage junk from the thrift I have turned the tables. We folded down the seats in the minivan and loaded it up with the things we no longer use, which included about 30 golf clubs (including 3 sets of GI irons) and took it to the thrift today. It felt pretty good.
[/quote]

I saw a sign in the local Goodwill the other day to the effect that this was the ultimate eco-friendly recycling. Rather than going to a dumpster it is put back in use. Sometimes by me!

[Kirasdad]

[quote name='HoldenCornfield' timestamp='1404408275' post='9631367']
[quote name='oldschoolrocker' timestamp='1404399792' post='9630267']
Something liberating about downsizing. I am attempting to do so myself.
[/quote]

Me, too. After buying endless vintage junk from the thrift I have turned the tables. We folded down the seats in the minivan and loaded it up with the things we no longer use, which included about 30 golf clubs (including 3 sets of GI irons) and took it to the thrift today. It felt pretty good.
[/quote]

[quote name='HoldenCornfield' timestamp='1404408275' post='9631367']
[quote name='oldschoolrocker' timestamp='1404399792' post='9630267']
Something liberating about downsizing. I am attempting to do so myself.
[/quote]

Me, too. After buying endless vintage junk from the thrift I have turned the tables. We folded down the seats in the minivan and loaded it up with the things we no longer use, which included about 30 golf clubs (including 3 sets of GI irons) and took it to the thrift today. It felt pretty good.
[/quote]

"Simplify...simplify."

- Henry David Thoreau

Noted naturalist, and writer, author of "How To Avoid Water Hazards, What Walden Pond Taught Me About Golf." Available at Amazon, hardcover only.


Good for you, HC.

[profsmitty]

[quote name='Kirasdad' timestamp='1383950362' post='8121026']
[quote name='Ironmaster Oddities' timestamp='1383938749' post='8120292']
Yikes,
I thought it was Andy Williams (Mooooon Riverrrr) and his wife, the beautifully sexy, hot, and totally untalented Claudine Langier. But that would have been from even BEFORE polyester double knits, anjd before her affair(s) and their divorce.
b/t/w She killed Spider Sabich, world class downhill skier of the mid 1960's.

Nothing like a completely off-topic posting, eh?
[/quote]

According to the defense attorney, Claudine "accidentally" shot Spider five times in the chest.
[/quote]And once in the back with an arrow.

[HoldenCornfield]

[quote name='Kirasdad' timestamp='1404370369' post='9628489']
Ah...the old thread. Thanks for bringing it back to life.

As for the the posts, I have one word for you.

Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........
[/quote]

What a great thread is is, too. Epic...worth a re-read every couple of months, epecially the first few pages.

[HoldenCornfield]

[quote name='HoldenCornfield' timestamp='1404312205' post='9622941']
[size=4]... But in the meantime, I've decided to do a trial run. I'm putting together my bag of favorite clubs and committing to this bag for the next 3 months. I'm calling them the Vintage All-Stars, and it looks something like this:[/size]

[size=4]Woods - 1968 MacGregor MTW2 Driver - 4w - 5w[/size]
[size=4]Irons - 1962 Wilson Turfider 2, 3 irons; 1957 Hogan Precision 4-pw; Hogan Sure Out sand wedge[/size]
[size=4]Putter - [Now accepting applications][/size]

Committing to one set of clubs means I can no longer blame my sticks and change them out like slumping ballplayers. I'll have to be the one to adjust...Wait, could there actually be merit to that idea?[size=4] HA! [/size][size=4]Once upon a time I actually played with the same set of clubs for almost 8 years, so 3 months should be a piece of cake...maybe.[/size]

[size=4]Anybody else up for the challenge?[/size]
[/quote]

Yeah, so much for that, only made it 26 days.

But I accept no personal responsibility. I blame it all on the bizarre market economics wherein one can purchase a beautiful antique of clubmaking craftsmanship -- an instrument that is at the same time eminently playable -- for less than a steak dinner.

I just couldn't help myself.

[ScooterMcTavish]

This is a very good thread, and one I seem to have started to lose a little sight of over the past year, IMHO.

Our motley group seems to chance after every set we spot at the local thrift, and then post the club porn for everyone to see. Kind of like those MTs on the paintfill thread.

Unfortunately every time one of us posts our latest score, it encourages the rest of us to go try and score some vintage clubs.

Me, I dropped off about 25 clubs at the local thrift after a garage sale, and was happy to do so. Also dropped off all my aborted attempts at economical golf balls - seems as soon as we deviate from the brand names, we get out of balance, poorly made spheres.

Regardless, maybe tomorrow is a good day to look at my bag, pull out the FT-3, Eye2s and the Slotline, drop in the Eye2 driver, Maxflis and Bullseye, and go have a set for all seasons round tomorrow.

Hell, I'm golfing so seldom this year, I could be using a spade, twirling baton, and hockey stick, and still be scoring the same.

At least one bag full of almost moderns has been banished to the lake as the lake set. It is not the set for all seasons, but it is a set that I don't mind placing somewhere to be used only 3-4 times per year (G10 driver, Alien Quad-metal 3 and 5W, Apex Edge 3-E, Northwestern Dual Wedge, Wilson Sandy Andy, Billy Casper half-clam).

[scomac2002]

This thread gets referenced around here from time-to-time and it seemed like the appropriate thing to do to bump it forward once again as a depository for my latest dalliance...

 

As much as I hate to admit it I have been playing a mostly modern bag since the beginning of our season here in the northern tier. My first two rounds were vintage and there ended my good scoring it would seem. Coincidence perhaps, but not something I'm going to worry about at the moment.

 

The bane of my play has been putting and chipping. It doesn't really matter what you use because if we're honest there really isn't that much difference between modern and vintage as the basic design has changed little over the years. I've moved my Ram Zebra putter and Watson wedge in and out of my bag to no great effect one way or the other. It has me wondering if half my troubles maybe related to the ball I'm using, the Callaway Diablo HX Tour. I can't get it to spin for anything which really effects the check up on the greens, but that is the subject for another day.

 

What I want to talk about is how some of the concepts of vintage bag club selection is starting to make it's way into how I'm setting up my everyday set. I mentioned in another thread that a misbehaving driver has motivated me to replace it with a 3W. The only other fairway wood I'm carrying is my original Callaway Heavenwood. Call it a modern version of the brassie and 4W/bulldog from the classic or hickory eras. I was really surprised by how well this worked in my round yesterday. I was always where I wanted to be off the tee and not giving up much in the way of distance, if anything, with a 43.5" shaft on the spoon. Even a short par 5 was doable in two with that combo as I discovered as a result of my two best back-to-back shots yesterday and I'm not a long hitter to start with. I'm thinking that I'm going to run with this for a while and see how I do.

 

Next steps maybe to cut back to a half set of irons using the odds or evens depending upon the course being played and what's most appropriate. I'm not sure that's vintage inspired, but I doubt I'd be missing out on much based on my GIR at this point!

 

Now all I have to do is find that really cool Sunday bag that looks good no matter what era of club it's carrying... (cool)

[birly-shirly]

Shhh - don't tell anyone, but I kind of equate "vintage" and "classic" with common sense....

 

To that end, I'm going to suggest that searching for control with spin and check is NOT the way to go - regardless of the ball. Shortgame has never been my strength, but I've certainly scored my best when I've found a way to not squander shots around the green. To that end, i absolutely subscribe to the idea (whether you want to credit it to Harvey Penick, or Ray Floyd or Tommy Armour or whoever) that you want to get the ball down and rolling as soon as you can.

 

I've also started to improve my pitching with a similar mindset. I've always "seen" those shots flying high and landing softly, until I hit the ball that is, and see the result for real. I'm now practicing that a 15 yard pitch, played well, can fly a LOT lower than I've been visualising the shot and there's normally room for it to run out at least a handful of yards. If not, it's often better for me to just take my medicine, two putt and move on. I'm not seeing a lot of good come from the majority of my attempts to open up the face and play a more delicate shot.

 

I am pinning my vintage credentials on a Mizuno TP 60* wedge and/or a Hogan K Grind 62* for shots that need a little more loft and spin than my skill can provide with a more conventional sand wedge. I've had some good results so far this year, but even with a fairly "spinny" urethane ball and conditions that aren't nearly as firm as they'll become in the summer, but I would not claim there's much check or spin in evidence around the green.

 

Playing the game this way, I think I also need to hone my judgement better for shots that land short of the green and run part of the way through fairway and apron. Maybe not as easy to judge as a ball pitching and rolling on the green, but not as easy to screw up either...