Rounds with a Vintage Bag

[dbuck47]

B-S, congratulations on the great round, and B-J congrats on the victory. Ya'll have "done us proud" and thanks for sharing!

[dbuck47]

RustyBlade,

If you run across some PING Eye2 woods you might give a try to the 5 and 7. A buddy who knew I was into wooden woods recently gifted me with a 1-3-5 set, and the 5 is one of the easiest to hit and most useful clubs I have ever owned.

[HoldenCornfield]

[quote name='RustyBlade' timestamp='1406640009' post='9808671']
I'm heading out today to play at a local private club that's shortish and tight, beautiful Stanley Thompson design. The bag set up is as follows: Callaway FT-9 driver(still can't find a persimmon driver that agrees with me), Power Bilt Citation 3-wood, Jazz 7 wood, Wilson Turf Rider Sole irons 2-8+PW with Wilson Custom Grind 56+60 wedges. The trusty Bullseye will be my putting partner, I've had a very good year on the greens thanks to it! No one really notices anything but the persimmon 3 wood and the Bullseye, but for me the irons are money, shorter and heavier than anything else I have. I get a confident feeling standing over the ball with these in hand.
Slowly but surely I'm getting to the all vintage bag, the driver is a constant search, and can't find anything in persimmon that would replace my 7 wood. Will definitely hit the 2 iron off at least one tee, love the feeling when I connect with that, it's like nothing happened but the ball streaks away on a nice medium trajectory and comes to rest a good 200 yards away ,love it! Even though the forecast is not great, I can hardly wait to get out there.
[/quote]

I concur with the Turfrider irons, especially the long irons - never have found any better. But if you think that feels great, wait to you find that one persimmon driver that suits your swing. You may have to try a half dozen or more, but its out there. The 7 wood is a great weapon, although I've found that in the classic clubs the 5 wood actually has the same loft (22*), and with the steel shaft and shallow profile its a real rescue club.

BTW, I'd love to see some pics of that Stanley Thompson course if you get the chance.

[BIG STU]

[quote name='Blade Junkie' timestamp='1406571267' post='9802601']
[quote name='BIG STU' timestamp='1406500342' post='9797085']
Congrats on your success. If I had won the metal wood my answer would have been what do I need this for?
[/quote]

Thanks Big Stu ! They took a photo of the Gross & Net Winners, and we did the sole plate shot, him with his Callaway driver and me with my Texan 3-wood. Trying to do my bit as a persimmon evangelist

[quote name='birly-shirly' timestamp='1406496433' post='9796675']
Hi. My name is BirlyShirly and I am a 13 handicap.

I've been stuck on or around 13 since I re-started logging scores as a member of a club after a 15 -20 year hiatus during which I played, but only casually.

Since then, I have had 2 goals. To get my index back into single figures, and then to maintain that using classic clubs.

[/quote]

Lots of super stuff in that post BS. Forgive me for not quoting all of it in reply as I didn't want to fill up the thread un-necessarily !

Great round of 73 - that's excellent golf. I've had Hogan's 5-Lessons for over 30 years and have never really read it properly. I shall now do so, and I shall also get myself back to the pilates and yoga classes that i started doing but inexplicably stopped despite all the obvious benefits I was getting

Thanks indeed for the inspiration !
[/quote]LMAO I bet some of the people that will see the photo of the Texan 3 wood will say "what the heck is that?" or "when did they start making woods out of real wood?"Trust me I have heard that last question quite a few times

[ScooterMcTavish]

Well, went all vintage last night. Newest club in the bag was the Eye2 driver which was from about 83 or so. Here's some snaps:

 

 

 

 

On the interesting side, the Eye2 D and the really neat wheat colored Dunlop (Dunlop LIII???) putter were the least of my worries (putter was only like 32" long!). My short game deserted me last night (60 yds and in), enroute to a +10 for 9 holes. Yikes. If I had a modern 60* LW in the bag, I should have saved at least 3 strokes. Brain farts accounted for at least 3 more strokes.

 

Any recommendations for a 60 yard vintage club? I though my Colokrom 11i was a nice short club until I flew the green at 100 yards last week!

[oldschoolrocker]

Nice looking setup there Scott. Unless you want to change loft on an old sand iron if would suggest what has seriously helped me. I think it may be a Hoganism as well. I struggled with the inside a full sand iron shoot until I decided to quit playing in with a sand iron and going back to my pitching wedge. What is a "pitching wedge" anyway? Doesn't mean you have to play it full distance, but with a dead hands approach I find it much easier to play from 60 in than a sand iron.

[HoganApexBlades]

Hey Scooter, are those Hogan fairway woods persimmon?

Take off!

[ScooterMcTavish]

Hey Randy,

Where I've struggled is exactly that. The PW is good for anything from 95-110 depending on how "full" a full swing to take. Even down to 80 yds I'm pretty OK with it. But then once we hit the 60 range, I start having distance control issues. Either bend an SW or find any sort of vintage 56* wedge are my option I guess.

Mind you, I could also find an old SW and try grinding off the bounce.

HAB, yes, yes they are. They are AMF era (based on original grips) and have Apex 5 Pro shafts in them. Way to heavy and stiff a shaft for me, but the ball sure flies off these for me. Just have to make sure I concentrate on my tempo.

[dbuck47]

That is a cool set-up Scooter.

[dbuck47]

I played the front 9 yesterday evening at my usual course; par 36 and 3092 from the whites.

My evening companions were Wilson Staff Tour Blades, a Wilson JP PW, a Wilson Geo Low Original 600 putter, PING Eye2 3 and 5 woods and no driver. I had a good ballstriking round for me, but made little to nothing around or on the greens, winding up with a 43. I am not too disappointed with a 43 as it is right around my handicap, but I still feel capable of more. I hit 6 of 7 fairways and 3 greens, but had 18 putts and only 1 up and down. 18 putts sounds bad, but a lot of the first putts were close. I was 2 over after 5, but went double bogey, bogey on the back to back par fives after being inside 100 after two on both! Then I bogied the last 2 par 4's.

I am liking the Wilson Staff Duo. I think a may get a touch more distance and consistency from iron shots but about the same from woods as my usual DT Solos, but maybe a little more air. I do like the soft feel off the putter. I don't know that they will knock the SoLo's out of the bag permanently, but the Duos are at least the equal of the SoLos for me.

[ScooterMcTavish]

[quote name='dbuck47' timestamp='1406906377' post='9832549']
That is a cool set-up Scooter.
[/quote]

Thanks Bucky,

Wish I could settle on a set of irons, as all three of my vintage sets have both plusses and minuses (ignoring the Eye2s for the sake of this discussion):

FG-17: Plus: Low offset, great shafts, good muscleback position for my swing type. Cons: Not very forgiving, smallest heads, hardest to hit long irons

Hogan Radial: Plus: Great shaft, light weight, lots of weight low, most forgiving of my blades. Cons: Bounce and sole shape struggle on my home course, most offset in my blade sets

Maxfli Flatbacks: Plus: Great visuals at address, best bounce and sole for my home course. Cons: Very flat trajectory ball (no low massed weight on head), move a ball a lot making draws turn into hooks

Glad to hear you are enjoying the Duo, I do like it a lot, as I do like the D:25 (if you can find them). Both are nice soft two-piece balls that feel great when putting. And I too suffer from the "I should have shot better than that" blues from time to time. However, I find I feel better if I think about the times I've scrambled to a +1 or +2 when I had no business shooting a score that low.

[Chef Otto]

Played last week with one of my collector sets....

Eye2 BC irons 1-LW
Anser Putter
And G2 driver with DG S300 shaft in it.

In an old white vintage PING leather bag

I left the Old PING woods home as we were playing a skins game and I did not want to sacrifice so much off the tee.

Going on vacation in a couple weeks and I think I will travel with the vintage bag and put my s59's into it. With the G2 driver.

[Parmstrong]

Hi folks,
I've been lurking around here for a while but was excited enough about recent developments to make a post.
Yesterday I received a couple of boxes of golf balls I purchased from ebay - maxfli revolutions and Titleist DT wound.

As soon as I opened the boxes I grabbed a sleeve of the revolutions and threw my maxfli revolution irons and Titleist 975 woods into my bag and went out for a round.

Today I took a sleeve of the DT Wounds with my also recently acquired Wilson Staff Tour Block woods and bullet back irons. I was carrying them in my red and white Jones golf bag and had my white with red racer strip leather head covers from Stitch Golf. All told it was a very pretty rig I was carrying. This was my seventh round with these clubs.

The result of my latest two rounds were the best rounds in terms of score and enjoyment in quite a while. I had a ten hole stretch today where the ball was doing exactly what I wanted it to with every swing of the irons and woods. I'm not too sure I've ever had a stretch where my ball striking was as good as it was for those ten holes. If only it was the same with my putter.

Now I have to try the Spalding Tour Edition woods and irons I also recently bought.

[ScooterMcTavish]

Welcome to the forum and the addiction Parmstrong.

[teevons]

Had a great time last night playing with a Hogan short set, the 2-8&9 were 3 loose Hogan Personal model irons, based on the Precision model. The 5 and 7 were 1960 Power thrusts, The putter was a Hogan 135 aluminum mallet. The only non Hogan was the sand iron which was a Macgregor Nicklaus 271.

Amazing how well you can play without 14 irons and no woods. Also how easy it is to walk and carry the bag. The bag was a Mackenzie Peter Jacobson model .

[MountainKing]

I don't play old equipment myself but last spring I played with a guy who was playing with a set of clubs that were from the late 1800's and I guess he had balls that were manufactured like they were at that time. He played from the ladies tee and it was a ton of fun watching him play. Not sure what he ended up shooting but he was a pretty decent player,.

[Kirasdad]

Ah yes...gutty golf, defined as golf played with 6 or so clubs, usually one wood, 4 smooth face irons and a putter with a gutta percha golf ball. There are two branches, if you will, of the Society of Hickory Golfers, the so called "modern" hickory players who use equipment from generally speaking the 20's and early 30's, or reproductions of clubs from the same era. The modern players mostly use a contemporary low compression golf ball like a Precept Lady, or a Wilson Duo. The majority of hickory players play this style of golf. Then there are the gutty guys who use equipment from before the rubber golf ball was introduced, and a reproduction gutty ball circa 1880- 1900. Some hickory players do both. There are tournaments for modern hickory as well as the the gutty version. Between the Society of HG and the Hickory Golf Association there are close to 1000 golfers who play hickory in some fashion on a regular basis. The gutty guys might be 20 % of that total. None of these numbers are precise, just educated guesses on my part. I, personally have never played gutty golf although I would like to. The big tournaments that I have been to in the hickory world always features some great conversation about the pre 1900 style of play, and the guys who do it are very enthusiastic about it. It's the simplest golf one can play with just a few clubs, (you don't even have a bag, just carry them under your arm) on a course that measures 5000 yards or so. In gutty golf a 180 yard drive is long. It took me four years of searching, buying, selling, and experimenting just to assemble the nine authentic hickories that I employ today, to do it again with gutty equipment is a bit too daunting, but perhaps I will persue it at some point.
I might even know this fellow. Do you remember his name?

[dbuck47]

I played 9 yesterday evening with a Joe Powell DSP J-1 driver and 3 wood, Wilson Tour Blade irons, Wilson Geo Low Orignal 600 putter, and Wilson Duo balls. The weather was perfect and the course uncrowded, but my scoring was lackluster. That did not diminish my enjoyment, and I managed several respectable shots with the persimmon. I hit only 4 of 7 fairways, but the 3 misses were playable.

The easiest hole on the course has been my nemesis for most of the season, but I got a bit of revenge yesterday. I hit about 230 down the middle, one of the best pitching wedges of my life to about 3 feet, and made the putt.

[oldschoolrocker]

BZ dbuck. To conquer a nemesis hole leaves a sense of achievement regardless of the overall score.

[ScooterMcTavish]

Went "modern" in league this week, with my FT-3, Hogan FWs, Eye2 irons (including SW and XG LW), and my Dunlop putter. Started well, but no consistency to a rip-roarin' 43.

Seems that I'm just not golfing enough right now to do anything with any clubs (9 holes/week). Oddly enough, I had more GIR with the Eye2s, but apparently I get up and down in 2 a lot when I'm playing my blades.

Though Randy, if you stretch your mind wayyyyy back, it seems that that bloody X shaft in the FT-3 is finally working out for me. Had the best driving day I've had in a long time.

Mind you, when you've used a wooden wood for the last month, these modern woods are stupid easy.

[oldschoolrocker]

Scott,
Yes, way less room for directional errors IMO, with transition taken into account. A trade off on some loss of length perhaps, but golf as in life is a study in give and take. You need to get out a bit more than nine holes a week. It's getting late in your season as well, is it not? How long can you play in your neck of the woods?

[ScooterMcTavish]

Hey Randy,

Actually the drives were both accurate and long - on the four driving holes, one was even with my longest, and one was by far my longest ever. I think playing vintage has helped a ton though, as I'm making a better swing through the ball (vs. hitting it), and have smoothed out my transition.

Well, me and the missus got some vacation property this year, so we've been spending more time there and have been doing other things like boating, etc. So it is really a lack of time more than anything affecting my game - mind you, giving up golf for quality family time is never a bad thing.

This being said, I usually ramp up my game in September and do expect to play a bit more in the fall. Our season usually ends in October, though some years we get lucky and can play until mid-November. However, I have seen the geese heading South for a week now, and wonder if winter may be coming early this year.

Edit: Just thought about my "modern" bag - the XG wedge (a 30 yr old design) is the only club made in this decade. The FT-3 was last decade, and everything else is at least 30 years old. Not really a modern bag, is it? Guess I can play with a clear conscience.

[oldschoolrocker]

Scott,
From what I can tell you have your priorities in order. Haven't seen any extra geese around, but I haven't been home for a couple if weeks now. I am almost ashamed to admit that I purchased a new driver last time in. Well, new as in a couple of year ago model at a very good price. Doesn't have any adjustability, quick change shafts, or moveable weights. It just looked really nice and felt good when I swung it. My youngest likes it so much I will probably give it to him.

[ScooterMcTavish]

Nothing to be ashamed about Randy,

As we've discussed elsewhere on this forum, just because we like and embrace vintage does not make us pedantic.

Whatever makes the game more enjoyable is fine in my book!

[teevons]

I have lived in Palm Springs now for almost 6 months but have only played 9 holes at local short course a few times.
Today was first 18 holes at a regulation 18 holer. Cimmaron golf in Cathedral City,Plays 6800 from the back tees which I played. They have 4 par 4's over 450 yards!!
I would pick one of the few days it rains!! Nothing like 95 degree weather with lightning in the mountains to make you play fast. I was able to play 18 with a cart in an hour and 20 minutes, tee off after 12 on most days here and it is empty since it gets to 105-110, also it was only $20.00 with cart
I used a Richard Ohara persimmon driver, 3& 5 Hogan persimmon woods, Jack Nicklaus Limited 5-PW Hogan 52& 56 degree and and Macgregor Spur putter.
The Richard Ohara was a treat,. With no range balls I hit the first drive 250 right down the pipe, same with number 2 hole, really great feeling. The Ohara company was sued by Wood bros because of similarity with US soleplate. I has a S400 shaft, 44 inches long

The best club in the bag was the Macgregor Spur, if you have not used one you owe it to yourselves to find one. It is the same type putter that Hogan used to win most of his tournaments with. It is center shafted with a fairly heavy feeling head, original leather grip. I made several long putts and was able to get it close most times.

Great day all around!!

[dbuck47]

Great job Teevons.

[MoaningM]

Loving the look of that driver teevons, never heard of richard o'hara? Great looking insert.

[teevons]

O'hara was based out of Portland, Oregon. I have a couple of his drivers, very nice quality, excellent workmanship. Dave Wood told me he sued him though for copying his soleplate designs.

[Kathy Marie]

Wow, that's a GORGEOUS driver Teevons, Very Nice!! And you Sir, shot *18* in about my best time for walking 9 (1:15) *how* fast does that cart go??? (Or did you just hit the Nitrous button?!?? )

I have a Serious Question for you and the board, though: how do you stay functional in that heat?? I had my Worst Round Ever a couple weeks ago, thought I shot 90+ for 9 holes and my putting was Flat Gone by the end: I didn't sink a putt in [b]7 tries[/b] when putting + chipping are normally the best parts of my game. I also write myself notes for each hole, what I hit, where it went etc., trying to get solid data to improve (studied Science at school, can you tell?? ) It was sobering to go through it and see how I was getting confused; I thought I was high 70's going into the 9th and that was the total for the *round* (instead of 90's)

When I can't do basic math something's wrong, I tutored math & calculus.

Now I'd forgotten my hat, got hungry with nothing along plus it was Wisconsin In Summer: warm & humid. I think I also got into a kind of spiral of getting overheated ---> playing badly --> out there longer ---> getting more overheated etc, etc. It took me over 2 hours to play 9 holes solo on an empty course. Also, I've been sensitive to heat ever since a serious episode of heat exhaustion.

And Yes, I know the quick answer to this question is, "Don't walk." But that's the reason I started the game. I think I've posted before about how my PT said, "Golf will keep you out of the wheel chair," during treatment for Achilles Tendonosis.

If you've Done Serious Time in a chair, My Condolences, but YOU KNOW EXACTLY why I Became A Golfer in that moment.

And if you've had Achilles Tendonosis (tho I hope to God you haven't) you will understand what the following means:

On a walk with a neighbor last night, a little sneaky voice in my head piped up.


"You know, Kathy, you could try RUNNING a little...."


OUR GAME IS WORKING, Gentlemen!

So if you've got any ideas, please lay them on me. Sun umbrella? Under Armour? Golf bag ala Czervik with Personal Portable AC??? (Hey, we;ve got the technology, right??)

Thanks in advance for your help,

KM

[teevons]

KM, I played fast because of the lightning I saw in the distance!! It helped too I was playing ok and kept the ball in the short stuff, did not pull the pin when putting and did not keep score on a card, all time savers.

I have not played much in the heat here but have been working outside on my house in it. I drink a lot of water at night, and I have it a lot during the day. I know from my electrician telling me who has lived here all his life and has heat stroke 3 times, he has to be very careful because of having heat stroke happening to him. He had another bout a few weeks ago. he was working outside in in 115 degrees. If you had trouble in 70 degree weather you might want to talk to your doctor. I know there is medication for people with heat stroke indications to keep you feeling ok.

Regarding your ankle issues, I have had 3 surgeries on my right ankle, I have 13 screws in it, and a metal plate on the side, I try to walk also but use cart when I want to play fast or feel like it hurts too much that day, since I moved to the desert I have several swimming pools where I live and swim every day, use the hot tub,great for circulation and ROM, low impact. I can tell you w from my experience once you screw up your Achilles tendon it never feels right again, I have to stretch it constantly to keep it from tightening up, I also had surgery on my calf muscle where they cut the tendon to take pressure off the Achilles tendon,

Good luck!!