Rounds with a Vintage Bag

[pingfool]

eye2 becu 1-sw yesterday....love chipping w/ offset wedges

 

even zipped couple 8irons back off the green - prob haven't done that since last time I pulled these out

[Cbad721]

I just got a berryllium copper Wilson R90 wedge this week and tried it out this morning. Although the clubhead looks smaller than I remember the balance and bounce felt as good as any wedge I've ever played. I need to check the loft, I'm guessing it's 52 or 54 since I was hitting it about 115-120.

 

I've pretty much gone to playing old school clubs permanently now using various eye o matic woods from the 1950s and a 1951 set of macgregor tourney 905s irons. I've fallen in love with the two "double duty" macgregor wedges I picked up this year (each has a rut in the middle of the flange to affect the bounce).

 

This morning was 39-39=78 with 34 putts and 10 GIR. So I can't really complain. I just love the feeling of the old wood when it makes contact

 

PS. I just started reading Tommy' Honor. After 30 pages, I'm hooked

[rwc356]

Beautiful club! Agree with you about Tommy' Honor, a great read.

[jonnygrouville]

Indeed oldschoolrocker. Golfing hippy? Maybe! I'm leaving the course with the buzz of the shots, memories of flights, even the sound of the ball fizzing off the clubhead.

 

[scomac2002]

Jonny, this ones for you. I suspect we are of a kindred spirit when it comes to what we reap as satisfaction from a round of golf.

To borrow from Ginsberg's Beat Generations "Howl," I suppose chasing "the angry fix" tallied at the end of a round is of less consequence to us than the sublime gratification experienced by a proper strike.

Not to insinuate that score, relative to par, is not an object of the game, but, it is not chief among the sins that feed our golf addiction.

Correct me if I have missed the mark.

 

The bolded part sort of summarizes my round today; I scored much better than I struck the ball. It wasn't a great score by any stretch, but in past years I'm sure it would have been much worse when bad shot compounded. I had a mixture of hooked balls and blocked balls with the driver/3W today and my iron strikes were decidedly on the thin side. Nothing really worked and yet somehow I avoided complete disasters, just way too many doubles and too few pars. My sense was that I had the worst game I've had in a month and yet the card said 90; hardly good, but a lot better than the way I was spraying the ball around today!

[Tumbleweed_1968]

Went out this morning on the back nine with a P/B driver, new to me P/B persimmon 2 wood, Wilson 3 & 4 wood, Wilson K-28 2, 4-9 irons, Ram PW, NW putter, and a no name forged 62* wedge.

 

Had loads of fun, but didn't score well. Hit some quality shots, and hit the 1 & 2 woods as good as my Adams titanium woods, so that was nice. Hit a 2 iron off the tee for the first time in like 35 years and loved it. I think I found a good combination for now.

Nice set. These were my sweet classics from yesterdays game (85)

p.s. remind me to oil the #3

p.p.s. oiled

Nice set!

[memphishorn]

My favorite part of yesterday's annual Father's Day Round with 50 year old MT Tourney Persimmons and 45 year MT Tourney irons was shooting 78 from the White Tees with 4 birdies and a greenie for 5 scats with all my group playing their standard gear. The surprise was how well I putted with my Dad's old Bert Dargie Won Putt Putter.

 

I putt his 50 year old red leather Burton bag in play also. Love it!

[Parmstrong]

Played only my third round of the year a local city owned course with some Izett woods I bought last year and finally got around to regripping. No hyperbole, they are some of the best woods I have ever hit. I was hitting a Wilson Prostaff 432 to places (in the fairway no less) I rarely get to with my Callaway Optiforce and a chrome soft. Added up to one of my better rounds in the past few years.

 

The full bag was:

Izett driver, 3 wood and 4 wood

Wilson Bulletback 2-PW

Wilson Sandy Andy SW

Wilson Sam Snead putter

 

Only downside was the 4 wood cracked the first time I hit it. I'm going to try to fix it myself and we'll see how it goes.

[Nomad Golfer]

Played only my third round of the year a local city owned course with some Izett woods I bought last year and finally got around to regripping. No hyperbole, they are some of the best woods I have ever hit. I was hitting a Wilson Prostaff 432 to places (in the fairway no less) I rarely get to with my Callaway Optiforce and a chrome soft. Added up to one of my better rounds in the past few years.

 

The full bag was:

Izett driver, 3 wood and 4 wood

Wilson Bulletback 2-PW

Wilson Sandy Andy SW

Wilson Sam Snead putter

 

Only downside was the 4 wood cracked the first time I hit it. I'm going to try to fix it myself and we'll see how it goes.

That's a nice balance of clubs. Would like to see more of the bag

[TimV]

Played Sunday with my 85 Mizzy Blades along with a Laminate Ping Zing Driver, Royal 4 Wood, and Chico's Tomahawk Putter. Enjoyed a solid round with overall good ball striking and made a believer of my young playing partner in the power of the 2 iron!

The funniest moment happened prior to the round though. My back was tight so I got there early and got a small bucket of range balls to hit prior to the round, 40 balls I believe. I wanted to get loosened up instead of taking the first couple holes to do so. A younger couple was several slots down from me on the range and I didn't pay them too much mind. It actually only took a few swings to get my back working (I never know) and other than a few thin and a few heavy I was hitting the ball pretty well. I went 7I, 5I, 2I, 4W, Driver and took a few minutes to rest as I switched clubs. I was watching the young couple then as I had seen several balls skitter out 10 yards in front of me. Shank, top, push, and Pull seemed to be the order of the day for them. I get it, we all have to start somewhere. However they were also apparently watching me as I had my back to them as I was hitting. As I wrapped up I said to them "Enjoy your day!" The young man smiled and asked "How do you do that" "What?" I said. "Keep hitting the ball straight like that" He said. I told him his problem was that his equipment was too new while showing him my driver and then wandered back to get my cart and head out for my round.

[Tumbleweed_1968]

I told him his problem was that his equipment was too new while showing him my driver and then wandered back to get my cart and head out for my round.

:rofl:

[Nomad Golfer]

I have decent if not spectacular classic clubs and don't really need any more, although, I did recently have my eye on some JNP irons which someone else beat me to. Prior to this I sold 3 sets of clubs including a full set of Spalding Elite Pro irons in good nick, and a fourth partial set with 8 MacGregor RD irons also in good nick, these last ones went to a local secondhand shop. I was in this shop today, looking for something else (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it) and wandered over to where a few sets of clubs were stored just out of curiosity and didn't see my MacGregors, not at first, then I spotted the 9 iron in a bag with some old PGF and Spaldings irons, then some more spread amongst the 4 bags against the wall. Got nearly all them except for the P wedge and nearly gave up at this stage, but being a low handicap scrounger and shifter, this last club turned up not in the bags but at the back of them, lounging nonchalantly against the wall. Before I could change my mind, they and me marched to the counter and I rebought them. Why am I still smiling.

[oldschoolrocker]

Ah Nomad,

Why do we do such things? As Denzil Washington said once in a film, "The old man's gotta be the old man, and the fish's gotta be the fish."

[Nomad Golfer]

Ah Nomad,

Why do we do such things? As Denzil Washington said once in a film, "The old man's gotta be the old man, and the fish's gotta be the fish."

film "The Equalizer"

I have one of those, my Hogan E wedge (aka Avatar)

[oldschoolrocker]

Nice setup for a Segway for my next post Nomad.

With all this Hogan nostalgia going round, the anniversary of his 20 year passing, I thought for tomorrow's round with the traveling seniors I would park the Wilsons and play some Hogans.

Problem is I don't have a set of Hogans, but do have thrift stores, so I found a few odds and ends enough to make a rag tag set to play.

Apex Plus - 3 and 5 irons

Radial - 5,7,9 irons

88 Redline - Equalizer

56* Hogan Special Sand Iron

Little Ben - Putter

'53 Anniversary Driver

Slot line - 6 wood

 

Should be interesting.

[HoganApexBlades]

Nice setup for a Segway for my next post Nomad.

With all this Hogan nostalgia going round, the anniversary of his 20 year passing, I thought for tomorrow's round with the traveling seniors I would park the Wilsons and play some Hogans.

Problem is I don't have a set of Hogans, but do have thrift stores, so I found a few odds and ends enough to make a rag tag set to play.

Apex Plus - 3 and 5 irons

Radial - 5,7,9 irons

88 Redline - Equalizer

56* Hogan Special Sand Iron

Little Ben - Putter

'53 Anniversary Driver

Slot line - 6 wood

 

Should be interesting.

 

Randy,

 

I could've taken care of you...I have plenty of Hogan iron sets to choose from...not as many as teevons...but enough for the moment.

[Nomad Golfer]

Nice setup for a Segway for my next post Nomad.

With all this Hogan nostalgia going round, the anniversary of his 20 year passing, I thought for tomorrow's round with the traveling seniors I would park the Wilsons and play some Hogans.

Problem is I don't have a set of Hogans, but do have thrift stores, so I found a few odds and ends enough to make a rag tag set to play.

Apex Plus - 3 and 5 irons

Radial - 5,7,9 irons

88 Redline - Equalizer

56* Hogan Special Sand Iron

Little Ben - Putter

'53 Anniversary Driver

Slot line - 6 wood

 

Should be interesting.

I live on an island also but no thrift shops like yours !

May the Hogan be with you

[oldschoolrocker]

Thank you Alan,

Just testing the waters with the Hogans, unless, of course I really like them...

Some pre tournament thoughts:

The Apex Plus. New enough to be jacked up lofts, not too back for an undercut style.

The Radials. Strictly old school lofts. A high ball club, in the hands of a high ball hitter, could give me problems.

The '88 Equalizer. Can one become emotionally attached to a golf club?

The Special Sand Iron. A respectable 2nd fiddle to a Dynapower.

'53 Ann Driver. Is that a shaft, or rebar?

Slotline 6. Interesting.

Little Ben putter. Looks more like a club for chipping than putting.

Nomad, no thrifts??? How do you feed the monster?

[Nomad Golfer]

Thank you Alan,

Just testing the waters with the Hogans, unless, of course I really like them...

Some pre tournament thoughts:

The Apex Plus. New enough to be jacked up lofts, not too back for an undercut style.

The Radials. Strictly old school lofts. A high ball club, in the hands of a high ball hitter, could give me problems.

The '88 Equalizer. Can one become emotionally attached to a golf club?

The Special Sand Iron. A respectable 2nd fiddle to a Dynapower.

'53 Ann Driver. Is that a shaft, or rebar?

Slotline 6. Interesting.

Little Ben putter. Looks more like a club for chipping than putting.

Nomad, no thrifts??? How do you feed the monster?

Ah, the thrifts are there but mostly stocked with flick-ons from me.

I'm on a first name basis with all the classic clubs on this island.

Any new stuff headed this way, I can smell them before they cross the bridge.

[DM70]

I've mostly played with my Apex Redlines the last few weeks, yesterday something clicked and I really started striking it pure, heavenly feeling together with a Callaway Chrome Soft. Today I gamed my full modern bag (still using my Redline Equalizer and 8813 though) and barely missed a shot, ended up shooting a 76, 41 stableford points and dropped my hcp a full stroke. I know I could not have done that without the confidence built up from using blades.

 

After the round I stopped by "my" local club maker to pickup the -73 Apex set he'd fixed loft and lie for me on, and he emphatically is in the "play blades to learn and improve strike"-camp. Seeing his personal 14 degree 2 iron I kind of believe him...

 

I only wish I started playing vintage 10-15 years ago :-)

[TimV]

Today's Observation ...

When I start getting tired coming into the last few holes it pays to park the driver (Ping Zing laminate today) and go to the 2 iron. I wish I would have done it one hole earlier but I still did it soon enough to save a good round from crumbling under conventional expectations.

 

Another plus - My wife's game continues to improve and I may be able to introduce her to vintage play by this time next year. The trick there may be finding a cheap ladies left handed vintage set worth restoring.

[Jiggered]

Played two rounds on Friday at New Zealand Golf Club, Surrey, UK.

Playing with Walter Hagen 1, 3, 4 woods, a Browning 440 5 wood, HB&S Max Faulkner 3-PW irons, Dunlop Peter Thomson SW and an obscure putter I picked up recently which performed well.

 

Short course by today's standards but a lot of heather close to fairway and plenty of bunkers, greens were excellent with subtle breaks that were sometimes impossible to see.

 

I played mediocre golf but loved every minute of it, lovely course and a superb lunch in the traditional clubhouse too!

[stixman]

Played Seascale on the Cumbrian coast yesterday, proper links in a proper gale = proper golf.

it was an Open comp. with 110 entries and I copped 17 place. I thought I had entered a Seniors competition but it turned out I had my old guy wires crossed and it was open to all (men that is).

 

Clubs in play were the 1980s remake Dynapowers, Wilson Harmonised Pitching wedge, an old R90 pitching wedge with a big flange and bounce, old Acushnet Flanged Bullseye, my Srixon XX10 driver doubling as a fairway and a Callaway 5 wood which is the only club with built-in reliable fade.

 

Note, Seascale links designed by Willie Campbell, also the Machrie on Islay before he went to the US, didn't he found the Public links movement?

[Jiggered]

Good scoring Chris!

[oldschoolrocker]

BZ Chris.

[Tumbleweed_1968]

Another plus - My wife's game continues to improve and I may be able to introduce her to vintage play by this time next year. The trick there may be finding a cheap ladies left handed vintage set worth restoring.

I may have seen one at a local thrift. Next time I am there, I will investigate for you.

[jonnygrouville]

Love that comment about wishing you'd started playing vintage clubs years ago. I will be using that one...

 

[8bitpowerfade]

On the 4th of July I shot +1 for nine holes with my vintage short set Sunday bag. The folks I played with couldn't believe it. It's not the arrows it's the Indian! This bag consists of the oldest clubs I've played with to date: late 40s MacGregor Tourney Tommy Armour woods, early 50s Spalding Top Flites and Bullseye putter. Good times!

[baloo]

^Nicely done!

[TimV]

On the 4th of July I shot +1 for nine holes with my vintage short set Sunday bag. The folks I played with couldn't believe it. It's not the arrows it's the Indian! This bag consists of the oldest clubs I've played with to date: late 40s MacGregor Tourney Tommy Armour woods, early 50s Spalding Top Flites and Bullseye putter. Good times!

 

Is that a Nassau Bag? It looks similar to one I have.