Anyone ever hear of Spalding Par Play Irons?

[Skip Castaneda]

Hi everyone. New member here. I have been reading the site for a few months now and finally decided to join. I have an addiction to going to thrift stores or the bargain bin at my local golf course to find old treasures. Today I found a 3, 5 and 7 iron of Spalding Par Play irons. When I'm able to I will post pics. I researched online but found nothing. I even typed in the Par Play name on eBay, nothing came up.

Anyone out there see these clubs before?

[sunofsand]

i think there are many of these obscure vintage clubs
most of them likely clones or copies or rebrands of other models and likely a lower valued set sold through ..wherever

I've found FOXX par-flites
no-name 18-8 stainless steel
spalding tru-flites
Sp tee-flites
Sp pacesetter
the "custom" clubs which only have a logo ..on clubsofdinstinction i found one of these so they're probably a clone just like their listings of the good ping clones
Delta customs
then the smaller brands Northwestern whom nobody is going to try to remember, I guess

[Skip Castaneda]

Sunofsand, I read somewhere Northwesterns were a treasure, then I read someplace else they are junk from K-Mart. I guess it depends on how you view it. Your a newbie like me.

[Wriggles]

I venture to say Par Plays were inexpensive clubs in their day. However, most clubs are serviceable, expensive or cheap. I started playing golf in 1964, at age 12. Saving birthday money, etc enabled me to buy clubs, one by one. So, in a year or so, I accumulated 4 Northwestern clubs, a 3W, 3I,5I, and putter. Northwestern were the only clubs available one at a time.

I played with those clubs into the 1970's. They were decent clubs. In 1968, my Dad bought me a half set of Wright and Ditson 1930's clubs for $3 from a guy he worked with. I played those clubs until 1975, when I bought a new set of Wilsons.

I gave the Northwesterns away to a neighbor kid, and sold the Wright's for $20 in 1979. I always wished I had kept the Wrights, for sentimental value. I guess that's why I like vintage clubs.

Northwestern clubs are not very collectible, but I think that's because they were mass market items. Not due to any quality issues.

[Shallowface]

[quote name='Skip Castaneda' timestamp='1377649206' post='7756183']
Sunofsand, I read somewhere Northwesterns were a treasure, then I read someplace else they are junk from K-Mart. I guess it depends on how you view it. Your a newbie like me.
[/quote]

I don't know that anyone would consider Northwestern clubs a treasure unless it was for some sentimental value, but the truth is up until the early 80s they made some very good clubs in addition to the store line products. Their Thunderbird and Rosasco Bros stainless blade irons were as good as anything else out there at that time, and their early metal woods were played on the PGA Tour.

Eventually they went all store line,and that's probably where the final perception of them as a junk peddler comes from. Some of the later molded plastic woods and die cast zinc irons were pretty bad. I'll never understand why a manufacturer decides to go down that road, but they do it in other businesses besides golf as well.

[XYB34A]

[quote name='Shallowface' timestamp='1377720161' post='7761127']
[quote name='Skip Castaneda' timestamp='1377649206' post='7756183']
Sunofsand, I read somewhere Northwesterns were a treasure, then I read someplace else they are junk from K-Mart. I guess it depends on how you view it. Your a newbie like me.
[/quote]

I don't know that anyone would consider Northwestern clubs a treasure unless it was for some sentimental value, but the truth is up until the early 80s they made some very good clubs in addition to the store line products. Their Thunderbird and Rosasco Bros stainless blade irons were as good as anything else out there at that time, and their early metal woods were played on the PGA Tour.

Eventually they went all store line,and that's probably where the final perception of them as a junk peddler comes from. Some of the later molded plastic woods and die cast zinc irons were pretty bad. I'll never understand why a manufacturer decides to go down that road, but they do it in other businesses besides golf as well.
[/quote]

I played with a buddy that had a set of Thunderbird blades it had a great logo stamped real bird on the back of the club or a fascimle therof. He had 2 thru Pw, which equates to 3 iron thru AW or something like that. PW was around 51 or so. Real old lofts. I hit all of his at one time or another, never played with them, but hit them enough to "sing" their praises as a semi collectable vintage club set

[Shallowface]

[quote name='justaman5' timestamp='1377720561' post='7761177']
[quote name='Shallowface' timestamp='1377720161' post='7761127']
[quote name='Skip Castaneda' timestamp='1377649206' post='7756183']
Sunofsand, I read somewhere Northwesterns were a treasure, then I read someplace else they are junk from K-Mart. I guess it depends on how you view it. Your a newbie like me.
[/quote]

I don't know that anyone would consider Northwestern clubs a treasure unless it was for some sentimental value, but the truth is up until the early 80s they made some very good clubs in addition to the store line products. Their Thunderbird and Rosasco Bros stainless blade irons were as good as anything else out there at that time, and their early metal woods were played on the PGA Tour.

Eventually they went all store line,and that's probably where the final perception of them as a junk peddler comes from. Some of the later molded plastic woods and die cast zinc irons were pretty bad. I'll never understand why a manufacturer decides to go down that road, but they do it in other businesses besides golf as well.
[/quote]

I played with a buddy that had a set of Thunderbird blades it had a great logo stamped real bird on the back of the club or a fascimle therof. He had 2 thru Pw, which equates to 3 iron thru AW or something like that. PW was around 51 or so. Real old lofts. I hit all of his at one time or another, never played with them, but hit them enough to "sing" their praises as a semi collectable vintage club set
[/quote]

The Thunderbird II was even better IMO as it had a "tour grind" sole
(Narrower and rounded front to back. The sole on the original Thunderbird was pretty flat and sharp).

My left handed dad played a set of those original Thunderbird irons for years. His also had a bird on the face of the club, right where the sweet spot should be. I'd bet those would be non-conforming according to the USGA today.

There was an Australian version of these called the Keith Knox. They had a kangaroo on the back where the bird was on the Thunderbirds.

[sunofsand]

Few days ago I found another Par Play iron online while searching on another club

it was not a spalding

don't know what site or what I was looking up at the time
but thought of this thread

[Skip Castaneda]

Thanks sunofsand. My searches still come up empty.

[Blade Junkie]

[quote name='Shallowface' timestamp='1377723257' post='7761423']
There was an Australian version of these called the Keith Knox. They had a kangaroo on the back where the bird was on the Thunderbirds.
[/quote]


I have a set of those Keith Knox's ...

Pics in post #6 on this thread: http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/877842-kangaroo-leather-and-fur-golf-bag/page__pid__7466122#entry7466122