Way ahead of their time

[Ironmaster Oddities]

Here is either a blast from the past or a harbinger of thing to come. Spalding Executive XE. Hybrid/iron set. I think these babies are vintage 1990 or so. If anyone knows, please advise.

[Arafel]

Wedgewood!

Better fix that ferulle.

[Ironmaster Oddities]

And I thought Wedgewood was the name of my wife's good China

[Arafel]

[quote name='Ironmaster Oddities' timestamp='1386885788' post='8290735']
And I thought Wedgewood was the name of my wife's good China
[/quote]

What's old is new again.

[attachment=1983067:ww.jpg]

[Ironmaster Oddities]

Nothing really new, is there? They probably want $2-300 a club to boot.

[Arafel]

[quote name='Ironmaster Oddities' timestamp='1386886198' post='8290793']
Nothing really new, is there? They probably want $2-300 a club to boot.
[/quote]

I think they want $99 a club. These guys have been around for about ten years or more. I think Cally even did an all hybrid set five or six years ago. It went about as well as all other past attempts I believe.

Yeah, very little really is new anymore.

[teevons]

Fawn, here is an ad from 1987, Gert

[oldsticks]

[quote name='Ironmaster Oddities' timestamp='1386884839' post='8290625']
Here is either a blast from the past or a harbinger of thing to come. Spalding Executive XE. Hybrid/iron set. I think these babies are vintage 1990 or so. If anyone knows, please advise.
[/quote]

[quote name='Ironmaster Oddities' timestamp='1386884839' post='8290625']
Here is either a blast from the past or a harbinger of thing to come. Spalding Executive XE. Hybrid/iron set. I think these babies are vintage 1990 or so. If anyone knows, please advise.
[/quote]

Harbinger of things to come...here are a couple circa 1897 Standard Golf Co (England) clubs I have in my 19th century play bag. Look like hybrids to me.
I also have a set of Spalding Cannon's. Very similar to yours.Can't do pics, they are in Arizona. I agree, very little new in golf.

[super20dan]

i have the spalding xe 2"iron" and sand wedge. in all fairness i didnt buy the sw. the 2 i s actually a great iron from the tee for tight driving holes. really easy to hit. also have a whole set of hybred "irons" called linksolution. makes golf easy.-too easy. www.google.com/search?q=linksolution+ls2000&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=LXSqUtfcNpG4kQf8kIDwDQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280

[birly-shirly]

[quote name='teevons' timestamp='1386894450' post='8291591']
Fawn, here is an ad from 1987, Gert
[/quote]

I think those were being launched, at least in the UK, when I attended my first ever Open at Turnberry in '86. I was an impressionable age, and have been confused ever since at the hype surrounding hybrids.

Don't you love that they made a laminate wood, but then painted it silver to [i]look [/i]metal? The times they were a changing...

[ScooterMcTavish]

One word - fugly.

No wonder Spalding got bought out. "It also gives the club a little more power" - that is not the hyperbole that sells golf clubs. "LONGEST IRONS IN THE HISTORY OF GOLF" is what works.

Gah, I just looked at the picture again and threw up in my mouth.

[Shallowface]

[quote name='Ironmaster Oddities' timestamp='1386884839' post='8290625']
Here is either a blast from the past or a harbinger of thing to come. Spalding Executive XE. Hybrid/iron set. I think these babies are vintage 1990 or so. If anyone knows, please advise.
[/quote]

My dad (a left hander) had a set of those in the late 80s/early 90s. He sold them, lived to regret it and asked me to find him another set a couple of years ago, which I was able to do quite cheaply.

The big difference between the XEs and the Wedgewoods is face progression. The leading edge of the XEs pretty much lines up with the forward edge of the shaft, while the Wedgewoods have face progression more typical of lofted woods. If you like the look, the face progression is actually a benefit out of the rough as the leading edge gets to the ball before the hosel.

Actually IMO the XEs are not ugly at all, just different, and certainly much easier to play than what most people find attractive. Despite the presence of a ferrule, as you can see from the pics where the ferrule is missing it is an over the hosel design, pretty much the last club introduced with this design which first appeared in the early 70s (edit: the Wilson Fat Shafts are over the hosel as well, but I didn't think of that when I wrote this. The Fat Shafts are different as they are made with an adapter to facilitate the OTH design as opposed to a hosel post that's part of the clubhead stuck inside the shaft which is irreparable if it breaks).

When the game began, woods dominated the set and there were few if any irons. It went the other way, but very few were able to use irons with less than 24 degrees of loft. Now it seems we are going back to the beginning.

I think we will eventually see that the majority of club golfers will have 12 wood/hybrid clubs, a sand wedge (which may be a hybrid design as well) and a putter. It simply makes the game easier, and there's nothing wrong with that. There is NOTHING fun about bad golf.

They may look different, but results are the only thing that matters.

[oldsticks]

[attachment=1992433:DSCN5809.JPG][attachment=1992435:DSCN5805.JPG][quote name='Ironmaster Oddities' timestamp='1386884839' post='8290625']
Here is either a blast from the past or a harbinger of thing to come. Spalding Executive XE. Hybrid/iron set. I think these babies are vintage 1990 or so. If anyone knows, please advise.
[/quote]
Here are pictures of the 1-3-5 woods that came with your set.
I also have a #1 iron
Finally a little later iteration of the XE called "Wind Jammer". The #1 Wind Jammer shaft is the same as the XE #5 fairway.

[HoldenCornfield]

[quote name='Shallowface' timestamp='1387065765' post='8300909']
When the game began, woods dominated the set and there were few if any irons. It went the other way, [b]but very few were able to use irons with less than 24 degrees of loft[/b]. Now it seems we are going back to the beginning.

[/quote]

Tom Wishon writes about this, saying in the clubmaking industry it is known as the '24/38 rule'; most golfers will not be able to hit an iron with less than 24 degrees of loft or a length greater than 38".

Nowadays, the 5 iron, especially with graphite shaft, in most sets is getting perilously close to this threshold. And, of course, everything below it is pretty clearly unplayable for the majority of recreational golfers.

For my set (1967 Hogan pc7), the 4 iron is 26 degrees and 38" long, and I find it to be the demarcation line of (barely) acceptable results in my bag, so the rule seems to apply pretty neatly for this hacker.

[FeinMess]

I purchased my set of Spaulding XE irons (3-P) in 1987 in the Pro Shop at the Fort Meade, MD golf course. Was shipping out to Japan and needed new clubs and was scared I wouldn’t be able to buy clubs overseas. This was way back before internet, folks. These irons were explained to me as clubs that will promote accuracy at the expense of distance. I do believe that is true, I have used this same set of irons since 1987 and swear by them. In that time, I have gone through dozens of 3 woods, 5 woods, and drivers. I was lucky enough to recently have found the sand wedge to this collection on EBAY. Would love to find a lob wedge, but do not believe they make one

[Shallowface]

I purchased my set of Spaulding XE irons (3-P) in 1987 in the Pro Shop at the Fort Meade, MD golf course. Was shipping out to Japan and needed new clubs and was scared I wouldn’t be able to buy clubs overseas. This was way back before internet, folks. These irons were explained to me as clubs that will promote accuracy at the expense of distance. I do believe that is true, I have used this same set of irons since 1987 and swear by them. In that time, I have gone through dozens of 3 woods, 5 woods, and drivers. I was lucky enough to recently have found the sand wedge to this collection on EBAY. Would love to find a lob wedge, but do not believe they make one

 

The standard lofts of these was on the weak side, with a 52 degree PW and 58 degree Sand Wedge, so that Sand Wedge is pretty close to a modern Lob Wedge.