[The Artful Duffer]

After some long thinking and growing comfortable with my current setup, I finally broke down and posted a craigslist ad here locally looking to move my old irons and an assortment of fairway woods and other random clutter. I've had my TM Firesole irons for 13 years and feel like I may cry when the time comes to let them go. It was the first set I purchased new for me with my own hard earned college job paychecks. Tried a couple other sets but always fell right back into these irons for some reason. I'd love to keep them but they're still in great shape and deserve to be out on a course in the sun somewhere, not packed away in the corner of the basement with the rain cover on them. It got me to wondering, who else out there has had a similar experience letting go of an older set and did you come to regret the decision later?

[RoverRick]

I have a set of Ping Eye 2's out in the garage. The grips are still in good shape and I had a couple of friends play them last year, One guy asked to buy them this weekend, I told him they were for sell but he wanted to trade his old clubs on them. I said if I wanted to have a third set of clubs, I would rather have Ping Eye 2's than Callaway X Tours which is what he has. I have them because they are not really worth anything. They do not have the original shafts, and they have dark hosels from burning the old shafts out. I used too much heat to do it, but I bought them for $20 in '91 and reshafted them myself and played with them for 10 years. I keep them because it costs me nothing and if I ever have a friend show up and need clubs, well anyone can play Ping Eye 2's.

[Shambles]

RoverRick, on 01 May 2012 - 03:27 AM, said:

I have a set of Ping Eye 2's out in the garage. The grips are still in good shape and I had a couple of friends play them last year, One guy asked to buy them this weekend, I told him they were for sell but he wanted to trade his old clubs on them. I said if I wanted to have a third set of clubs, I would rather have Ping Eye 2's than Callaway X Tours which is what he has. I have them because they are not really worth anything. They do not have the original shafts, and they have dark hosels from burning the old shafts out. I used too much heat to do it, but I bought them for $20 in '91 and reshafted them myself and played with them for 10 years. I keep them because it costs me nothing and if I ever have a friend show up and need clubs, well anyone can play Ping Eye 2's.

Seems like we have the same story about the old Eye 2's. Mine also have dark hosels from my shaft shuffling done with the kitchen stove and I also cannot let them go. This was not my first set. My first personally bought set was a set of Hogan Apex that I had the devils time learning to use though friends and acquaintances assured me they were a fine set and they would be interested if I let them go. When I moved on to the Eye 2's I had no plans of selling my Hogan's but a friend asked to borrow that set and later left an excess payment at my home for the set without my permission or agreement. Far beyond the value of my set but he was determined to own it and I could not recover my property.

I have since then moved on to other clubs but always returned to the Eye 2's especially when I needed a good round. I learned a lesson from the Hogans and these days when a friend needs to borrow a set I lend one of my newer sets and play with my old Eye 2's, or some other set depending on mood. I won't be lending out my old Eye 2's. There are too many memories with them and I remember them all when I use that old set.

I don't sell my old sets. I learned to choose them for different characteristics in use and play, and shilly shally from set to set as mood strikes. To date I still believe I play better with my old Eye 2's but Golf gets boring when you do the same things over and over. I use the other sets to be able to change for the sake of change, or to compare. The ones I feel are not worth keeping I dismantle for parts, sell or give away to a nephew or niece.


Shambles

[GolfSpy Matt]

I have sold many sets of irons, but never my first "real" set.

[The Artful Duffer]

I'm starting to feel guilty about this after the replies I'm getting. Lol.

[wdgolf]

The Artful Duffer, on 01 May 2012 - 12:07 PM, said:

I'm starting to feel guilty about this after the replies I'm getting. Lol.

I sold my first real set of Jack Nicklaus clubs and honestly I miss them from time to time . I'd never hit them again, but there was an attachment. Still, they helped fund my current set, so I'd probably do it again.

My son's old sets, however, are totally off limits. They get to collect dust in the attic, but whenever I'm up there, I give them a look for sentimentality. He's getting a new set at the end of this year, and his current set is going into the same collection. My wife likes to justify it saying we can give it to the grand children some day, but in my mind it's a big hell no. My grand children will be playing with new sets . Plus he's only 8 right now, so thankfully I don't have to think about that much right now.

[jmiller065]

If it gets to the point that it is not worth my time in trying to sell something for like $20 then I donate it to the First Tee. Just find the local chapter near you and then give it to them. Here is a link on supporting the first tee with equipment donations and finding a local chapter --> http://www.thefirstt...ion.asp?NS=OWTG

Now if it is worth the sale then anything can be taken off my hands for the right price even stuff I currently play

[Will Par]

Your comment "they deserve to be out on a course in the sun somewhere" tells me you have a personal attachment to the clubs. I have a couple of sets of old irons that are basically worn out and don't have much value. They were not my first clubs but I'm sort of a pack rat anyway and these clubs just seem to "belong" in my old golf bag in the corner. I would rather keep them than get what few dollars they would bring if I sell them.

[hckymeyer]

My very first set of clubs was a half set of Northwestern clubs. I couldn't let them go, so I ended up cutting them down and now my 5yr old nephew hits them around the yard. Funny that I couldn't sell them or give them away, but I have no problem at all hacking them in half. It's worth it to see the enjoyment of my nephew playing golf just like Uncle Brian

My first 'real' set of clubs were original Titleist DCI's. I ended up giving them to dad and he is still gaming them. Don't think I'll ever get rid of those either.

Other than those two sets I've had no remorse about selling my old clubs.

[barbajo]

My first "real" set of clubs was a set of Ping irons, circa 1981 -- bought 'em used in '83. Wound up trading with my brother for a set of Palmer Axioms. He played them for years -- after he died my best friend from childhood took ownership of them, and he played them until two years ago. In all that time, no one re-gripped them!

My friend is a lawyer, and took care of my mother in the last years of her life (the rest of us lived in different time zones)...so to thank him I bought him a new set of Mizuno's. The Pings are still in his garage -- and I hope they stay in the extended family -- albeit with new grips.

That said, I've traded in more sets of clubs than I can remember - without remorse.

[RookieBlue7]

Rick, if you decide to sell those eye2's let me know.

[RoverRick]

It seems that we only form a sentimenal attachment to the "first" clubs. It may be the first new set, or the first name brand set, or the first whatever set. I have my first name brand set. I have kept the Ping Eye 2's not so much for the sentimental value as because they were, are, some of the best irons ever made. I played a few rounds with them last year and they are still as good as any game improvement irons made today. I thought about gaming these but I could not move the ball to the right. The left movement was fine but they would not go the other way at all.

As far as other irons, I sold my gamers last weekend. Leaving me only a back up set. I actually had to go back to the house and get a set of irons because I allowed one of my opponents to play my gamers. I was planning on reshafting them but when the guy offered me $25, lunch and beer, more that I said I wanted for them I had no sentimental attachment at all.

[RoverRick]

RookieBlue7, on 01 May 2012 - 09:18 PM, said:

Rick, if you decide to sell those eye2's let me know.

I tried to PM you but you can not recieve PM.


These were reshafted with TT Lites. This was my first attempt at reshafting, and the only torch I had was a cutting torch. Therefore it left black marks on them. I will take pictures and send you, probably Thursday. I have a shaft fitting tomorrow. These Eye 2's are 3 - SW and the originals.


I have a Ping Eye 2+ BeCu Sand Wedge that I still play today. I just regripped this one with one of my personalized Pure Grips, I do not see selling this club at all.

[RookieBlue7]

RoverRick, on 01 May 2012 - 10:00 PM, said:

I tried to PM you but you can not recieve PM.


These were reshafted with TT Lites. This was my first attempt at reshafting, and the only torch I had was a cutting torch. Therefore it left black marks on them. I will take pictures and send you, probably Thursday. I have a shaft fitting tomorrow. These Eye 2's are 3 - SW and the originals.


I have a Ping Eye 2+ BeCu Sand Wedge that I still play today. I just regripped this one with one of my personalized Pure Grips, I do not see selling this club at all.

Hmm... didn't realize it but my PM box was full... Try it now.

[R.P. Jacobs II]

My first sold set was actually not of my doing, & yea, I regretted the hell out of it..It was 1983 & I had a set of pristine WS FG17s, a Toney Penna driver(mahogany persimmon) & Powerbilt Citation 3 & 5 woods along with my 9082 putter, which I have to this day(I know what you're thinking, keep reading)..I was living with my girlfriend & the relationship was falling apart & I told her that I had found someone else & would be moving out when I got back from an out of town business trip..She seemed ok with it, as we had been going in opposite directions for a while..

Anyway, I get back from my trip & not only had she moved out, but when I went to my closet the next day to grab my clubs, they were gone..I panicked...I looked all over my apartment & nothing else was missing nor, obviously, did I find my clubs...

I found her @ her parent's house, & at first she denied knowing anything about the clubs' location, though she finally admitted that she sold them..I was crushed, livid, you name it...And she didn't just sell the clubs, she sold my frickin bag & everything in it..I hung up on her...Well, after obviously having a pang of guilt, she called me back & gave me the guy's name & number...I got ahold of him & to make a longer story short, I bought my clubs back..........For $250 more than he had paid for them...& I was ecstatic!..You'dve thought I had won the frickin lottery...

The kicker is, he had only been playing for a couple of years & wanted his first set of "real" clubs..He complimented the clubs' appearence & admitted to me that he didn't really know that much about clubs, & asked me if they were "good" clubs..I was ready to cry!..I just thanked him & went straight to the course...

So yea AD, I hadda alot of regrets that day, though not about my clubs..The Best..Fairways & Greens 4ever...