Sports Illustrated, 50 Years Ago This Week

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

I love The Vault on si.com -- every issue ever of Sports Illustrated is preserved there for you to read.  Love me some history, and 50 years ago this week history was made when Texas Western upset Kentucky to win the NCAA Championship.  You can click here to check out the issue.

 

Found some great golf ads in the issue.  Here's one for Hogan's 1966 woods and irons...

 

 

Distance and club speed -- in 1966!  Digging' the Speed Slot in the toe of Hogan's woods from back in the day.  Wonder if the new Hogan will bring that back?

 

Cool Wilson ad, too...

 

 

Redistributing weight, more mass behind the sweet spot, and the Distance Secret....revolutionary stuff during the Johnson administration.

 

And in the back of the magazine with this nifty little twofer...

 

 

The Spading Dot - designed to put the most distance between you and your shot.  Also digging the TrueTemper ad for....rake shafts???

 

Love these old ads - just goes to show, it's always been about distance!

[Sproutland]

Someone needs to buy the Spaulding golf ball name so they can bring back the Dot.

 

 

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[PlaidJacket]

Bring back the Dot? Hopefully not in it's original form. LOL

[revkev]

That dot was a piece of crap -

 

These ads are priceless - they are from when I was starting to get into the game and yes it's always been all about the distance.  If anything I think that modern ads talk more about lowering scores than older ads did not less.

[Will Par]

I'm a fan of the SI Vault too.  I have a permanent bookmark to it on my bookmarks toolbar.  If you take the time to search, you can find some great articles.  Articles on golf instruction, articles on major championships, etc.  I subscribed to SI for many years and often go back to read articles that I remember.  Ken Venturi won Sportsman of the Year (in 1964 I think) and it is a good read.  Also about that time there were two instruction articles by Claude Harmon Sr.  There are some gems on putting too.  Those are just some that I remember.

[Sproutland]

The dot is an iconic name. Put it on a really good 4 tour ball and I'd game it.

 

 

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[fozcycle]

The Dot is now the Maxfli........note the dot on the Ball.

 

 

 

[fozcycle]

When I was about 7 or 8 years old, my Mother gave her Father a giftbox of Dunlop golfballs....each was individually wrapped in cellophane with 6 in a hinged box....The cover had pictures of the balls imprinted on it.

 

I still have the box.  I keep golf memorabilia in it.  It reminds me of my Grandfather and the many times we were on the golf course together....(I was the caddy).

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE: The Circled DOT on the Dunlop is the same that is on the modern day Maxfli

 

[Dana]

The hinged box is quite unique.  Great little story too.