tommy armour titanium disaster?

[daves81]

I am interested in golf equipment history and I read in a post in the putter buzz category titled "Any info on this putter?" Which mentions the "Tommy Armour titanium iron disaster". Can anyone tell me about this? I googled it and didnt find too much except they cost about 1200 bucks in like 1996. And TA was owned by Tear Drop at one time.I know its weird but I find this stuff interesting,That is why I love this forum. Anyway ,do any of you long time golfers know about this? TA and Teardrop were popular back in the day I always wondered whatever happened to them Dave

[roho]

I think what the comment is referring to is the set of irons that came out that had a very large over sized head. They were so big they were cartoonish. I think they were called the T1000 or something like that. I don't have any details other than that but you should be able find them on the net somewhere. They did not sell well and I never saw them in anyone's bag.

TA has been owned by many for the last 25 years and some of the marketing schemes weren't the best. They did produce probably one of the best cavity back irons ever, the 845s in 1987.

[daves81]

Thank You Roho that was very interesting.I appreciate the reply.On this site somewhere there is a article called "whatever happened to",that is pretty cool.It mentions a bunch of brands that are no longer around. Dave

[JBones]

They did produce probably one of the best cavity back irons ever, the 845s in 1987.

I saved up money from mowing lawns for 3 summers, so that I could buy a set of the 845's in 1992. I sold them to a buddy after buying my first set of Pings in 1997, he is still gaming them.

[GolfSpy_X]

I think you are referring to our "Where Are They Now?" articles. We have not done one in a while and should do another one soon for you guys.

 

Let me know if you guys would be interested.

 

Thank You Roho that was very interesting.I appreciate the reply.On this site somewhere there is a article called "whatever happened to",that is pretty cool.It mentions a bunch of brands that are no longer around. Dave

[Justin66]

I think you are referring to our "Where Are They Now?" articles. We have not done one in a while and should do another one soon for you guys.

 

Let me know if you guys would be interested.

 

I'm all about "WATN?" articles. If you have any to share, MGS, I'd be all ears (or eyes, I suppose...).

[daves81]

I think you are referring to our "Where Are They Now?" articles. We have not done one in a while and should do another one soon for you guys.

 

Let me know if you guys would be interested.

Yes thats it.I would be very interested in another article.Thanks MGS

[NRJyzr]

I am interested in golf equipment history and I read in a post in the putter buzz category titled "Any info on this putter?" Which mentions the "Tommy Armour titanium iron disaster". Can anyone tell me about this? I googled it and didnt find too much except they cost about 1200 bucks in like 1996. And TA was owned by Tear Drop at one time.I know its weird but I find this stuff interesting,That is why I love this forum. Anyway ,do any of you long time golfers know about this? TA and Teardrop were popular back in the day I always wondered whatever happened to them Dave

 

Tommy Armour came out with the Ti100 irons around 1997. They were attempting to cash in on two trends: oversized irons and the titanium craze (it wasn't that long after the Great Big Bertha, after all).

 

Titanium, being less dense than steel, allowed for the clubheads to be made larger, without worrying about weight. What happened was, the irons were made too large and not enough attention paid to the center of gravity, which turned out to be way too high for the average person to hit them decently. Couple that with the insane cost, compared to other irons on the market, they were a huge flop.

 

It was also disconcerting for some to see the sparks one sometimes gets with Titanium making contact with the ground.

 

TearDrop acquired Tommy Armour, and Ram, during 1997 (making the Ti100 irons not a TearDrop issue). Rudy Slucker was apparently attempting to build an empire, but only succeeded in largely trashing both the Armour and Ram brand names. At one point, Huffy owned one or both.

 

It appears they are now the house brand for Sports Authority stores, similar to how Dick's has licensed the Maxfli name from TMAG. Not sure if Sports Authority acquired the brand, or just have a licensing deal.

 

And there you go.

[daves81]

Tommy Armour came out with the Ti100 irons around 1997. They were attempting to cash in on two trends: oversized irons and the titanium craze (it wasn't that long after the Great Big Bertha, after all).

 

Titanium, being less dense than steel, allowed for the clubheads to be made larger, without worrying about weight. What happened was, the irons were made too large and not enough attention paid to the center of gravity, which turned out to be way too high for the average person to hit them decently. Couple that with the insane cost, compared to other irons on the market, they were a huge flop.

 

It was also disconcerting for some to see the sparks one sometimes gets with Titanium making contact with the ground.

 

TearDrop acquired Tommy Armour, and Ram, during 1997 (making the Ti100 irons not a TearDrop issue). Rudy Slucker was apparently attempting to build an empire, but only succeeded in largely trashing both the Armour and Ram brand names. At one point, Huffy owned one or both.

 

It appears they are now the house brand for Sports Authority stores, similar to how Dick's has licensed the Maxfli name from TMAG. Not sure if Sports Authority acquired the brand, or just have a licensing deal.

 

And there you go.

Hey thanks that was interesting.Dave

[DavidL]

I have two friends that still play the t100s and love them.  One of them even bought a second set.  They both shoot in the 70's and 60's occasionally.  The irons were 

strong lofted for the 90's which coupled with large heads and high center of gravity does make them a little harder to hit for average players.  But the sweet spot is

as big as Texas and if you are a good player you may fall in love.  They are the second ugliest irons ever made (the title, most would agree, belongs to the Cleveland

Vasi irons of the same era).  One of my friends that plays them is 84 years old.  Still manages to shoot in the 70's and will not change irons. Also the irons are indestructible.

They still look brand new.  No sign of wear at all in 2022.