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Vintage Irons


Curly6

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I found a cool little bonus when we moved into our current home. In the rafters of the garage, I saw a group of grips sticking out of the shadows. After getting the ladder out, I uncovered a set of these bad boys. Titleist Acushnet Model 100 Pro, 3 through PW.

 

I'd like to take these out, at least to a range to see how they do. I have my own ideas of what to expect. They're older more traditional lofts, and regular flex. I'm expecting them to have little to no forgiveness, tough to hit, shorter than modern irons, and most likely going to spin much more due to the shaft flex difference from my current PX LZ 6.0's.

 

Does anyone think I should be concerned with any durability or club integrity issues? How many out there have gone back and played 40 year old irons after regularly swinging irons made in the past five years?

 

P.s., the pics here are not of the actual ones I found, but are very close in condition. titleist-acushnet-pro-100-vintage_1_b8e81aa7ed042fe9346300b030cf4fc1%20(1).jpegtitleist-acushnet-pro-100-vintage_1_b8e81aa7ed042fe9346300b030cf4fc1.jpeg

Driver: :callaway-small:  Rogue 9*, -1" length
FW: :callaway-small:  Epic SZ 13.5*, 18* -.5" length

Utility: :titelist-small:  816 H2 21*
Irons: :callaway-small: Apex CF 16, std. lenght/lie
Wedges: :mizuno-small:  T7 Blue Ion, 52*, 56*, 60*
Putter: :odyssey-small:  #7S
Ball: K-sig (until I run out)

RH golfer from Detroit, MI with a 14 handicap, working towards single digits

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My man cave is an old golf club museum.

 

I wish that I wasn't such a luddite and could upload a picture.

 

I own pretty much every golf club that I've owned since the sixties.

 

One of them is the MacGregor Tommy Armour woods and Wilson Staff irons set that my uncle bought upon returning from Korea in 1954 and eventually handed down to me. They're in a very strange (for today) shaped real leather bag.

 

None of them, at least the irons,  are more than a fresh grip away from being playable. The older woods might crack, particularly the solid persimmon if not the laminated maple.

 

Pro 100 irons should be no problem; they're only from the 1970s.

 

I love the much weaker lofts from the past.

 

I think that they made it easier to configure a set.

 

 

 

 

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I'd just go out and play 'em.

Durability is not really an issue - these things were built to last back in the day and although they're forged, they have a pretty durable chrome outer.

Forgiveness? Well if you look closely, you'll see the evolution of perimeter weighting with a cavity back and tungsten heel/toe weights to aid MOI - not a million miles away from modern designs. Lofts would be pretty comparable too - the PW is around the 47-48 degree mark. The only real difference is the head size which are pretty small compared to modern clubs.

Still a lot of fun to play with though - you may be surprised how good they feel..

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I remember Titleist Pro 100s (1976-78) as being cast from stainless steel, not forged and chromed, but I don't have a set and could possibly be wrong.  I don't think so, because they were the successors to the AC-108s which came out in 1972.

 

I do know from available data that the pitching wedge was indeed 48º, which makes it first generation "jacked lofts"-- not old school but not yet where we are today.  My 1997 DCI 962s still have the 48º pitching wedge, and they came out twenty years later.

 

In contrast, I do have 1977-78 Spalding Executives, exact contemporary clubs of the Pro 100s, with a 50º pitching wedge and a 46º 9-iron, still within a degree or two of "old school."  So Titleist was a leader in strengthening lofts.

 

Frankly, if I had a set of Pro 100s, I'd consider them gamers, not antiques. All they need are grips.

 

 

 

 

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I wont have a chance to hit the range with them before my league tomorrow afternoon. I think what I'm going to do is swap my current apex CF 16 8 iron for the titleist 7 iron. The lofts are close enough between the two, and if worst case it isn't working at all I can go with a soft apex 7 or a little heavy on a 9 to get by for the 9 holes. I consider myself to be a feel player a little bit, so stepping on one a little more or going 3/4 on a swing isnt an issue. I suspect the regular flex in the titleist may have a big impact on ball flight as they feel a little whippy compared to my current iron shaft, the PX LZ 6.0

Driver: :callaway-small:  Rogue 9*, -1" length
FW: :callaway-small:  Epic SZ 13.5*, 18* -.5" length

Utility: :titelist-small:  816 H2 21*
Irons: :callaway-small: Apex CF 16, std. lenght/lie
Wedges: :mizuno-small:  T7 Blue Ion, 52*, 56*, 60*
Putter: :odyssey-small:  #7S
Ball: K-sig (until I run out)

RH golfer from Detroit, MI with a 14 handicap, working towards single digits

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wow. such a wealth of information here from you guys. me. I couldn't remember what I ate last week

What's in my Mizuno BR-D2 bag

OFFICIAL TESTER FOR THE PING i500 CLUBS.

Currently playing Ping i500 w/ Alta CB graphite shafts 

  :mizuno-small: MP 25 - fitted w/ Project X shafts - stiff

  :titelist-small: 60  / 56  :mizuno-small: 52

  :titelist-small: 910 D2 driver - 9.5 degree -fitted13   F 3 wood 13.5 deg   :nike-small: CPR 3 hybrid

:nike-small: Method mallet

Dexterity:

I shoot left-handed so no one can ask me "Hey, can I try that club?" 

Twitter @GolfingHat      Instagram  @Mizunostixgolfnut

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My man cave is an old golf club museum.

 

I wish that I wasn't such a luddite and could upload a picture.

 

I own pretty much every golf club that I've owned from the sixties.

 

One of them is the MacGregor Tommy Armour woods and Wilson Staff irons set that my uncle bought upon returning from Korea in 1954 and eventually handed down to me.

 

None of them, at least the irons, are more than a fresh grip away from being playable. The older woods might crack, particularly the solid persimmon if not the laminated maple.

 

I love the much weaker lofts from the past.

 

I think that they made it easier to configure a set.

They certainly made it easier to describe the shot you're hitting. Yesterday I had 152 uphill into a 15 mph wind. My playing partner asked what I hit. I said my 180 yard club gripped down rather than my five hybrid which is about the same as my old Ram Tour Grind 4 iron that I hit 200 because I used a two piece surlyn covered ball and was coming off playing college baseball and had a fast swing speed but now I'm old and can't swing like that anymore.

 

Honestly I know my clubs by the yardage that I hit them far more than the number that's on them anymore. :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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Yes, I know the yardage more than the number. I'll hit my 155 club not an 8 iron. I don't say why was that short it was my 7 iron, I say why was it short it was my 165 club.

Anyway it doesn't matter the number. All I care about is how far I hit it and how to swing it to hit that shot. I couldn't care less if my 120 club has a 4 or a 9 or a 86 on the bottom. I simply don't care.

Wilson Staff C300 9.0* Fujikura Pro 58 stiff

Callaway Rogue 3W Mitsubishi Diamana D+ LTD 80 stiff

Mizuno MP-18 MMC FLI-HI 2 iron UST Mamiya Recoil 95 stiff

Ping I200's 4-W Aerotech Steelfiber I110 CW stiff

Ping Glide 52* and 58* stiff

Bettinardi Studio Stock #38 Armlock

 

 

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Well, Jasanski was right, I was very pleasantly surprised at how these felt.  I will start with saying that my assumptions on the difference in distance was dead wrong. 

 

On the opening hole for the league, a 510 yard dogleg par 5, I laid up my second shot to have my approach from 135.  Normally I would have played a smooth PW from that distance.  Based on the loft stats that I found online, the Callaway Apex PW is 45*.  The Titleist 9 iron shows to be 44*.  I put a nice smooth swing with the 9 iron and airmailed the green for a total of roughly a 150 yard shot.  This was from a clean lie in the fairway, so the flier lie is out of the question.

 

The very next hole was a par 3 playing 185 and into the wind.  I normally would have hit a stock 6 iron for that shot.  The Callaway 6 is 27*, so i went with the Titleist 4 iron, which is the same loft.  Another airmailed green, by 20 yards.

 

I had no problem launching these every bit as high as my Callaway's, but noticed there was quite a bit of roll out, even with the steep decent angle of the mid irons, so they actually spun less than I had anticipated.  I would think that can be attributed to the older and maybe more worn out grooves on the irons.  I think the weight and balance of these irons also made the different in shaft flexes a non issue as well.

 

All in all, i will say I went into the league play with very few expectations, which led to more care free golf and in the end had more fun on my league than I have had in a while.  Knowing how these performed for me, I would have no problem playing these again but to my normal yardages.

Driver: :callaway-small:  Rogue 9*, -1" length
FW: :callaway-small:  Epic SZ 13.5*, 18* -.5" length

Utility: :titelist-small:  816 H2 21*
Irons: :callaway-small: Apex CF 16, std. lenght/lie
Wedges: :mizuno-small:  T7 Blue Ion, 52*, 56*, 60*
Putter: :odyssey-small:  #7S
Ball: K-sig (until I run out)

RH golfer from Detroit, MI with a 14 handicap, working towards single digits

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Wow those are awesome. I have always wondered if you took an older set of irons and replaced them with modern shafts, how they stack up against modern irons.

In my bag:

Driver: :callaway-logo-1: Rogue ST Triple Diamond LS 10.5* (set to 9.5) UST Lin-Q Gunmetal 6f5

Wood: :titleist-small: Tsi2 15* Project X RDX Black 70 6.5

Hybrids: :cobra-small: King Utility 19.5* Diamana Tensei White Pro 90TX

Irons: :cobra-small: Cobra King Tour MIM 4-PW Dynamic Gold 120 X100

Wedges: :taylormade-small: Milled Grind 3 50*, 54*, 58* Tour Issue S400

Putter: :seemore-small: Nashville Z1C 34"

 Ball: :titleist-small:  Pro V1x

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Golf technology was already pretty mature in the late 1970s, at least with iron clubheads.   Shafts have evolved. 

 

These companies have to come up with a new model every couple of years, whether technology warrants it or not.

 

Aldila NV Pro 105s work really well with DCI 962s. 

 

Pro 100s are not spectacularly different from DCI 962s, even though they're roughly 20 years apart.. 

 

 

 

 

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I love playing with vintage irons. I recently found a set of '71 Hogan "bounce sole" irons, 2-E, for $8, then found a reasonably matching Hogan sand wedge from around the same vintage for $3. Cleaned up there was surprisingly little wear, and they played pretty nicely (I'm a sweeper- beware!) Great fun.

WITB: 

Adams 9064LS 9.5* (until I cracked the face)

Adams Super LS 17*

Adams XTD Ti 23*

Wilson Staff Ci7 4-PW

Adams wedges: 52/7 56/13 60/7

Wilson Staff Infinite Southside putter/Odyssey DualForce 660 putter

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  • 2 weeks later...

Nice. That's gives me an idea. I am moving. Perhaps I should place my 72 staff button backs around the house at strategic locations for the next home owner

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Callaway Big Bertha Fusion Heavy 10.5 closed face setting

Callaway Razor Fit 3 wood

Nickent 3 Hybrid

XR-OS 4i - 9i factory steel stiff 2 up +1

Ben Hogan 44,48,52,56

Nickent PP-01

Maxfli Tour Center of Gravity model

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