For everybody who hates the expression, "Jacked Lofts!"

[NiftyNiblick]

https://www.louisvillegolf.com/product/t-stewart-iron-set/

 

Check out the specs on this page.

 

there are also additional offerings at 20º (#1), 52º (#88), and 56º (#9).

 

If i were say, fifty, and in good condition, how the hell could I possibly resist this set?

 

 

[BIG STU]

I use the term "jacked lofts" because that is what it is jacked up. On the Hickory end our fellow MGSer Deejaid just bought a set of hickories because he just PMed me and told me. I have a few Hickory sticks myself. Mess around with it some. Yep like you said IF I was 50 again and in good shape I would give it a whirl. Those reproduction Hickory clubs are expensive though. If you get original ones though you do need to rework them because most were originally glued with protein based glue and that glue goes bad over the years. 

[deejaid]

I use the term "jacked lofts" because that is what it is jacked up. On the Hickory end our fellow MGSer Deejaid just bought a set of hickories because he just PMed me and told me. I have a few Hickory sticks myself. Mess around with it some. Yep like you said IF I was 50 again and in good shape I would give it a whirl. Those reproduction Hickory clubs are expensive though. If you get original ones though you do need to rework them because most were originally glued with protein based glue and that glue goes bad over the years.

Haven't won them yet, got an eBay bid in though. But Im 42 and this whole hickory golf thing has really caught my eye. I've been watching hickory golf videos on YouTube for a few weeks now.

 

 

I have taken a look at the Louisville and Tad Moore vintage hickory reproductions but like you said, they are a bit pricy. The Louisville's do look easier to play than some of the originals.

 

 

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[NiftyNiblick]

What's really pricey is playing a lot of golf, whether it be memberships or green fees.

Toss in golf destination vacations, and the bill really keeps adding up.

 

To the non club-ho, at least--the guy who doesn't change clubs more often than every six or seven years--the cost of even expensive equipment pales in comparison.

 

What makes the clubs seem really expensive is the much lower cost of buying used gear that was't made for you.

 

It's a perfectly legitimate thing to do--I'm not criticizing--but the cost of the hickories is roughly the cost of major OEM equipment ordered on TGW.

[deejaid]

It's funny, like I told Stu in our PM's, I'm into traditional handtool woodworking so I use tools from the 1850's to 1930's and I enjoy holding history in my hands. The idea that a tool I own was used by generations of craftsmen is fascinating to me. That is part of the allure. Now, of course, just like in hickory golf, there are companies like Lie-Nielsen and Veritas making reproductions of vintage tools at premium prices.

 

So, it becomes, do I want the real thing with the wear, patina, and history, or do I want a well built reproduction that I know will work flawlessly?

 

Now golf equipment is a bit different. Will a new reproduction set of hickories be easier to fit to my 6'2” frame? Of course! I know people were smaller 100+ years ago so maybe vintage hickories aren't for me. I don't know.

 

But I am a deal hound. I'm always looking for used, even with modern equipment.

 

 

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[GB13]

It's funny, like I told Stu in our PM's, I'm into traditional handtool woodworking so I use tools from the 1850's to 1930's and I enjoy holding history in my hands. The idea that a tool I own was used by generations of craftsmen is fascinating to me. That is part of the allure. Now, of course, just like in hickory golf, there are companies like Lie-Nielsen and Veritas making reproductions of vintage tools at premium prices.

 

So, it becomes, do I want the real thing with the wear, patina, and history, or do I want a well built reproduction that I know will work flawlessly?

 

Now golf equipment is a bit different. Will a new reproduction set of hickories be easier to fit to my 6'2” frame? Of course! I know people were smaller 100+ years ago so maybe vintage hickories aren't for me. I don't know.

 

But I am a deal hound. I'm always looking for used, even with modern equipment.

 

 

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Exactly, the allure of hickorys is the history you are holding. It has been a piece of golf for over 100 years. It is acually knowing how golfers played that same club before you. It is the evolution of the game.

 

The allure isn't just playing hickories. I am honestly not sure why you would get a reproduction. You don't play hickories for the top performance, you play them for the history.

[NiftyNiblick]

One thing that one would get from the reproductions is aesthetics.

 

If you really hate the look of modern clubs, they're not reproducing mid-fifties to mid-seventies models very much. But they are reproducing 1930 and earlier models, so that becomes a choice.

 

I like the look of them a lot.  That matters to the fragile mind of a linkster.

[GB13]

One thing that one would get from the reproductions is aesthetics.

 

If you really hate the look of modern clubs, they're not reproducing mid-fifties to mid-seventies models very much. But they are reproducing 1930 and earlier models, so that becomes a choice.

 

I like the look of them a lot. That matters to the fragile mind of a linkster.

Why not just get new butter knife blades? They have the same playability and probably don't cost as much. The look of a blade is as classic as you can get.

[deejaid]

You can still get classic looking modern clubs from some of the smaller companies, Mizuno, Miura, and Ben Hogan are a few. Many of them make a timeless forged head, but they are easier to play than the butter knives of old. I hesitate to even call the Ft. Worths blades as they are perimeter weighted and not hard to hit.

 

 

My bag now has two persimmon woods in it as well. The Macgregor M09t in my bag is probably only 10-15 yards shorter than my Cleveland Classic Custom XL which is a deep face 460cc driver. It is however more accurate. Toe shots might lose 25 yards off the distance, but the gear effect of the bulge & roll will bring it back left towards the middle of the fairway.

 

 

So for me, my bag now has a timeless look. I can shoot just as good scores with these than monster oversized drivers or huge hollow head irons. I also get to enjoy and appreciate the craftsmanship of clubs. I've never felt that way about a 460cc driver.

 

And what's better, no one is gonna release a club similar to anything in my bag next year and tell me via an onslaught of corporate advertising b.s. that they have something better. My TaylorMade M1 is a great performing club, but I got no satisfaction swinging it.

 

 

They are what they are. Put your best swing on them and be rewarded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[GB13]

^^ That is a very nice bag. Absolute classic.

[NiftyNiblick]

^^ That is a very nice bag. Absolute classic.

What GB13 said.  Genuinely beautiful.

[NiftyNiblick]

I blew a lot of money on Ft. Worth 15s because I never got to play them much, but mine at least pre-dated the compromise club numbers that they later stamped onto the heels.

 

They're great clubs, forgiving for blade types, but they're not swing-weight matched. 

That's because I didn't order them in 4º increments (of course). 

 

After lengths and lies were adjusted on my loft selections, the club heads were no longer the right weight to actually form a matched swing-weight set.  Not a huge thing for me;  I was never that good to worry about swing weights.

 

But the clubs, forgiving for blades, were shorter hitting than older clubs that I've got.  I bought them for looks and the loft selection, but I wasn't really good enough to hit them well. At least not anymore. 

 

I didn't get the matching wedges because the Scor one-sole for all philosophy wasn't convincing for me. They are very pretty, though, cosmetically matching the numbered irons..

 

Still, i was disappointed when marketing pressure moved the new Hogan company to more conventional approaches (other than direct marketing).  I think that their original approach was better, but that they just didn't have enough capital to promote bucking convention.

 

Regardless of that, Ft. Worth and PTx irons are to my eye among the most beautiful clubs on the market (before those extra stampings were put on).  The third model that they introduced isn't particularly ugly, but not as pretty to me as the first two models.

 

If we could dig back into this forum's archives, I'd be curious as to what i said about them back in 2015.

 

Deejaid's beautiful presentation make his look even prettier than mine.  The steel shafts probably help with that, too.

[deejaid]

I blew a lot of money on Ft. Worth 15s because I never got to play them much, but mine at least pre-dated the compromise club numbers that they later stamped onto the heels.

 

They're great clubs, forgiving for blade types, but they're not swing-weight matched.

That's because I didn't order them in 4º increments (of course).

 

After lengths and lies were adjusted on my loft selections, the club heads were no longer the right weight to actually form a matched swing-weight set. Not a huge thing for me; I was never that good to worry about swing weights.

 

But the clubs, forgiving for blades, were shorter hitting than older clubs that I've got. I bought them for looks and the loft selection, but I wasn't really good enough to hit them well. At least not anymore.

 

I didn't get the matching wedges because the Scor one-sole for all philosophy wasn't convincing for me. They are very pretty, though, cosmetically matching the numbered irons..

 

Still, i was disappointed when marketing pressure moved the new Hogan company to more conventional approaches (other than direct marketing). I think that their original approach was better, but that they just didn't have enough capital to promote bucking convention.

 

Regardless of that, Ft. Worth and PTx irons are to my eye among the most beautiful clubs on the market (before those extra stampings were put on). The third model that they introduced isn't particularly ugly, but not as pretty to me as the first two models.

 

If we could dig back into this forum's archives, I'd be curious as to what i said about them back in 2015.

 

Deejaid's beautiful presentation make his look even prettier than mine. The steel shafts probably help with that, too.

Admittedly, the Ft. Worths aren't for everyone but they work for me. Terry Koehler's design philosophy struck a note and I just understand his clubs.

 

I actually started with just the wedges and liked them so much I then bought the irons. My short game has really improved and that, along with my play off the tee, have been my biggest letdowns. My biggest problem is still my bunker play. It is getting better, but not yet where it needs to be.

 

As for switching to persimmon, my new home course is narrow but a relatively short 6200 yards, I don't need to try to hit every drive 300 yards, which undoubtedly leads to blow up holes. Played nine yesterday morning and didn't miss a fairway with the Mac. The gratifying “thwack” of persimmon made the round very enjoyable.

 

 

Joining a club has been the best thing for my game in regards to equipment. Before I'd get to the range maybe once a week or two and play once a month. I'd have a good range session one week, and a lousy one the next. Not playing much and having inconsistent outings led me to question my equipment, and shopping for new gear is easier than practicing when you have 3 kids, and ailing mother-in-law, and pretty much no time to yourself.

 

Now I'm at the range 4-5 times a week and playing a round every week and my game is improving and I have no need to search out the answer to my games shortcomings by buying more equipment.

 

 

 

 

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