Sirchunks blade experiment and restoration

[JohnSmalls 6,087]

No worries!  It’s all for fun like the HRC

[sirchunksalot 9,396]

My wife and I were talking today about how being part of the forum adds to how much fun I have playing this game. It's the stuff like the HRC and a classic club challenge that really expands on the experiences we have and are able to share. I had never planned on getting a set of old clubs again, yet during the lockdown I was inspired to and here I am hitting them terribly and having fun doing it. 

[deejaid 3,939]

[mention=56773]deejaid[/mention] I found a set of these at ReStore, they are graphite shafted. Would these qualify as a decent set of woods to compliment my set? The grips are roached, the the condition is better than this picture. I honestly didn't realize they were Honma. 

Well you want to make sure they are in good playing condition which is more important than the brand of club. Many times the face inserts are loose which will really compromise the head. Also, the early graphite shafts are a bit whippy.

I’d recommend anyone that wants to try playing persimmon woods to spend just a few dollars more on a quality set to game. If the clubs need work they will be a struggle to play and will lead to discouragement.


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[sirchunksalot 9,396]

7 hours ago, deejaid said:

Well you want to make sure they are in good playing condition which is more important than the brand of club. Many times the face inserts are loose which will really compromise the head. Also, the early graphite shafts are a bit whippy.

I’d recommend anyone that wants to try playing persimmon woods to spend just a few dollars more on a quality set to game. If the clubs need work they will be a struggle to play and will lead to discouragement.


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I hadn't thought about how whippy they might be. We hit the store up at 4:45 and they closed at 5, so I really didn't have time to give them a thorough look over. At a glance I noticed the whipping looked good, the grips were bad, the head was still in pretty good shape, and the shaft was graphite. I couldn't even find a flex printed on it, just it was rated for 80-100 mph swing speed. I really appreciate your advice, you've definitely got a lot more knowledge about traditional clubs than I do. 

[deejaid 3,939]

I hadn't thought about how whippy they might be. We hit the store up at 4:45 and they closed at 5, so I really didn't have time to give them a thorough look over. At a glance I noticed the whipping looked good, the grips were bad, the head was still in pretty good shape, and the shaft was graphite. I couldn't even find a flex printed on it, just it was rated for 80-100 mph swing speed. I really appreciate your advice, you've definitely got a lot more knowledge about traditional clubs than I do. 

I have a Wood Brothers persimmon driver from the mid 1990’s with a “stiff” graphite shaft and when swinging it feels like a noodle. It just feels like you can can’t control it.


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[sirchunksalot 9,396]

I went to the range again today and was seeing better results than last time. I started out with a severe case of both the chunks and thins. I spent some time working on a drill where you place the ball forward in your stance with your club in the normal position. I hit some decent shots like this, nothing spectacular but the ball was getting in the air. Switched back to normal and started to see better results. 

I also took the Atomics PW and 4 iron with me because the lofts are the same as the 8 and 2 iron in the Wilson's. They performed comparably as far as distance, with the Atomics displaying a draw bias. The Wilson's were pretty straight, the 2 iron off the tee I tended to pull, but it flew straight left. 

I'm taking the Wilson's out of the bag this week, I'm supposed to have a round with a friend of mine and I still feel more comfortable with the Atomics. I put the blades in my spare bag, so if I get the urge to take them to the range they're grab and go. 

[LeftyHawk 520]

After following your journey you have inspired me to try the set of Beryllium Copper irons I picked up last year. Been pitching balls in my yard (I have 3 acres) for the past few days with the PW and like you, bad hits are magnified, but when you hit a good one it's like throwing darts. I was amazed at the improved accuracy over my G410's. Playing 9 tomorrow with them!!!

Thanks for the inspiration !!!

Chris 

[tommc23 9,653]

I really need to get the KZG clubs built I bought off of @deejaid but playing one set of blades is good enough for me.

[sirchunksalot 9,396]

1 hour ago, LeftyHawk said:

After following your journey you have inspired me to try the set of Beryllium Copper irons I picked up last year. Been pitching balls in my yard (I have 3 acres) for the past few days with the PW and like you, bad hits are magnified, but when you hit a good one it's like throwing darts. I was amazed at the improved accuracy over my G410's. Playing 9 tomorrow with them!!!

Thanks for the inspiration !!!

Chris 

That's awesome to hear! I bet the Beryllium copper feels amazing when you hit it pure. Let me know how it goes and have fun with them! 

I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a set of Honma 747 XL woods from the thrift shop I was talking about earlier. 

My wife had to go shopping and I had her pick these up, I couldn't resist. I was disappointed slightly when I got home from work and saw they were not persimmon, but graphite. I was looking at them in the light and saw the graphite pattern staring at me. 

So, let's make some lemonade of of lemons! I'm going to use these as an introductory set to smaller headed, more traditionally shaped woods. I plan on playing with them for now and learning to properly strike them before buying a set of nicer persimmon woods that probably would have mutilated with my ball striking prowess. I'm also contemplating using these to learn to regrip clubs myself. I'll need to do some research on how to do it, but if I mess it up I won't feel too bad and then take them to someone who knows what they're doing. 

 

[Kenny B 24,001]

24 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

That's awesome to hear! I bet the Beryllium copper feels amazing when you hit it pure. Let me know how it goes and have fun with them! 

I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a set of Honma 747 XL woods from the thrift shop I was talking about earlier. 

My wife had to go shopping and I had her pick these up, I couldn't resist. I was disappointed slightly when I got home from work and saw they were not persimmon, but graphite. I was looking at them in the light and saw the graphite pattern staring at me. 

So, let's make some lemonade of of lemons! I'm going to use these as an introductory set to smaller headed, more traditionally shaped woods. I plan on playing with them for now and learning to properly strike them before buying a set of nicer persimmon woods that probably would have mutilated with my ball striking prowess. I'm also contemplating using these to learn to regrip clubs myself. I'll need to do some research on how to do it, but if I mess it up I won't feel too bad and then take them to someone who knows what they're doing. 

 

My wife still has her steel shafted PowerBilt persimmons from the 1960's... blades too!!  Every once in awhile she gets the driver out and can hit the ball as far as she does with her L flex TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 driver; that is, unless she doesn't hit the sweet spot.    Then she remembers why she upgraded.

[LeftyHawk 520]

1 hour ago, sirchunksalot said:

I'm also contemplating using these to learn to regrip clubs myself. I'll need to do some research on how to do it, but if I mess it up I won't feel too bad and then take them to someone who knows what they're doing. 

Regripping is easier that you'd think. Make sure to get one of those rubber inserts for a vice to hold the club and a hook knife for removing the old grips, those will help tons. Grip solvent is also a must, easier to slip on the new grips than anything else. I started doing my own a couple of years back, I've re gripped my clubs more times than I can count. You got this!!!

Chris

[sirchunksalot 9,396]

42 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

My wife still has her steel shafted PowerBilt persimmons from the 1960's... blades too!!  Every once in awhile she gets the driver out and can hit the ball as far as she does with her L flex TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 driver; that is, unless she doesn't hit the sweet spot.    Then she remembers why she upgraded.

That's pretty impressive, the RBZ is a beast of a driver and to hit a persimmon club as far is a feat. It's crazy how much more forgiveness they've been able to engineer in modern clubs and it definitely shows when you got something older.

4 minutes ago, LeftyHawk said:

Regripping is easier that you'd think. Make sure to get one of those rubber inserts for a vice to hold the club and a hook knife for removing the old grips, those will help tons. Grip solvent is also a must, easier to slip on the new grips than anything else. I started doing my own a couple of years back, I've re gripped my clubs more times than I can count. You got this!!!

Chris

I appreciate the advice and the encouragement! Definitely going to try it, just need to clear out a path to the vice in the building. That's going to be fun...

[Kenny B 24,001]

21 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

I appreciate the advice and the encouragement! Definitely going to try it, just need to clear out a path to the vice in the building. That's going to be fun...

I suggest 2 rubber shaft holders for the vise, unless it's a small vise.  More surface area provides more stability.  +1 on the hook knife to get the grips off; don't try it with a straight box cutter blade.  Can be done, but dangerous and tricky to not damage graphite shafts.

If you have an air compressor, read up on some of the threads about using air to blow the grips on.  No grip tape and no solvent needed.  Very easy.  THEN, the next time you change grips, you can blow them off with air.  Very easy, quick.  

[sirchunksalot 9,396]

6 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

I suggest 2 rubber shaft holders for the vise, unless it's a small vise.  More surface area provides more stability.  +1 on the hook knife to get the grips off; don't try it with a straight box cutter blade.  Can be done, but dangerous and tricky to not damage graphite shafts.

If you have an air compressor, read up on some of the threads about using air to blow the grips on.  No grip tape and no solvent needed.  Very easy.  THEN, the next time you change grips, you can blow them off with air.  Very easy, quick.  

I hadn't thought about using an air compressor, even though I've seen it mentioned on here in the past. I'll definitely look into it!

[sirchunksalot 9,396]

I took the clubs outside and took some pictures, I wanted to give y'all an idea of how the head looks. I didn't actually notice it when I looked in the store, but I was short on time and was focused on other areas of the club. 

The grips are definitely ratty and I appreciate all the responses on how to change them. They really need it.

The shafts are definitely beefy and it feels about as flexible as rebar. It's a K3 System flexxx in stiff and weighs in at 94 grams. 

If I ever want to upgrade to the red stick in the SuperSpeed system, I think I found a winner. I used to work with a guy that might be able to swing it effectively, he used to carry heavy buckets up ladders and had forearms as big around as my dachshund.

 

[Kenny B 24,001]

1 hour ago, sirchunksalot said:

I hadn't thought about using an air compressor, even though I've seen it mentioned on here in the past. I'll definitely look into it!

Watch the video on the Pure Grips website. Shows hot to do it.  Don't have to use Pure grips.

Since I don't have to cut them off, I save the old grips to put on a club I want to try out, or if you have a club to sell that has poor grip, I can put on a good used one.

[deejaid 3,939]

Interesting woods. But they are not Honma and I don’t believe they are even wood.

If I recall correctly these were made by Golfsmith back in the 1990’s. I believe the head is made of carbon fiber. I remember seeing a set of these online a few years ago but I can’t recall the specifics of them.

Cool clubs.


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[deejaid 3,939]

Oops.... didn’t see the rest of your post below your picture where you realized they weren’t wood.




If you want a good playing set of wood woods though, shot me a PM.


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[fixyurdivot 9,381]

5 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

That's awesome to hear! I bet the Beryllium copper feels amazing when you hit it pure. Let me know how it goes and have fun with them! 

I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a set of Honma 747 XL woods from the thrift shop I was talking about earlier. 

My wife had to go shopping and I had her pick these up, I couldn't resist. I was disappointed slightly when I got home from work and saw they were not persimmon, but graphite. I was looking at them in the light and saw the graphite pattern staring at me. 

So, let's make some lemonade of of lemons! I'm going to use these as an introductory set to smaller headed, more traditionally shaped woods. I plan on playing with them for now and learning to properly strike them before buying a set of nicer persimmon woods that probably would have mutilated with my ball striking prowess. I'm also contemplating using these to learn to regrip clubs myself. I'll need to do some research on how to do it, but if I mess it up I won't feel too bad and then take them to someone who knows what they're doing. 

 

Oh man, those are going to reverberate clear up to your fillings during the HRC 

 

[Erik-M 653]

Nice find, put a fire in me to find some old garage sale "woods"to hone in strike!!!