I'm "restoring" '72 Hogan Apex and ?? Titleist Tour Model

[J10]

I just started a project as a new hobby. I've had a set of 1972 Hogan Apex irons and a set of Titleist Tour Model irons (maybe 84? maybe 89?) for as long as I can remember in my cart shed. To be honest, I'm not even sure how they ended up in there. I've always been curious about how playing them would be, and I've also been curious about restoring them and making them "shine" again. I just started the project, and I'm only one iron in on the Hogan set and I'm already very excited about how these could turn out because they already look considerably better. 

I've never done an iron restoration before, so this is a whole lot of trial/error and educated guess on my end. I'm not positive what my end goal is either. Maybe I'll hang on to them because they are cool to have, maybe I'll play a round each year with them, maybe I'd sell them to the right buyer? 

I'm assuming people on here have taken on a similar project, does anyone have any suggestions before I get super deep in this?

Here's a picture of the starting point, and what it looks like after about 15 minutes of work after soaking.  

 

[sirchunksalot]

Those are looking great! The Hogan's are absolutely beautiful irons and it looks like you're doing a really good job! I've got a set of Wilson's I'm restoring, so I'll be interested to see how yours develop. 

[fixyurdivot]

Fun looking project and great set of clubs.  @deejaiddoes quite a bit of club restoration on Hogan's and might be able to provide some tips.  Keep us posted on progress.

[deejaid]

First one looks good. Not sure what you are soaking them in but my preferred method is Bar Keepers Friend and 0000 steel wool. Apply a liberal amount of BKF directly to the head and work it in a circular motion with the steel wool. Takes about a minute then rinse with water. I then take the steel wool along the shafts to remove any pitting.

For the ferrules, get some acetone nail polish remover and printer paper or newspaper or some other smooth paper, not napkins or paper towels since they are quilted and will stick. Put some acetone on the paper and quickly rub on the ferrule WITHOUT stopping. If you stop on the ferrule it will stick and damage it. Rub quickly and with enough acetone to keep it moist.

As for the grips. If they are leather, clean them with saddle soap and allow to dry overnight. Then, condition with Neatsfoot oil to rehydrate the leather.

Rubber grips, cut off and replace.


Those Hogan’s are a classic set. They will be fun to play when you are finished.


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[J10]

@deejaid out of curiosity. How stupid would it be of me to re-shaft these Hogans? I'm not leaning towards it by any means. I'm just wondering because I know nothing about putting shafts in something this old.

[deejaid]

[mention=56773]deejaid[/mention] out of curiosity. How stupid would it be of me to re-shaft these Hogans? I'm not leaning towards it by any means. I'm just wondering because I know nothing about putting shafts in something this old.

Not stupid at all if the shafts don’t work for you. However, Hogan Apex shafts were some of the most wanted shafts from that era. People would reshaft their Macgregor’s, Wilson’s, Powerbilt’s, etc, with Hogan Apex shafts. They are very similar to True Temper Dynalite shafts, 125g or so, active tip section.


If you were to reshaft you’ll need to pound out the pin in the hosel. You’ll need a set of punches for the job. After the pins are removed you heat and pull like any other modern club. A bit more work than a modern shaft swap but not impossible.


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[verojoe]

Agree with deejaid completely.  I have 8 sets of various Hogan models and try to keep the original shafts as much as possible.  If you change the shafts, try and salvage the ferrules.  Kind of a nice added touch to have the original serial numbers intact.  Great job so far.

Edited August 11, 2020 by verojoe

[J10]

On 8/10/2020 at 10:37 PM, verojoe said:

Agree with deejaid completely.  I have 8 sets of various Hogan models and try to keep the original shafts as much as possible.  If you change the shafts, try and salvage the ferrules.  Kind of a nice added touch to have the original serial numbers intact.  Great job so far.

Thank you. I'm hoping to get back to working on them here shortly. I coach softball and in Iowa we were able to play this summer so I had to put these on the shelf for a month or so. I can't wait to get them "finished"

[BIG STU]

On 8/4/2020 at 2:41 PM, deejaid said:

Not stupid at all if the shafts don’t work for you. However, Hogan Apex shafts were some of the most wanted shafts from that era. People would reshaft their Macgregor’s, Wilson’s, Powerbilt’s, etc, with Hogan Apex shafts. They are very similar to True Temper Dynalite shafts, 125g or so, active tip section.


If you were to reshaft you’ll need to pound out the pin in the hosel. You’ll need a set of punches for the job. After the pins are removed you heat and pull like any other modern club. A bit more work than a modern shaft swap but not impossible.


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Uhhuuh I would not know one thing about re shafting a set of Macgregors with Hogan shafts LOL what blastphemy!!! LOL again

[BIG STU]

On 8/10/2020 at 11:37 PM, verojoe said:

Agree with deejaid completely.  I have 8 sets of various Hogan models and try to keep the original shafts as much as possible.  If you change the shafts, try and salvage the ferrules.  Kind of a nice added touch to have the original serial numbers intact.  Great job so far.

On my Muirfields some day when I am dead and gone it is going to run some collector nuts. I salvaged a set of Apex shafts from a set of the funky radials. I kept the original ferrules and installed them. So I have a set of Mac Muirfields with Hogan Serial numbers

[Chip Strokes]

i've never restored golf clubs, but i've got a few dozen classic cars and motorcycles under my belt.  

 

after getting through some of the heavier surface rust with BKF and steel wool (the more 0's in the steel wool, the finer it is and the more polished finish you'll get) i'd use something like Wenol blue polish to really shine the clubs up with a buffer attachment for either a dremel or a cordless drill. Collinite 850 would work really well also.

https://www.autogeek.net/wenol2.html

depending on what kind of a finish you want to keep on the clubs, you can always seal them with something like this.  if they're only going to be used once in a while, this will keep rust from reappearing between those rounds.

https://www.autogeek.net/blackfire-metal-sealant.html

if you end up using them more than that, then after your normal post round cleaning, you can spray them down with windex and wipe clean with a microfiber towel.  almost all automotive chrome sprays share an almost identical formula to windex, but at 3 times the price.  i've entered cars in shows before detailed only with some windex.

[JohnSmalls]

3 hours ago, BIG STU said:

On my Muirfields some day when I am dead and gone it is going to run some collector nuts. I salvaged a set of Apex shafts from a set of the funky radials. I kept the original ferrules and installed them. So I have a set of Mac Muirfields with Hogan Serial numbers

 If Mr. Hogan were still here, I am pretty sure he'd be knocking on your door right now.

[BIG STU]

2 hours ago, JohnSmalls said:

 If Mr. Hogan were still here, I am pretty sure he'd be knocking on your door right now.

OH yeah and my old man beside him.  My old man detested Ben Hogan for some reason and he would never say why which was his way. When guys first had the Apex conversions done my old man was getting shafts from them from a pro friend in Eastern NC who was a Hogan dealer. Then the letter came to dealers from Mr Hogan himself that any dealer putting Apex shafts in non Hogan clubs would have their dealership yanked. Did not stop my old man and his bud though. They bought whole sets and had them retrofitted. Which my old man said he never understood why in the hell anyone would want to screw up a perfect set of Macgregors with inferior shafts. When I started back doing them he probably rolled in his grave 3 times. When the club shop owner died I bet there was at least 20 sets of brand new never hit Hogan iron heads lying around

[Rickp]

I just started a project as a new hobby. I've had a set of 1972 Hogan Apex irons and a set of Titleist Tour Model irons (maybe 84? maybe 89?) for as long as I can remember in my cart shed. To be honest, I'm not even sure how they ended up in there. I've always been curious about how playing them would be, and I've also been curious about restoring them and making them "shine" again. I just started the project, and I'm only one iron in on the Hogan set and I'm already very excited about how these could turn out because they already look considerably better. 
I've never done an iron restoration before, so this is a whole lot of trial/error and educated guess on my end. I'm not positive what my end goal is either. Maybe I'll hang on to them because they are cool to have, maybe I'll play a round each year with them, maybe I'd sell them to the right buyer? 
I'm assuming people on here have taken on a similar project, does anyone have any suggestions before I get super deep in this?
Here's a picture of the starting point, and what it looks like after about 15 minutes of work after soaking.  
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Looks great for just getting started. There’s a couple guys on MGS that will be a big help to you. Good luck & have fun!


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[JohnSmalls]

4 minutes ago, BIG STU said:

OH yeah and my old man beside him.  My old man detested Ben Hogan for some reason and he would never say why which was his way. When guys first had the Apex conversions done my old man was getting shafts from them from a pro friend in Eastern NC who was a Hogan dealer. Then the letter came to dealers from Mr Hogan himself that any dealer putting Apex shafts in non Hogan clubs would have their dealership yanked. Did not stop my old man and his bud though. They bought whole sets and had them retrofitted. Which my old man said he never understood why in the hell anyone would want to screw up a perfect set of Macgregors with inferior shafts. When I started back doing them he probably rolled in his grave 3 times. When the club shop owner died I bet there was at least 20 sets of brand new never hit Hogan iron heads lying around

Out of curiosity, what shafts were originally in Macgregors in those days? 

[BIG STU]

13 hours ago, JohnSmalls said:

Out of curiosity, what shafts were originally in Macgregors in those days? 

Brunswick Pro Pel which are a heavy thick walled shaft. Hogan was way ahead of his time having his Apex shafts made to his exact specs. The Apex shafts hit a lot softer in Mac clubs.

[verojoe]

On 9/9/2020 at 7:39 AM, BIG STU said:

On my Muirfields some day when I am dead and gone it is going to run some collector nuts. I salvaged a set of Apex shafts from a set of the funky radials. I kept the original ferrules and installed them. So I have a set of Mac Muirfields with Hogan Serial numbers

Stu, I love reading your inputs and stories.  Glad you are writing again.  How did those Muirfields play with the Apex shafts installed? 

[verojoe]

Hi J10.  Any further updates and photos on the Apex  project?   Did you end up pulling the shafts or leave as is?  Getting ready to start another Hogan project myself.  Going to bring a set of PCs back to life.

[BIG STU]

4 hours ago, verojoe said:

Stu, I love reading your inputs and stories.  Glad you are writing again.  How did those Muirfields play with the Apex shafts installed? 

They play just like my VIPs with the Hogan shafts. The head forgings are the same just different stamps. They are identical. They were built as my back up set to the VIPs. Both sets hit smooth as a Mother's Love