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History’s Mysteries: The Demise of MacGregor Golf


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I played muirfield irons in the mid 80's. Liked them, very good feel. Their persimmon woods built in the 1950's were the bomb back before metal woods. I cannot imagine a current pro who could push this company back to its heyday. Prior playing pros who designed clubs did it by hand, it was an art. With computer, multi-materials and modern casting and forging, it is hard to think of any touring pro that could make that work.

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Good article. I had CG-1800's because of Nicklaus. Now I play PING because in R&D, they ARE the best.

Certified Club Fitter.

Ping G425 Max Driver 10.5° w/Fujikura Ventus TR

Ping G425 Max 5-7-9 Fairway Woods w/Ping Alta CB

Ping G425 Irons 5-U w/Ping Alta CB (Power-Spec Lofts)

Ping 4.0 Eye2 Glide Wedges 54°-58° w/Recoil SmacWrap

Ping Redwood ZB Putter w/PP58

PING Pioneer Cart Bag

Lamkin Sonar+ Wrap Mid-Size Grips

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On 8/10/2021 at 4:52 PM, BIG STU said:

I was thinking the 2010s were Golfsmith products but I may be wrong, Which IMHO the Golfsmith heads were good. 

Yep - part of Golfsmith's first product line with MacGregor. Some of that lineup was very good (these irons, specifically, and a few of the putters), the rest was kinda meh, from what I've been able to find. 

Stumbled across this during research:

ULTIMATE REVIEW! - BEST FORGED CAVITY-BACK IRONS (mygolfspy.com)

The VIP irons finished a strong third in MyGolfSpy's cavity back iron review for 2010, behind the Mizuno MP-53 and the Cobra Pro CB. It's an interesting read. 

 

And here's a rundown of the 2010 lineup...

MacGregor Golf Launches New Equipment Line | GolfCrunch.com

 

 

What's in the bag:
 
Driver:  :titelist-small:TSR3; :wilson_staff_small: DynaPWR Carbon
FW Wood: :wilson_staff_small: DynaPWR 3-wood; :titleist-small: TSR 2+
Hybrids:  PXG Gen4 18-degree
Utility Irons: :srixon-small: ZX MkII 20* 
Irons:;  :Sub70:699/699 Pro V2 Combo; :wilson_staff_small: D9 Forged;  :macgregor-small:MT86 (coming soon!); :macgregor-small: VIP 1025 V-Foil MB/CB; 

Wedges:  :cleveland-small: RTX6 Zipcore
Putter: :cleveland-small: HB Soft Milled 10.5;  :scotty-small: Newport Special Select;  :edel-golf-1:  Willamette,  :bettinardi-small: BB8; :wilson-small: 8802; MATI Monto

Ball: :bridgestone-small: Tour B RXS; :srixon-small: Z-STAR Diamond; :wilson_staff_small: Triad

Stat Tracker/GPS Watch: :ShotScope:


 
Follow @golfspybarbajo

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Great read!!!  In my bag today is a MacGregor Smoothie putter.  Back in the 70s, I played several MacGregor persimmon drivers.  They were with me until the first Taylor Made metal wood.  I still have all of those MacGregor drivers, just don't play them now.  Never did own MacGregor irons.  I played with Wilson Staffs back then until the first Ping irons came out. 

WITB

Driver - Taylormade M6

3wd - Taylormade RBZ

Hybrids - Taylormade RBZ

Irons - Taylormade RSi1

Putter - Macgregor Smoothie

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Great read...MacGregor was neck and neck with Wilson and Hogan in my day...but Hogan separated I thought from the group...making a huge move with the golf professional....there was no Mr. Wilson nor Mr. MacGregor....but there was a Mr. Hogan! I still buy, sell and tinker with old MacGregor irons...just bought a set of JNP's yesterday cheap....always loved how most MacGregor irons framed the scoring lines with diamonds, etc....1025 series hard to beat....old MT's still around the house....stocked MacGregor in my own shop.....worked for Schneider group briefly....and by the way.....they made great Tourney golf balls back in late 60's and early 70's...before Jack introduced the Muirfield line.....have tons of Toney Penna around the house as well...he was a great innovator and a great match for the company...he was a valuable asset that got away..golf history is always a great read....never knew the Medina connection with Armour and Penna...so thanks!

On 6/21/2021 at 10:59 AM, jlukes said:

Snell MTB Black is your best bet for the price.

 

On 7/11/2021 at 2:55 AM, RichL85 said:

So, I'm going to admit, I'm pretty much lost at the moment when it comes to current golf ball offerings. I have spent a number of years away and obviously technology has come a long way. I'm at a point now where I'm not even sure where to start so I'm looking for a few recommendations. 

To start, I'm not good enough to nitpick the minute differences between many of the balls out there, but I do prefer a softer feel. As an example of past premium balls I have liked, the old Srixon Z-URS is probably my favorite of all time. Having said that, I could play the Srixon AD-333 or a Callaway Chrome Soft and the only huge difference I noticed between the three was spin around the greens. Would anyone be able to recommend a couple balls to try out? I don't mind paying for Pro V1s, but I'd rather find something a little less for now because I still lose a few here and there and I honestly don't notice a lot of the performance benefits. My game is still in a place that my consistency and swing are far bigger factors than the ball to my scores. Thanks in advance. 

 

On 7/25/2021 at 11:26 AM, jlukes said:

I got my grandfathers old putter when he passed and originally thought of restoring it. After some thought, I decided to not touch it and leave it the way he left it

 

On 7/26/2021 at 7:38 PM, GolfSpy_TCG said:

Today marks the First Installment of a new series to the MyGolfSpy catalog of series, History's Mysteries. In this first chapter, we look at MacGregor Golf, one of the early premier brands next to the then giant, Wilson Staff. The brand exploded from what we would consider a start-up through the late 1800s to a burgeoning golf brand in the 1930s just after the great depression. How did they make the transition in such a turbulent time? Tommy Armour and Toney Penna joined the ranks to promote and play MacGregor clubs. A few highlights of the MacGregor brand:

  • 2nd Most PGA Tour Major Wins 59 
  • In the late 30s, they signed and produced clubs for Tommy Armour which put them on the map
  • By 1950, MacGregor had the most tour players 
  • They introduced some of the first "forgiving" irons with large top lines and low center of gravity
  • MacGregor's tour players (and often owners) included the likes of Tommy Armour, Jack Nicklaus, Toney Penna, and Ben Hogan

A few questions for the forum:

  1. Is there a player (or couple of players) out there right now that could put a golf brand at the top of the Most Wanted list?
  2. Have you played or ever seen MacGregor branded clubs out in the wild?
  3. What could Schneider's Parkside Group do to put MacGregor back on the map?

 

 

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Had a great set of JNP irons that I got directly from Jack Wulkotte through a friend. I played them for years until someone stole the 7-iron out of my bag. Miss the feel of those still.

Driver: Cobra BioCell

3W: Cobra BioCell

4/5 Hybrid: Cobra Fly Z

Irons: Taylor Made Burner HT, 4-AW

Gap Wedge: Cleveland CG14, 56 deg.

SW: Hogan Edge GCD

Putter: Yes C-Groove Tracy, 35" or Yes C-Groove Sandy 12, 35"

Ball: Maxfli Tour

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The article was a terrific read. Thanks for that. 

I might have missed it in @GolfSpy Barbajo’s piece, but MacGregor still has a presence in the UK. To what extent, I don’t know. Nor can I figure out who owns it. They tout the brand’s history, so something is still running it.

  
https://www.macgregor-golf.co.uk

WITB 2024

DRIVER Cobralogo.png.5257fd97d99f057b9bfc81c06d7fcc62.png AEROJET 10.5°  |  FAIRWAY Callawaylogo.png.c084288fc4a8ed17e2f93c60b519702c.png ROGUE ST MAX 3/15°
HYBRID Pinglogo.png.11947cc88c8641d62e0a99c26da08b18.png G410 21°  |  UTILITY Untitled-9(1).png.4964fe6cb2103eef562fd832a625b0d5.png 699 V2 U 5/23°
IRONS Untitled-9(1).png.4964fe6cb2103eef562fd832a625b0d5.png 699 V2 6-PW
WEDGES Clevelandgolflogo.png.9b2e702587cd5230010a835ced0f97a0.png CBX 2 50°, 54°, 58° PUTTER Untitled-8.png.42ad9734db415b5a132df0574137f4f0.png KS1

BALL WilsonStafflogo.png.d0d70a74fad1e8f9c4d9f0581e24d31e.pngMODEL | Vicelogo.png.ac8ca0040252d91a9cdaef9d94e6284b.png PRO | Callawaylogo.png.c084288fc4a8ed17e2f93c60b519702c.png SUPERSOFT
BAG Sunmountainlogo.png.2555e0c0e8e49c09ea72c6df224aa0f2.png 3.5 LS  |  PUSHCART Roviclogo.png.ebc800ac4238271b0253c238793522de.png RV1S

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I'm so glad I ran across this post today! I have not read the article yet, but I plan to tonight. 

Have I seen MacGregor clubs in the wild? Yeah, every single time I play or go to the range! They make up all but two clubs that I carry. I have a full set of M565 V-Foil forged irons that are as sweet and buttery today as the day I bought them over 12 years ago. I also have 52 and 56 degree V-Foil Tour wedges. Every bit as nice as anything made by Cleveland, Titleist or Mizuno. I also play a V-Foil Tourney 13 degree 3 wood, and finish off every hole with my "The Fat Lady Swings" putter. The remake, not the original. So yeah, I guess you can say I'm a MacGregor fan boi. 

Unfortunately this year I did have to retire my white leather MacGregor tour bag as it was just getting a little too ratty. But it still holds all my spare clube in the garage and I doubt i will ever get rid of it. Love MacGregor and I hope they do make a comeback. I'm retiring in 3 years, and I may want to purchase a new set of clubs as I anticipate playing a LOT more golf. 

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