Dargie Iron Restoration Project

[Silver Fawkes]

Hi everyone, 

I was going through the attic today and found this set of irons I bought from a yard sale in Memphis, TN for something around $30 back in 2013-14. They are Dargie Custom Tour Edition irons. I can only find scraps of information about Dargie Golf Company and what little I could find was from Bert Dargie III's obituary from 2015:

"Bert Dargie was born in Memphis on December 15, 1938 and died peacefully surrounded by his family on October 28, 2015. After graduating from Christian Brothers High School, he attended Memphis State University where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He graduated in 1962 with a degree in Psychology and Business. Dargie also served in the Army National Guard from 1956-1966 where he achieved the rank of First Lieutenant.

Dargie is best known for his custom golf club manufacturing business, Bert Dargie Golf Company that was founded in 1908 by his immigrant grandfather. Raised with the Scottish work ethic that “people must make their own way in the world”, Dargie worked alongside his father and grandfather beginning at a very early age. By the time he was 15, he was already considered a master craftsman. During his career, Dargie fashioned and repaired clubs for a number of PGA legends including: Arnold Palmer, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Fuzzy Zoeller, Lee Trevino, Tom Kite and many others. In 1991, Golf Digest listed Dargie Golf as one of three premier custom club makers in the United States and Dargie was initiated into the Professional Clubmakers’ Society National Hall of Fame in Orlando, Florida. He also authored numerous articles in national golf publications, which included Golf for Women, Golf USA, Wall Street Journal and Golf World. Over the years, Dargie shared his expertise with the Memphis community by teaching golf to both amateurs and professionals. He also organized golf tournaments to benefit St. Jude, Boy Scouts of America, The Arthritis foundation, etc…"

The set is 4i-9i. They really are quite a beautiful iron. The heads themselves are in pretty good condition with only minor surface scratches that could easily be buffed out and the paint fill areas redone. They will need to be re-shafted however as there are dents in a few of them. I think it might be fun to build out an old school set with persimmon woods and these blades. 

Does anyone know anything about this company, these specific irons, or can point me in the right direction to find out more? 

Thank in advance!

[Fatshot]

Wow.....VERY cool !!    I think at one time, Bert Dargie was considered in the same category as Kenneth Smith when it came to custom made golf clubs.   Hope you keep us informed with your progress and post pictures!

[sirchunksalot]

On 1/18/2024 at 4:24 PM, Silver Fawkes said:

Hi everyone, 

I was going through the attic today and found this set of irons I bought from a yard sale in Memphis, TN for something around $30 back in 2013-14. They are Dargie Custom Tour Edition irons. I can only find scraps of information about Dargie Golf Company and what little I could find was from Bert Dargie III's obituary from 2015:

"Bert Dargie was born in Memphis on December 15, 1938 and died peacefully surrounded by his family on October 28, 2015. After graduating from Christian Brothers High School, he attended Memphis State University where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He graduated in 1962 with a degree in Psychology and Business. Dargie also served in the Army National Guard from 1956-1966 where he achieved the rank of First Lieutenant.

Dargie is best known for his custom golf club manufacturing business, Bert Dargie Golf Company that was founded in 1908 by his immigrant grandfather. Raised with the Scottish work ethic that “people must make their own way in the world”, Dargie worked alongside his father and grandfather beginning at a very early age. By the time he was 15, he was already considered a master craftsman. During his career, Dargie fashioned and repaired clubs for a number of PGA legends including: Arnold Palmer, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Fuzzy Zoeller, Lee Trevino, Tom Kite and many others. In 1991, Golf Digest listed Dargie Golf as one of three premier custom club makers in the United States and Dargie was initiated into the Professional Clubmakers’ Society National Hall of Fame in Orlando, Florida. He also authored numerous articles in national golf publications, which included Golf for Women, Golf USA, Wall Street Journal and Golf World. Over the years, Dargie shared his expertise with the Memphis community by teaching golf to both amateurs and professionals. He also organized golf tournaments to benefit St. Jude, Boy Scouts of America, The Arthritis foundation, etc…"

The set is 4i-9i. They really are quite a beautiful iron. The heads themselves are in pretty good condition with only minor surface scratches that could easily be buffed out and the paint fill areas redone. They will need to be re-shafted however as there are dents in a few of them. I think it might be fun to build out an old school set with persimmon woods and these blades. 

Does anyone know anything about this company, these specific irons, or can point me in the right direction to find out more? 

Thank in advance!

That's a beautiful set and I'm looking forward to watching your progress in restoring them to their former glory. I can say I've never heard of them until now. Good luck!