Every time I take it out of my bag for some new modern wedge, I go back to it a few weeks later. What you supposed to do, cut your head off!!! KKR was established in 1976 by partners Jerome Kohlberg, Henry Kravis, and George Roberts. Jim also marketed the first Graphite Shafts sold under the Aldila name. "datePublished": "2022-05-12", He also had some copycat Browning irons in the trunk, but I refused I couldnt even look at them with a straight face. Knowledgable folk say its all in the mind. They had a premium Molitor ball at the then scandalous price of $2. Callaway wound up suing Spalding for using its imagery on Spalding packaging. They looked like a full set of hybrids but only lasted a short period of time. Can anyone tell me about Spalding executives : r/golf - reddit He would hold up the club so they could see the 7 on the bottom and with a big grin say I hit a 7 iron. I would like to repay you with mine. As a designer, the design is perfect and although they look funny, they were a great club, ask Cory Pavin. single, replacement or add-on golf irons and wedges for Spalding Executive MV2 bird over ball Irons. I have a set of Lynx Parallax irons that were my fathers. Unfortunately, Spalding has fallen a long way down the pecking order in terms of their sporting equipment, and it has been a long time since they manufactured a new set of golf clubs. This one in particular was interesting to me because I grew up in a Spalding family of sorts. As weve discussed before, its extremely difficult for legacy brands to remain relevant, especially when new, fresh brands get aggressive. I still have several sets of Hogan forged irons, Hogan/Bettinardi putters, several dozen Apex, and Tour Deep balls. Win a bunch of BogeyPro swag! My woods are Taylormade Burners 1 & 3, and I have two Mizuno hybrids. spalding golf clubs any good. Mismanagement and a growing golf market led Spalding to cease manufacturing golf products, selling off popular brands like Top Flite to Callaway in the early 2000s. Again THANK YOU FOR THE GOLF LESSON!!!!! Display as a link instead, $86.40 shipping. spalding executive irons- does anyone remember these? Dont be ashamed thoughsome of these designs have actually been pioneering for the industry. http://www.geekgolf.com. By 1970, the ownership group morphed into the Questor Corporation, and Pyramid Rubber was rechristened Evenflo. I know this is coming way after the article was published but I have a set of irons that are branded Fairway and the model I believe is Spider. MyGolfSpy, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Basically, the new irons are all the same cavity backed design tweaked for the metal content and painted pretty for your golf bag. *We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Jones famously retired from golf after winning the 1930 version of the Grand Slam. Two years prior, they sold Spalding and Evenflo to Wall Street investment firm KKR for an estimated and unbelievable 1 billion dollars. "dateModified": "2022-05-12", Spalding Executive Irons for sale | eBay Yes, it did. * NOTE: Stan Thompson was an interesting guy and a well respected designer. It made its mark in the 80s through leveraged buyouts buying undervalued or poorly managed companies with other peoples money, improving their bottom lines, and then spinning them off at a profit. Great collection I remember many of them in the past 30 years often thought of buying some of them, but luckily, I didnt, Ive purchased dozens of iron sets in the last few years (Big Bertha,FTI, Taylor Made, Cobra, Nike V series) NOne of these work as well as my Ping Zings, Hey, what about Shakespeare and fiberglass. Insurmountable debt, uncertain management, and stiff competition forced Spalding to stop production. "mainEntityOfPage": "https://swingyard.com/spalding-irons-by-year/", When we got out there, his Black Dot was split all the way to the liquid core I played D1 golf in college and we got three Red Dots for every match. Spalding released multiple iterations of its Executive clubs throughout the sixties and seventies, and they became popular with professional golfers and recreational players alike. Anyone hear of them? How about Hogan Magnums and Magnum Plus irons big cavity backs from the 1970s. It is the Super Stick. He also had a head for business and knew a good opportunity when he saw one. Great list! Wanted them when I was in college but couldnt afford them then. i was hitting 8 iron and was suprised how high the ball flight was. and they placed it in the show. Image: Central Press/Hulton Archive via Getty Images. And Spalding predated Mizuno by at least 60 years with a copper undercoating for its forged blades in the mid-50s. Written by June 5, 2022 . Duclos, a former flight engineer worked on the Skylab and S-IVB (third stage of the Saturn V rocket, responsible for getting the Apollo module from the Earth to the moon). Thanks for you4 diligence and reporting. But the funky look kept me from ever thinking about buying a whole set. Thanks, http://www.clubsofdistinction.com/cod3/ucir5177.htm. Tommy Armour TI 100 need to be on the list, they were twice the size of any other iron produced ever. Thanks for the article. TaylorMade then entered the bidding but, after 30 rounds, Callaway wound up buying Top-Flite free and clear for $175 million. Find golf club trade-in and re-sales values for over 4,000 models of used golf clubs at the PGA Value Guide, from leading manufacturers such as Callaway, TaylorMade, Taylor Made, Titleist, Ping, Odyssey, Nike, Cleveland, Mizuno, Cobra, Adams, Wilson. "https://www.pinterest.com/Swingyard/blog/" But unfortunately for the VASs they were dethroned from their long held position. Within three years, it would be gone for good. The Executives were the bomb back in the day. It became the most consistent and durable golf ball ever made. As a former pro athlete, Spalding saw the value of using professionals to help promote both the game and his products. "https://www.facebook.com/swingyard/", In 1910 Spalding started making fairway clubs made of aluminum, and heavier lead face putters. Keep up the great work. Great insight! With this in mind, this article looks at why Spalding golf clubs are no longer popular and how much some of their most popular sets are worth. We used to say three-quarters of the golf balls manufactured in the world came out of the state of Massachusetts, says Ben Hogan CEO Scott White, who started his career as a golf ball product manager for Spalding in the early 90s. I played a lot of Spaulding equipment as a kid in all kinds of sports. When Did Spalding Stop Making Golf Clubs? (Solution) I have a old slotline cigar putter I still use,,no loift at all,looks like a big tootsie roll,but puts great,,friends still get amazed at how it puts,,. Another great history piece. FS - Fiberbuilt Flight Deck / GripMaster Roo pulls, New Vokey SM8 52 & 56 wedge set / New Titleist Caps (for bigger heads) / New Cobra RadSpeed 10.5* Driver, Peacoat, with premium, upgraded shaft, TSR3 ub-6x, cobra radspeed, TEE pro 721 driver and 3w, Ventus Black TR Folds of Honor 6x w/ TM Adapter, Ventus Red TR 6x w/ TM Adapter, Adidas Tour 360 22 Size 13, MyStealth2 Driver Headcover. Yet again, the same fate as MacGregor had. CT. We had a very good amateur player, reputed to be one of the longest hitters in the state. I dont think I paid more than $300 for all four sets combined- Im a Salvation Army searcher. I use them in Central Texas when the fairways are hard and the greens harder (late summer and all winter). Well these irons which were designed out in LA by Stan Thompson were made to capitalize on that same concept. It overpaid for Spalding and borrowed heavily to do it. I really enjoy reading your articles, John. Pat Simmons first wanted to say thanks and also that, You may not know the Pat Simmons name, but if youre a golfer, you know of several of my inventions. The company was already selling golf balls when, in 1905, it became the first in America to offer its own brand of golf clubs. Lots of wackiness. Couldnt decide between the Slotlines emax and the 845s. "image": { Some deserve to be on the former, but definitely not the latter! I would hand stamp #7 on all irons. All that creativity has led to the great clubs we have today. They also made a set made entirely of woods. Used to play traditional blades with the odd shank. i think special t golf was the only people dumb enuff to handle these. Too bad. They play as well as any other set $77.83. Dreadful golf balls! Copyright 2023. Since you mentioned it in the article, how about doing the history of Ben Hogan golf from its inception in 1953 to itd ultimate demise under Callaway and then its resurrection in 2015. I speak with Nat Rosassco, former owner, of NorthWestern golf at least every 7 to 10 days and he holds Pat Simmons as one of the best club designers of all time as well. I just searched eBay right now and saw a set for $139. Upgraded my driver from R7 to Razr Hawk, but will never surrender my Slingshots. Id like to include the Wilson Reflex irons and PGF Slammer series. Can anyone ballpark an estimate on the value of a set of Samurai clubs? With Spalding's mass-market success breeding scores of imitators, players could pick and choose from countless club lines. So for those of you who own a set and are fellow collectors of the ridiculoustoday is your day to shine. That year Albert and his brothers opened the A.G. Spalding & Brothers sporting goods company and started making baseballs. I don't mind the executives though, don't really know much about them either. At the turn of the 20th Century, golf had stirred mild interest in the United States, and A.G. Spalding & Brothers sporting goods saw an opportunity. These were actually a pretty good iron for the time and I think Trevino had something to do with this designbut not sure. MacGregors ownership carousel started in 1978 when it was sold to lumber conglomerate Wickes. You might remember the popular Stan Thompson woods with the unique sole design. But, you raised an interesting question: If Top-Flite Elite Professional irons with the Bird on Ball logoare rated by the MyGolfSpy Forums resident vintage club expert Big Stu as the third greatest pure forged blade of all time. Then what irons are #1 and #2 best ever forged blades? Men's Right Handed. Played dots a bit but later played a lot of Top Flites because I was a teenager, and the balls did not cut (this was back in the days of balata balls that cut if you looked at them hard). Still bagging their wedges. Its high point came in 1998 when Mark OMeara won the Masters and the Open Championship for Spalding. Jim passed away recentlyhe was a great innovator do you remember the Basakwerd Putter This stuff is really interesting.. Thank you for your research efforts. The 15 wood is only a little longer than an 8 iron (in my 70 yr old hands) so I put a 9 iron through sand wedge in the bag and away we go They are straight and land incredibly soft. One with the sticker decal and one without. Started Thursday at 03:24 PM, Please put and questions or comments here, Please put any questions or comments here, Please put any questions of comments here. document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); MyGolfSpy is gearing up to conduct the second edition of our groundbreaking ball test. What can you find out about Wilson x 70 irons. The biggest of them all, however, may well have been the aforementioned Bobby Jones. Some scumbag broke into my vehicle and stole the set about 25 years ago. I will let the then Chariman of FILA Golf tell you a little bit about these 1994 released set of ironsand take you back in time like you were there for the original launch: Never before have so many game improvement features been built into one club. They are a blade from the early 80`s. lol..!! He loves telling stories, writing about golf and golf travel, and enjoys classic golf equipment. Autore dell'articolo: Articolo pubblicato: 16/06/2022 Categoria dell'articolo: fixed gantry vs moving gantry cnc Commenti dell'articolo: andy's dopey transposition cipher andy's dopey transposition cipher BarbaJo, you da man! Throughout America, the affordable Spalding clubs flew off the shelves and reaped huge catalog sales. Your email address will not be published. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, (your email address will not be published), Acushnet 2022 Financials: $2.27 Billion and Counting, Penfold Ace Golf Balls: Whats Old Is New Again, Four Testers Wanted Inesis Spikeless Shoe. There are so many different sets of irons available nowadays, Im happy with my Execs. maybe EVER. Copyright 2023. I believe Robert Molitor was the fellow who developed the Top Flite. What about Giant Irons, I remember seeing those on an infomercial a few times. It was an excellent article and some of the follow-on comments from industry stalwarts like Jack Wullkotte, David Hueber, Tom Wishon, etc. If you are a beginner and are looking for a . As a former professional player, Spalding recognized the need of enlisting the assistance of experts to promote both the game and his merchandise. They got so popular at the time that it scared club makers badly (Every set was pretty much custom built then), and Golfing associations banned the club from play. I gave those up quickly only because they were really odd looking. Reach and the Wright and Ditson sporting goods companies. Im from SD, so I had a set. And I remember drooling over those Tour Edition Custom blades in the pro shop. They kept slashing the pricing. Getting sold doesnt have to be the end of the world, but it can be if the buyer doesnt do their homework and pays too much. So what did his famous Ginty patent actually mean? I have a med flex shaft, 1 inch extension on each Exec club, and Golf Pride Velvet jumbo grips. General Albums. By then the Cisneros brothers had taken the money and ran. They are similar to the Nike slingshots as they have a powerbow looking thing on the back of them. The 500s have less offset than the 440s. The Spalding Top-Flite first came out in 1970. { These were great clubs. Extra weight added to the toe keeps the center of gravity where needed and also keeps the club head square at impact, resulting in straighter shots.. They introduced the Browning 500 Series to counter that effect.But, they waited too long and by that timethe party was over! Look at many of todays hybrids. [email protected] Of course Drivers and putters are like women. I remember a set called Canon I think, possibly a Spalding brand. * Note: These irons were designed by Karsten Solheimsure most of you knew that though. Theres even premium urethane cover options (Pro V1 and X styles) for ~$15 a dozen. Thanks for the memories, John Barba. "https://www.linkedin.com/in/swingyard/", The real prize for Callaway was the Chicopee ball plant. Say what you will but I own a set of Ray Cook Titanic irons. No copy for them. The company also announced an alliance with Bob Bettinardi to create a line of high-end Hogan putters. Thanks! But $1 billion is a lot of cabbage, and KKR borrowed heavily to make the deal. what is spanish colonial music? made it even more interesting and valuable. Today, collectors prize the narrow-faced Cran Cleek. As previously mentioned, you can buy Spalding Molitor clubs at Rock Bottom, and theyre a great option for beginner players. The Ginty, fueron palos adelantados a su poca, las maderas Ginty parecen las antecesoras de las big bertha de callaway, el material del que estaban hechas no poda aguantar las inercias, pero el diseo ya era adelantado a su tiempo. The Sounder irons could be on the list-and are the best irons I ever had (have). But more trouble was coming for Spalding. After each sale, however, TaylorMades leadership team remained intact. Ive got other odd clubs, a clear/see thru 5W, 68 & 73 degree wedge (of course, they may not be considered crazy. Irons made during that time are distinguished by an anvil cleek mark. They definitely arent the prettiest of clubs but I did enjoy playing them. Alternatively, you can look on a discount site like Rock Bottom Golf. Club-makers traditional method had been to shape metal heads with an anvil and forge. Steve Almo With new sexy companies like Titleist, Callaway, and TaylorMade, and golfers like Tiger and Phil, the new aged golfer wasnt interested in playing their grandpas golf clubs. Sales declined into the 2000s, and Spalding made their last club in 2002. Upload or insert images from URL. Spalding stopped making golf clubs in 2002, and their last clubs were branded as Top Flite Oversized irons. when were spalding executive golf clubs made Free shipping on many items | Browse your favorite brands | affordable prices. Albert Spalding was a superstar. There was a time that Spalding golf clubs were among the best in the business. Executives were my first real set of golf clubs. Got them for $200.00 which was a really great price other pro shops were asking $450.00 for a set. All are memory refreshing .. have been in golf clubhead design , manufacturing 25 years , familiar with the designs ! Wilson never really recovered after Pepsi bought it in 1970. Just remember, Its always the indian and not the arrow. 1 Iron (18) Spalding EXECUTIVE XE. FIND A SET! unbelieveably so..!! * Note: These irons were designed by Don Wood remember the Plop putterswell they are back at it againyou can check them out here. "keywords": ["spalding irons by year","when did spalding stop making golf clubs","does spalding still make golf clubs","spalding golf clubs history","spalding executive golf clubs history"], I gave the set to my nephew, and he loves them. I had a VAS 5 iron. In 1876 Spalding was the manager and ace pitcher of the Chicago White Stockings. By the following year, Spalding began making clubs in the U.S. In the early days, golf clubs were hand-forged using a hammer and anvil. The VAS are ugly, but they work. Is that so? Used them for about 10-15 years before I switch to 845s. Spalding also produced the first U.S.-made golf shoes, the first clubs to use numbers instead of names, and the first completely matching set of woods and irons (the Kro-Flite). Any Spalding clubs that are still in circulation can be regarded as vintage, thats for sure! More than 50 percent of that total came from golf ball sales. Still playing my cook titanics with the 1 iron. During that time, Spalding ownership changed hands a half dozen times, and saw the same fate as MacGregor Irons. Its an interesting question to ask about a company that was a factor for over 125 years. Quite honestly, we werent ready for that.. Spalding EXECUTIVE Iron Set. During their time together, Vardon and Spalding agreed the best way to grow the game in the U.S. and grow the market for Spalding golf products was to build more golf courses. It wasnt very sophisticated back then, and they wanted to add layers of sophistication that they had in their other businesses. Wright was the driving force behind Bostons Franklin Park golf course, the first municipal course in the U.S. Bostons other muni is named after Wright, who donated the land for the Donald Ross design. They also specialized in unique clubs like the Cran Creek. Estimated resale value today:. To maintain the limit of 14 clubs in the bag, I change off now and then. I love them but Im mystified with the hex screw in the bottom of every shaft! Is it worth getting a new set of clubs, or should I focus on getting spikes and a gloves, ( I currently golf in thing sandles). I demand a re-count!, He went on to say, and as owner of MyGolfSpy you should feel ashamed since you were given a set as a gift 15 years ago and I remember you putting me in play for a few rounds, how could you do this to me?, Slotline had a hit on their hands with their Slotline Inertial puttersthey sold over 2 Million of those flatsticks. There is nothing crazy about the Slinger! but fairly forgiving. Please put any questions or comments here. I'm 25 years old and I've been playing with my grandfathers Spalding executives for 10 years now, and I shoot about a 80-85. From 1932 until 1973 two years after Jones death Spalding sold over 15 different models and two million sets of Bobby Jones clubs. I have the entire set of samurai woods and irons,,,driver,3wood,5wood,7wood,,irons,,2-pw,dont believe they ever made a sw,,,,and I still use them,,,my fellow golfers are still amazed at the distance I get,,if you want a picture of the set,,let me know,,ill take one and send to you,,, I have the whole set of samurai irons,2-pw and woods1,3,5,7,,still use them,,i have had pros hit them,,and be amazed at the distances over their irons,,,i would like to find another 5wood,if anyone knows where or who has 1,,i, neil,,do you have a samuarai 5 wood,,,hard to find,,,id like one. Oversized high center of gravity heads and huge amounts of offset are what killed long irons IMO. While the idea of owning a golf company sounds great, the list of companies that tried and failed is long. It wasnt long until Spaldings Executive golf clubs were launched, which were prevalent at all levels of the game. Though he is a footnote in the PGA history he was briefly on tour in the 50s. Oh I didnt forget about thosethey almost made the list. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.You can also visit my Am. Their president at the time said this about the newly released irons, Titanic irons are the first long irons even God and you can hit. Now that is a bold statement that should of had you guys flocking to purchase these beauties. About Spalding Buyers can still find Spalding clubs on some secondary sites. Nabbed them just for the pure ugliness. MyGolfSpy is usually a place you guys come to see the latest and greatest equipment the golf industry has to offer. Throughout the 90s and into the early 2000s, Spalding and Titleist were running neck and neck in golf ball production. Can you help me find the history of the club? Really solid clubs. Great stuff. Non-Tapered Golf Grips: 8 Facts to Know Before You Buy! Slotline Inertial E-Max irons laying around ? Spalding spent the last half of the 20th-century battling with Titleist for golf ball supremacy. he is a cleveland iron man now, but he still owns the spalding executives. The "New York Times" frequently syndicates his work. Happily, I can say that I have seen these over the years, but none of them ever made it into my golf bag. You might be wondering how the hell did a Ping iron make the listbut look againthis one definitely deserves to be on the list for Wackiest Irons. It is my Go To clubmy favorite. APPLY NOW: Cleveland Frontline Elite Putters! Now, like Henry Ford's assembly-line Model T's, Spalding craftsmen used a mechanical hammer to craft club-heads, drill sockets in them to attach the shaft and then polish the heads, all of which allowed Spalding to mass produce matching club sets. Hope you all enjoyed a look back at some of the craziest irons ever made. Great collection! WITB Albums. It was a low loft club used for poor lies and putting. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. * Note: These irons were designed by Dave (cant remember last name) which was considered a very good designer by others in the business at the time and one that some felt did not get as much credit as he deserved. So, while Spalding is nowhere near as prevalent as it once was in the world of golf, you can still pick up a set of Molitor clubs for a very reasonable price online.