In 1977 while having molds made for my new line of Irons at a mold makers in Oxnard California, I spotted a very interesting club in a bag at the rear of the shop. Ive owned a set of VAS, Zings, Slingshots and the Spaulding Execs (for vintage golf days). Thanks for the history lesson, truly amazing how fast Spalding unraveled. !but they had a very proprietary, strange-sized grip. Some scumbag broke into my vehicle and stole the set about 25 years ago. I played a lot of Spaulding equipment as a kid in all kinds of sports. Its an interesting question to ask about a company that was a factor for over 125 years. When my father would shot a 215 yard iron into the hole, his fellow golfers wold ask him what club he used. The Top Flite name lives on, however, thanks to the purchase of its namesake via Callaway in the early 2000s. today. Money put a few of these clubs on touralthough that does not mean they were worth a penny. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, (your email address will not be published), Acushnet 2022 Financials: $2.27 Billion and Counting, Penfold Ace Golf Balls: Whats Old Is New Again, Four Testers Wanted Inesis Spikeless Shoe. ), Takomo Golf Clubs Review: (As Good as Expected? The brand was popular until the late 1990s, but Spalding opted for a new direction at the turn of the century and focused on other sports instead of golf. By this time, Spalding was making everything from barbells, dumbells, punching bags, and rowing machines to fencing blades, whistles, shot puts, javelins, and golf clubs. Shortly thereafter, Spalding signed him as spokesperson, vice president and director of research. Both are really great. Albert Spalding died in 1915, but his company continued to flourish. Callaway had long wanted Top-Flites ball factory and patents but didnt want to assume any debt. The Black Dots and Red Dots were equivalent to the Titleist black numerals and red numerals. I remembered them from this article. Remember all the other clubs, good to read. Just came back from the PGA Tour Superstore after reading this site last night. Oversized high center of gravity heads and huge amounts of offset are what killed long irons IMO. Today, Spalding Executive clubs arent worth a great deal of money. I love them so much I have four sets, just a case a club breaks. In 1900, Spalding released the Vardon Flyer, the golf ball used by Harry Vardon. As a former professional player, Spalding recognized the need of enlisting the assistance of experts to promote both the game and his merchandise. In 2012, Callaway sold Top-Flite to DICKS and Hogan to Perry Ellis. Just found and bought a set of Lil David Slingers. Men's Right Handed. Hope you find this one interesting!!!! spalding executive irons- does anyone remember these? 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. He re-gripped them and beats the Taylormade hand-me-downs of his friends. In 1900, Spalding released the Vardon Flyer, the golf ball used by Harry Vardon. Insurmountable debt, uncertain management, and stiff competition forced Spalding to stop production. No, while you might be able to find Spalding golf clubs at thrift stores and via used online marketplaces, Spalding no longer manufactures golf clubs. not just the American side , some of Europe and some from Japan makers also wacky !!! LOL. Got the 3 PW for 3.99 a club, bought the 5- PW first, played two rounds and went back and bought the 3 & 4. Sponsored by: GolfCircuit.com, Maxfli Tour, Tour X and Tour S Golf Balls, Penfold Ace Golf Balls: Whats Old Is New Again, Topgolf Callaway 2022 Financials: $4 Billion? It was first shown at the PGA dealers show at Disney World, Orlando, Florida 1979. I just love them! and they placed it in the show. I was the person responsible for introducing urethane prepolymers to Dr Shen Shen Wu, Titleist R&D chemist. During his time with Spalding, Stewart dropped from 6th to 123rd on the money list, with his only win coming at the 1995 Houston Open. Spaldings contributions to modern golf are considerable. made it even more interesting and valuable. Still bagging their wedges. Each has a special place in my personal golf journey and is still some of the best equipment Ive ever used. It was fun to have and I actually hit the thing really really well. Return Policy > WORLDWIDE SHIPPING. They introduced the Browning 500 Series to counter that effect.But, they waited too long and by that timethe party was over! My friends and I (and Im embarrassed to say this now! Since the Ryder Cup is shortly upon us MyGolfSpy & GolfCircuit.com thought it[]. Upload or insert images from URL. The only thing a golfer needs is more daylight. - BenHogan. Started Yesterday at 04:29 AM, By Spalding also started the Spalding Athletic Library; a series of sports and exercise books published from 1892 through 1941. But under Section 363 of Chapter 11, a seller can sell assets without having to negotiate with its creditors. Purespin (diamond face)? is fantastic, but the club is as stiff as an old water pipe and is accordingly harsh. Ironfinder has a good selection of individual Spalding Executive MV2 bird over ball golf clubs in stock to help you replace a missing single golf iron. Theres even premium urethane cover options (Pro V1 and X styles) for ~$15 a dozen. MyGolfSpy, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Today we are going to be spotlighting the crazy, the absurd, and some of the wackiest irons the golf world has ever seen. Heres one for the booksTommy Armour EQL one length irons. The design gave the clubs an exotic bamboo look; the underlying message being that these clubs offered players bamboo's legendary flexibility and whip-like strength. Like its sporting goods brother-in-arms MacGregor, Spalding ownership changed hands in 1958. I actually travel with it and use it at the driving range, so I dont have to rent clubs. Shallow faces (not as shallow as the 440 of course) and less offset than many of the long irons they replace. Make Request. Taylor Made Golf was my Distributor for the U.S. and Canadian market. "sameAs": [ have a putter,,that comes in a case,,like a pool stick,,on thecourse when its time to put,,i take it out,each piece screws together to form the putter,,,,,,,putts really good,,,. By the following year, Spalding began making clubs in the U.S. Had a set of McGregor Irons called Doctor Rx, they felt good hit in the middle, they reminded me of a Pringle potato chip. My Nike Slingshots is the best set I have ever used. I was the Sales Manager of Stan Thompson golf company for several years and worked very close with Stan. Spalding no longer makes golf clubs, and hasnt for some time now. "name": "Swing Yard", These articles are all outstanding. Protactic Golf in Chicago. As a former pro athlete, Spalding saw the value of using professionals to help promote both the game and his products. MyGolfSpy is usually a place you guys come to see the latest and greatest equipment the golf industry has to offer. Wed have monthly meetings at their West 57th Street offices in New York. Over two million Bobby Jones sets were sold in America. Just make sure to mix in a few lessons with your local PGA pro, and you'll progress nicely. Well these irons which were designed out in LA by Stan Thompson were made to capitalize on that same concept. But unfortunately for the VASs they were dethroned from their long held position. The Cobra set left handed golf club set is made of premium products. Perhaps you are thinking of the Browning 440 Plus which had more of a standard face depth. The 500s have less offset than the 440s. As a designer, the design is perfect and although they look funny, they were a great club, ask Cory Pavin. Titleist and PING were established competitors, while TaylorMade and Callaway were flexing their muscles. it was at my range's rental bin. The "New York Times" frequently syndicates his work. All that creativity has led to the great clubs we have today. Inventory available of individual, single, replacement or add-on golf irons and wedges for Spalding EXECUTIVE XE Irons. A very easy to hit blade. Spalding introduced many variations of hickory-shafted clubs to bring distance and control to the professional and duffer alike. Used them for about 10-15 years before I switch to 845s. BombTech Golf Reviews (These Golf Clubs Any Good? 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. Especially in America. Somehow they squeezed 492 dimples on them Those balls were rocketships. You can actually play Spalding golf balls again! If you have any you think we should include or have any additional info about the clubs listed feel free to post your comments. It is my Go To clubmy favorite. New entries such as Nike and Adams were turning heads as well. Players would switch balls during a round as conditions warranted. How about Hogan Magnums and Magnum Plus irons big cavity backs from the 1970s. Don Wood has the patent for the Plop Slotz Irons. single, replacement or add-on golf irons and wedges for Spalding Executive x EZ Oversize Irons. From the 1950s to the 1990s Spalding was in the bag for many major victories, and was played on municipal courses across the country. They were good at it too, in one year selling off companies for more than $7 billion they had bought for only $1 billion. Although they did have issues with the shafts actually wrinkling due to the configuration of the shape of the toe on this ironcrazy little factoid. Spalding hired Tom Bendelow as his designer, and Bendelow went on to develop many courses still in use today. }, Spalding Executive clubs were established in the 1960s, with the Top Flite Executive Synchro-Dyned golf clubs being the first in a super popular series. Looking through eBay listings, you can find a range of vintage Spalding golf clubs in various conditions to suit different budgets. At the time of the sale, it was considered the lowest cost and most efficient operation in the industry. By the early 1920s, Spalding began using a mechanical hammer to drop-forge heads in an assembly line, making the process faster, more consistent, and considerably less expensive. I agree, though it does deserve a deep dive. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, (your email address will not be published), CONTEST Adams Pro Black Giveaway! He also had a head for business and knew a good opportunity when he saw one. The Top-Flite acquisition made it a player. Hope you all enjoyed a look back at some of the craziest irons ever made. What about Pax (Paul Goydos promoted them)? During the time of the KKR takeover I was employed as the Managing Director in Australia/ NZ Great list! I want to say they were called Ironwoods but I cant find them on the internet maybe they were just in one of my wild dreams!! The VAS irons have finally been dethroned from their previous top spot as Worst Iron Ever Made! Although from a phone-in interview Mr. VAS told us, I feel robbed. But, the #1 weird club goes to the Slingeryour #1 choice. "@type": "ImageObject", And although Spalding would show operational profits, debt service kept turning those profits into losses. What about Giant Irons, I remember seeing those on an infomercial a few times. One of my favorite balls back in the late 80s was the Top-Flite Plus. Ive got a crazy iron set that is one telescoping iron with a blade that changes position to vary the loft. FIND A SET! "https://www.pinterest.com/Swingyard/blog/" Just remember, Its always the indian and not the arrow. The strangest set I play with at the moment is a matching set of 3 through 15 fairway woods made by Protactic Golf in Chicago (part of the remains of Northwestern Golf, I think). The pro-shop who had them could not find a buyer. You cannot do that with any other club. With the help of computers, we designed a unique shape we call the `Bull Nose which extends the toe weight out far enough to balance the head without creating an elongated appearance. Overall, Spalding clubs arent worth a great deal of money today, but theyre a good option if youre hoping to pick up an affordable set of clubs to get started with. Colgate-Palmolive bought RAM and Penfold in the mid-70s to sell more toothpaste but gave up after only five years. Very well researched and well done, as someone who is not super well versed in some of golfs history, it was a great, informative read! Well then so did everyone else. These were great clubs. Yes it has some smoother lines compared to some of the other clubs on the listbut you put that PowerBow as Nike says on any of those other irons and it is a dead ringer for this list of crazies. White says the KKR leadership team was much more hands-on than the Cisneros brothers had ever been, which is understandable if you just shelled out a billion simoleons for a sporting goods company. Still have the clubs in my basement. I am on my 2nd set.I used to lovem and had friends that bought as they loved the ball flight and were also a great set of chippers. But since the early 2000s, Spalding has practically disappeared from the golf landscape. Spalding, like its old school brethren Wilson and MacGregor, simply wasnt sexy to a new generation of golfers. Still, the Uniques are the best irons I have ever hit! Some crazy lookin clubs, Why didnt you include the 1st set of Ping Irons? I play them still and love them. When I was starting golf, I went to the shop and these were the clubs that I hit the best (compared to cavity backs) and bought them. Spalding stopped producing golf clubs in 2022, focusing on other sports in the years since. I use them in Central Texas when the fairways are hard and the greens harder (late summer and all winter). but worth a kings ransom, Great post thanks mgs but i agree with dj ,The doctor rx has to be on the list. The Browning 440s took my game from the 150s (Wilson clubs) to the low 70s. 1968 Spalding developed the first 2-piece performance golf ball, the Spalding Executive. Went back 10 years and got the 845s used. Was: C $107.89. You can check it out at http://www.adjustablegolfclub.com. It was a low loft club used for poor lies and putting. You find them on eBay Gary? In the mid-80s, Spalding introduced the solid core Tour Edition, and in 1996 it came out with Strata, a true game-changer for Spalding and the first multi-layer solid core ball used on Tour. Thats great. 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. Press J to jump to the feed. Would the F2 wedges still be legal if the crank were a few inches further up but still keeping the same angle please. I still have them and as a matter of fact I still use a copper Zing2 sand wedge 54. 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. MacGregors ownership carousel started in 1978 when it was sold to lumber conglomerate Wickes. My golf team partner talked me into getting new technology Ping G-20s a couple years ago, & I can not hit them nearly as well. "height": "342", Actually, we used to produce more golf balls than Titleist. Any Spalding clubs that are still in circulation can be regarded as vintage, thats for sure! I still have a set of samurai woods and irons,,and still use them,,had a pro hit my 7 iron once,,it flew his 7iron,,he was amazed,they hit great,,but graphite wears down over years and breaks,and when that happens,,its hard to find a replacement,,,. Not sure if the Black Knight, Gary Players endorsement sucked allot of buyers into buying.LOL. A very interesting stroll down golf history. In fact, one of Spaldings most popular models was the Bobby Jones collection, selling two million sets between 1932 and 1973. Whats more, Spalding Molitor clubs currently retail at $280 for an entire set, which is a price point that is pretty hard to beat.