The pro-shop who had them could not find a buyer. 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. Itd take a week to prepare for.. I still have them and as a matter of fact I still use a copper Zing2 sand wedge 54. Matched them to Wilson Pro Staff low compressions and I was a happy camper. You have any pics of the Samurai irons Neilwould love to see them. The Top-Flite acquisition made it a player. One of the most famous Spalding clubs was the Cran Cleek (club with a narrow face and little loft) for poor fairway lies and even putts. lol! made it even more interesting and valuable. jazzbone, September 4, 2006 in Equipment. Peter F. Stevens is an award-winning author and journalist whose 10 books include "The Voyage of the Catalpa." They produced more premium balls, but we used to make 25-, 26-million dozen a year.. 1 Iron (18) Spalding EXECUTIVE XE. (Sponsored by: GolfCircuit.com), CONTEST! As the 21st Century dawned, it had impressive sales and deep-pocket owners, but in reality, it was staring down the barrel of a gun. Taylor Made Golf was my Distributor for the U.S. and Canadian market. Those are the reasons they work. I just picked up 6 thru 9 of the Browning 440 Plus irons at the Goodwillcant wait to try them out. 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. Im sure Scott White would love to contribute. Clare. Spalding, like its old school brethren Wilson and MacGregor, simply wasnt sexy to a new generation of golfers. Yet again, the same fate as MacGregor had. Did you forget about Zevo Golf? Ive seen several of those uglies up close over the years so this was fun to view. The old Spaulding Executive set I had back in the early 1980s. i was pretty impressed with the club. 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. Just bought a set of Nicklaus Linear Dynamics N1 Golf Irons at a thrift shop in Vegas. I accidentally broke it in the late 1970s the shaft was installed over a milled section of the hosel! 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. Insurmountable debt, uncertain management, and stiff competition forced Spalding to stop production. It wasnt long until Spaldings Executive golf clubs were launched, which were prevalent at all levels of the game. I had some Staff FG-17 and my friends dad had the Executives. Club-makers traditional method had been to shape metal heads with an anvil and forge. Wanted them when I was in college but couldnt afford them then. It was fun to have and I actually hit the thing really really well. I finally gave it to a friend of mine who is a beginner and he says it is the only club he can hit reliably. This is because Spalding stopped manufacturing golf clubs in 2002, and most of the clubs available online today are vintage sets. Goldwin was a San Diego company, years ahead of its time. Spalding spent over 125 years as a sporting goods giant. Instead, well hit the highlights. With Spalding's mass-market success breeding scores of imitators, players could pick and choose from countless club lines. The remaining golf company was re-named Top-Flite. #14 - Spalding Executive Irons These were actually a pretty good iron for the time and I think Trevino had something to do with this designbut not sure. "https://www.instagram.com/_swingyard_/", Spalding decided it would be good business to provide golf course design services free of charge to anyone with the money and inclination to build one. By then the Cisneros brothers had taken the money and ran. While the Top Flite was initially scorned by better players as the rock flight, it probably caused a rule change. By 1910, the company was selling aluminum fairway clubs and its Gold Medal series (1910 to 1919) featured aluminum bronze. Win a bunch of BogeyPro swag! Long irons with shallow faces, little offset and perhaps slightly softer shafts can be quite playable. and they placed it in the show. They had a premium Molitor ball at the then scandalous price of $2. Spalding Top-Flite In 1995 Spalding Sporting Goods reorganized its golf club division by forming the Top-Flight golf company as its premium club brand. But Zevo Golf is one of those on this list that was a pioneering. Ive owned a set of VAS, Zings, Slingshots and the Spaulding Execs (for vintage golf days). They also made a set made entirely of woods. I became a +2 handicap using those irons, and a lot of people scoffed at them early ontill they saw me hit them. I really enjoy reading your articles, John. Man, some of my favorites on this list. Unfortunately, the remaining companys sales still couldnt support the debt. If it works for you use it. It felt like a rock but flew like a rocket and weekend warriors bought them by the bushel. And Spalding predated Mizuno by at least 60 years with a copper undercoating for its forged blades in the mid-50s. Both are really great. Just got Calloway X20s last week. I cant believe to Ping Zing 2s are on the list. I think Browning was leaving the golf business then and they were discounted last set in the store. 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. General Albums. I think all the readers as well as the golfspies would love to learn as much about these past designs as possible. Would you make an iron set out of stone? . My first clubs were Spalding top flites. As a golfer of a certain age, these history articles are fascinating! KKR was established in 1976 by partners Jerome Kohlberg, Henry Kravis, and George Roberts. My high school graduation present from my parents back in 1973 was a set of Executive clubs (back when the irons were forged before they were cast). An excellent article well researched I learned the game on a set of used Spalding Execs-still have them today. Starting in the early 1900s, Spalding started making golf balls before manufacturing clubs. The Roaring 20s gave us Babe Ruth, Knute Rockne, Jack Dempsey, and Red Grange. Today we are going to be spotlighting the crazy, the absurd, and some of the wackiest irons the golf world has ever seen. 1983 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. Bird on ball was a very popular club. Wilson never really recovered after Pepsi bought it in 1970. To maintain the limit of 14 clubs in the bag, I change off now and then. single, replacement or add-on golf irons and wedges for Spalding Executive x EZ Oversize Irons. "author": "Ned Howard", I have a set of Ben Hogan AHS Hybrids and the SW is even a hybrid! So we thought if it was as crazy looking as the original it had to be on the list but a little further down. A request, could you do Sonartec at some point? I think I actually played one of them 150 holes before I gave up. I shoot mid-80s like OP. Lots of wackiness. "sameAs": [ You can buy a set in good condition on eBay for around $100. Spalding spent the last half of the 20th-century battling with Titleist for golf ball supremacy. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. what is spanish colonial music? And continuity, leadership, and smart decisions matter. & Bubba Dickerson won the 2001 US Amatuer with a set of Nicklaus Bears! Still, if youre looking for more information about Spalding golf clubs, youve come to the right place. $77.83. } Cliffy2020 Thanks, John. Forward-face progression creates a hitting surface 20 percent larger than standard and 5 percent larger than over-sized irons. Really solid clubs. Thanks for the history lesson, truly amazing how fast Spalding unraveled. I still think I deserve to be recognized as the leader in this category and will be appealing your decision. Spalding released multiple iterations of its Executive clubs throughout the sixties and seventies, and they became popular with professional golfers and recreational players alike. when I got my samurais,they were expensive,,but you can get them ocassionally on ebay,,picked up a 6iron for 15$. I don't mind the executives though, don't really know much about them either. Id like to include the Wilson Reflex irons and PGF Slammer series. On top line: OVERSIZE. but worth a kings ransom, Great post thanks mgs but i agree with dj ,The doctor rx has to be on the list. Estimated resale value today:. The Black Dots were longest (for me) but that cover would smile back at you with the slightest mishit. President A very interesting stroll down golf history. Right now Ive been with the Execs 2 then 5 SW, Ram 64 wedge, 1 & 3 wood, both hybrids and putter. My first set of irons were the Tiger Sharks.The ball seemed to jump off the face.I still have them.My second set,still in play,are the Vas+.I love them.I hit them a mile high and they feel great.When I hear them calledthe worst irons ever it makes me wonder what the heck Im missing out on. He also had a head for business and knew a good opportunity when he saw one. Shallow faces (not as shallow as the 440 of course) and less offset than many of the long irons they replace. No. Copyright 2023. Odyssey to Callaway In July 1997, Callaway Golf purchased putter maker Odyssey for $130 million, or nearly four times the company's annual sales of $35 million at the time. The Top Flite name lives on, however, thanks to the purchase of its namesake via Callaway in the early 2000s. 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. Its impossible to overstate Albert Spaldings vision and ambition. Theres even premium urethane cover options (Pro V1 and X styles) for ~$15 a dozen. KKR wanted Spalding to make money the KKR way. It became the most consistent and durable golf ball ever made. I have a left handed set that I got from a guy on the senior tour, Bob Carson, who also owned a golf course in Titusville FLA. The 500s have less offset than the 440s. He has provided some keen insights from his time with Mr. Hogan in other articles and podcasts. Spalding no longer makes golf clubs, and hasnt for some time now. My Dad's execs from the 70's were blades that had aluminum shafts. 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. The 300XXL Driver was so lightawesome clubhead speed ! 2 Iron (21) Spalding EXECUTIVE XE . By 2002, players such as Hal Sutton, Bernhard Langer, and Luke Donald were playing the Hogan Apex ball. * Note: These irons were designed by Duke Duclos. Kind of reminds one of the Hogan radial but not near as wide on the soul. He traded a set of classic Burke PunchIrons to get the Lynx. White says KKR management was hyper-focused on Callaway and TaylorMade, which may explain one of Spaldings biggest gaffes ever. Nice article John! Thanks. Jim also marketed the first Graphite Shafts sold under the Aldila name. I look forward to your future deeper dive into the history of the Hogan company. . Had a set of McGregor Irons called Doctor Rx, they felt good hit in the middle, they reminded me of a Pringle potato chip. There are still folks around from when Mr. Hogan ran the company and I am sure you can get some keen insights not only of the company but of Mr. Hogan himself. Zevo was a great brand and I played a Zevo Zv2 hybrid for almost 6 years because it was so easy to hit and had incredible feel. TaylorMade, now owned by adidas, was rising, and Callaway was a major force. Bought a used set of 3-SW with a sticker decal some 35 years ago and added a 2-iron with stamped lettering later on a trip to Chicago. I have a set of Lynx Parallax irons that were my fathers. There was a time that Spalding golf clubs were among the best in the business. This putter is a remake of the model Bobby Jones used in the 1930s and features a head made from nickel plating over copper plating over forged carbon steel. Whats more, Spalding Molitor clubs currently retail at $280 for an entire set, which is a price point that is pretty hard to beat. A very easy to hit blade. A set of wedges were introduced several years ago claiming to be New and the best thing since sliced bread, but they looked strangely similar to the Golden Touch irons. 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. While the idea of owning a golf company sounds great, the list of companies that tried and failed is long. Finally, my number came up along with everyone else in the product management and marketing teams.. Haha my dad had a set of these and I ended up bagging the 3 and 4 irons as I hated the hybrids that came with my new set. I remember a set called Canon I think, possibly a Spalding brand. Does anyone know anything about them? "@type": "Organization", But unfortunately for the VASs they were dethroned from their long held position. "https://twitter.com/_swingyard_", Great collection! Jackie Gleason also owned a set. Could not beleive how well I hit this clubs. You find them on eBay Gary? single, replacement or add-on golf irons and wedges for Spalding Executive MV2 bird over ball Irons. 2 Iron Spalding . There is nothing crazy about the Slinger! What the hey. Alternatively, you can look on a discount site like Rock Bottom Golf. Two years prior, they sold Spalding and Evenflo to Wall Street investment firm KKR for an estimated and unbelievable 1 billion dollars. I have a 3-15 wood set that are fun to play with. Back in the day (early-60s), I caddied at a CC in so. Just found and bought a set of Lil David Slingers. 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. But as you can see could cause some serious digging issues. Spalding, along with Wright and Ditson, was importing golf clubs from Scotland. I STILL play with my Spalding Executive set 2 SW. They also said this, Because titanium is 40% lighter than steel, yet incredibly strong, the Ray Cook design team was able to create club heads substantially larger than standard oversize irons and add significantly more mass in the heel and toe. In 1892 Spalding went into acquisition mode, buying up two key competitors: the A.J. I think a list of the craziest irons made should definitely include the Jerry Barber Golden Touch irons made over 40 years ago. Great looking blade and the low COG really lets one hit it high. "https://www.pinterest.com/Swingyard/blog/" The 1968 arrival of the Executive MV2 Bird Over Ball clubs are among some of Spaldings most easily recognizable clubs. I asked him about it and he said he had shown it to Spaulding, Wilson and MacGregor and their response was It will never sell!!!! It kept some of those out of my bag Im sure. pend. beneath. 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. Great set. Spalding stopped making clubs in 2002. Great list! Oh I didnt forget about thosethey almost made the list. This technology is a shank-proof hosel. I have no ideabut I sure loved my Tommy Armour silver Scotts. remove head from shaft? It is my Go To clubmy favorite. I remembered them from this article. Callaway wound up suing Spalding for using its imagery on Spalding packaging. Well then so did everyone else. I had released it into the foreign market through a network of distributors mid in 1978, where it was well received. Just saw a full set of them again today. Spalding got so inventive with their clubmaking, they had golf bags around America sporting 20-30 clubs. I love it but was told it is no a legal putter. my 5w distance matches my friends new drivers in distance off tee,,they are amazed. Also, consider TaylorMade sold last spring for $1.6 billion, while KKR paid nearly $1 billion for Spalding in 1996. BarbaJo, you da man! The chrome I also had a set of Ping Zings too.. My partner had that set of Cleveland VAS and believe it or not we had a partner that bought a used set of Slingers We want you to get the most out of your They are nearly in perfect condition. Another great history piece. HellI know I dont and I have been involved in some type of internet golf business since[], THE WINNER OF THE CONTEST: Farve The Looper (CONGRATS!) Thanks. Still bagging their wedges. I seem to remember them being pretty wacky. Like its sporting goods brother-in-arms MacGregor, Spalding ownership changed hands in 1958. I will admit to having a hankering for those slick lookin Zevo Lobs tho. Whats troubling to us is the extent to which a reputable company that has its own trademarks and has invested a lot of money and time feels it needs to become a predator on somebody elses goodwill to sell its products, said Callaway chief Don Dye at the time. I would love to have you include my Whole-In-One Adjustable Telescopic Golf Club in your mixdefinitely fits the criteria of unusual clubs. Another really well done article. Terrific article as usual Mr. Barra. What about the Porsche irons? when were spalding executive golf clubs made. Anybody know anything? I know that this is a very late reply but I actually knew the designer of these irons and spent time speaking with him. We are here to help educate and empower golfers. It was a close race but in the end we felt like it was finally time for the super-rare and hard to find Lil David Slingers get the recognition they were due. Original? I have a set of Browning 440s and a set of Browning 500s I was in the midst of restoring them but Browning would not sell me original grips! I bought them new. spalding executive golf clubs please read DESCRIPTION BEFORE BUYING . In the early days, golf clubs were hand-forged using a hammer and anvil. Spalding started adding Tour staff during the 90s, with Greg Norman, Lee Trevino, Graig Stadler, and Nick Price all playing Stratas. KKR had been trying to dump Spalding as early as 2000, but no one would take on the debt burden. I actually have a set of 440s I bring them out every year or two when I am hitting the ball poorly. I still have the irons to this day! Are these considered weird? Love it or hate it the Nike Slingshot irons made the list. The BIG BOYS missed on this one. 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. NOW AVAILABLE: GolfWRX G/Fore Hats and Holderness & Bourne Polos! Among Jones innovations: the first matched set of steel-shafted irons, the first set of irons with the sweet spot in the center of each club (denoted by a circle of dots on the clubface), and an iron set where the scoring irons were one length, the mid irons were one length, and the long irons were one length. Looking through eBay listings, you can find a range of vintage Spalding golf clubs in various conditions to suit different budgets. Previously, they manufactured equipment for golf, American football, and baseball, but they have downsized considerably in recent years. (Cavity back blades???) I wonder what Jack thought of them. That year Albert and his brothers opened the A.G. Spalding & Brothers sporting goods company and started making baseballs. Why is that I have the Tiger Shark 7 iron and the Spalding Exec XE 5 iron in my golf collection??? Im from SD, so I had a set. If you have a vintage set of Bobby Jones Spalding irons that are in great shape, you might be able to sell them at a slightly higher price, but theyre not worth a great deal of money in the current market. Spalding stopped making golf clubs in 2002, and their last clubs were branded as Top Flite Oversized irons. I play them still and love them. Any of you still have a set of these beauties laying around? So, if youre looking for a decent set of golf clubs without breaking the bank, theres no reason not to invest in a used set of Spalding clubs if you see a set that you like online. But more trouble was coming for Spalding. It was just crazy how many golf balls we would sell through Wal-Mart in 18-ball pack, adds White Wed get orders on the fax machine for 50,000 18-ball packs, and theyd want them in two weeks.. he is a cleveland iron man now, but he still owns the spalding executives. Slotline Inertial E-Max irons laying around ? I got balls, well ProV1's anyway. ***GIVEAWAY*** Cleveland CBX ZipCore Wedge! The products soon disappeared from shelves. In April, KKR sold the Spalding name and all of Spaldings non-golf businesses to Russell Athletic for just $65 million. Starting in 1900, Spalding opened club-making factories in London and in Fife, Scotland, producing forged iron heads for Spalding clubs sold both in the UK and U.S. Spalding had a long history, terrific heritage, and healthy topline sales of over $500 million. #PowerToThePlayer. He also had some copycat Browning irons in the trunk, but I refused I couldnt even look at them with a straight face. The Kro-Flite in 1930 was golfs first liquid center golf ball, while the Spalding DOT was a mid-century icon. Thus, the USGA implemented the one ball rule, Thanks John for another great piece of history. But, in the rough the club went right underneath the ball. Irons made during that time are distinguished by an anvil cleek mark. Make Request. Paste as plain text instead, 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? The stickers are silver, but the Slinger logo is a black heavy type face and says pat. Jones immediately put his Georgia Tech engineering degree to good use. 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. 1968 Spalding developed the first 2-piece performance golf ball, the Spalding Executive.

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