Old School

[BrisVegas]

I'm putting together a set of retro clubs for a bit of a laugh and I thought it might be cool to get a few of us together who've got some old sticks and have a game. See how much tougher it is without the advantages of modern gear.

I was chatting to Garry Calder at GCI the other day and he goes out occasionally and plays with the old hickory clubs. Now, I'm not that keen, but I reckon the 80's and prior was when the old school gear was at it's best.

ie. no titanium, no graphite, no cavity-backs, no lob wedges, no hybrids, no metalwoods.


Anyone else interested? Blakey - you could use your normal setup.


Fyi, I've got some circa-70's Daiwa Chairman persimmon woods (1.5 & 4 with True Temper steel shafts) and my circa 1980 PGF Aristocrat Tour Blades 3 thru SW. I'm still looking for a suitable putter, but I'm keen on something like a Wilson 8802.

[senecio]

We could play it at The Hills. Lets see if anyone is good enough to hit blade 2-irons into par 4's all day.

[Eag's]

I used to have a nice set of Brosnan blades but just can't remember what they were? I think they were classics or something similar.
I had the woods to go with them but could never hit the bloody driver well at all

Also had the Wilson 8802, loved that putter never should of got rid of it.

[Coffs_Hacker]

Also had the Wilson 8802, loved that putter never should of got rid of it.

http://www.ozgolf.net/forums/showthread.php?t=8002]

[mikezone13]

I'm sure Andrew would recommend a hit at Newcastle... Eags and g69 would be real keen

[Eag's]

I'm sure Andrew would recommend a hit at Newcastle... Eags and g69 would be real keen

Oh, please stop Mike, my sides are splitting

[andylo]

http://picasaweb.google.com/yanchilo/PGFPowerPact

Check out the photos of those balls

Most of them have a crack one way or the other.... majority of them are hotdots. They all have those round , distance dimples Very funny.

For the clubs themselves.... I still yet to find the sweet spots of the irons but I generally hit them... ok :-p

The wood acutally feel great!! Both off the tee and off the deck. Its probably the only 3 wood I can hit on earth

I played with those balls... thats the part I am not too sure....

I don't know its the ball are all stuff or what... I have a hard time to launch them with whatever club in da bag.... but when I use modern balls (ProV1 etc..) I have no problem to hit them high.

If its normal that the old ball are harder to hit it higher, I really surprised how the technology help the game easier to play (and majority of us still suck at it).

[markTHEblake]

Andylo, style of clubhead appears to predate the Status Mk3 which was released in 1972.

[Grunt]

Would my PING Y-blade putter be old enough?

[BrisVegas]

Power Pact

Hey Andy. They were my first set of clubs! I bought them from Bribie Island Pro Shop in (I think) around 1988. The blades were ok. the woods were plastic I thought. Still, I used to hit the 3 wood ok. It was my go-to club to carry the corner on the 9th at City (old tees obviously). I sold them to a mate and upgraded to the Aristocrats.

EDIT: just looked at the pics of yours. Mine must have been a newer model.

[Grunt]

I should have kept my MacGregor Blades & Wilson 2 wood 4 Wood, that I had for my first set. Hang I could not have kept them, some arsehole stole them when our house was robbed in 1987

[markTHEblake]

Andylo, here is the story of your new PGF Clubs, from an aussie collector, who knows all about everything, even more than me.

It is great to hear you and your mates are interested in collecting clubs. Keep it up. Regarding your mates Power Pact clubs, you are right Power Pact was a name used by East Bros pretty well from their inception. However the clubs your mate has are a later model bought out by PGF in the early 1980's.. They are an investment cast iron (unlike earlier forged power pact irons) The woods in that set are what we call Cyclo Wood which was a moulded plastic, PGF later used this in many of their cheaper models. You are right regarding the fact that they don't look as modern as the Status Mk3's. The MK3 and MK5's were years ahead of their time, after that PGF went through a stage relying on some antiquated designs. (this is only Ross' theory) especially with their cheaper clubs, such as the later Nagles and Power Pacts. Consequently PGF's popularity dropped during the 1980's & 90's.
You are right however the first use of Cyclo Wood by PGF was in their Slammer Range in the 1960's. Super Slammer, Grand Slammer, Little Slammer. These were top of the range clubs.. The little slammer holding the title of "the most sold club ever made in Australia." The slammer was the brain child of Tom Crow.. (Australian Amateur Champion) as I have mentioned before. I went looking for some early adds of East Bros Power Pact clubs which I know I have got, but couldn't find at the moment. Please keep in touch Mark, and I will endeavour to send you some more info. If you or your mates ever need any other golf club info please feel free to ring or email, only too happy to help. Regards Ross Baker.

One of the things Ross is referring to is that PGF went downhill in the mid 80's when it shut down its club manufacturing facilities and instead relocated to asia or just imported cheap stuff from asia, much like crappy brands like Titliest and Nike do now.

In anothe email from Ross, he said;

Not many people know that Australia was a leader in World Golf Technology in the 1960's & 1970's. We had some of the best golf club making factories in the world then, PGF (the merger of Chesterfield & East Bros)Spalding, Slazengers, Keith Knox and Carnegie Clark. Slazenger made the best golf ball in the world, the B51 Tightwind. Nicklaus used to take a gross of these B51's back to play the European Tour every year.

[PeteyD]

Classic stuff Andy. Don't be so surprised at hitting the wood well, a lot of the old woods are great, even if they were plastic ???

[andylo]

Thanks MTB. This is some great information.

Now I am going to source myself those MK3/Mk5 (retro HOing)

[kpac]

Now I am going to source myself those MK3/Mk5 (retro HOing)

Boss has a set he is getting cut down TODAY for his son... bit of a shame. funny looking irons - very sharp front edge.

[markTHEblake]

kp, I reckon the Mk3 were horrible looking things, but a lot of people used to say that they were the dogs bollocks, but I really liked my Mk5's.

Funny thing is, that they look a helluva lot like the irons i use now (at address)

[BrisVegas]

The PGF Status Mk5 really were "the" club of choice weren't they. It seemed like everyone had them when I first started playing. In the late 80's, early 90's they came out with a cavity back iron set like the Titleist Oversize and they were pretty nice.

[markTHEblake]

The PGF Status Mk5 really were "the" club of choice weren't they.

I didnt choose mine, i just grabbed dads clubs and started playing as he had retired. I do remember having people comment that i had a very flash set of clubs for a kid that couldnt get the ball off the ground.

The word Status was written very stylishly though, and they were shinier than the Mk3's

[Grunt]

Heres a link to my old set of Golden Bears

http://www.globalgolf.com/product/go...bear.aspx?gd=3

[BrisVegas]

http://www.pgfgolf.com/Company-Timeline.aspx

[andylo]

So the so I thought "wood"... is actually made with 100% prastic??

[PeteyD]

Found a link to my old Cobra Tour Model IIs. I have no idea how I ever hit those clubs ...

[markTHEblake]

So the so I thought "wood"... is actually made with 100% prastic??

Yeah prastic. I dont see any problem with that, the Little Slammer was prastic and that was the best club ever made

You better forget my suggestion to refinish your woods, by sanding back, and relacquer with estapol, because i got mixed up which set you bought, i thought you bought the Mk3's that ws in the photo you showed me, and those were wood woods.

[andylo]

Ok guys....

What is the "PGF Aristocrat tour model"?? I just picked up another 3 wood. And it has "Hand crafted American Persimmon" where the TP logo should be

Hopefully its something good.

Also picked up a Status Mk3 "W"... is it = PW or SW??

[markTHEblake]

Aristocrats were a 90's club i think.

and W means Wedge as opposed to SW.

[andylo]

Aristocrats were a 90's club i think.

Sugar, so that won't qualify Dion's requirement?!

Apart from the made of year, is this thing any good?