Last July, after filing a complaint with MyGolfSpy’s HR department over what I considered over-the-top and egregious age-related harassment, I was offered a $1,500 settlement by corporate. Being a greedy little bugger, I quickly accepted,

At the time, I figured HR would issue a directive to the rest of the staff saying, essentially, to be nice to the old guy. I also figured the staff, being genuinely good people, would be full of contrition and feel genuinely sorry for their behavior. They would start treating me with the professional reverence deserving of your classic elder statesman or, as I like to refer to myself, The Silver Stud (as opposed to what my wife calls me, That Guy with Thinning Gray Hair and Badly in Need of a Shave Who Sits in Front of His Computer All Day).

Anyhoo … it turns out I was wrong about my juvenile colleagues. On all three counts.

The final straw was the entire team singing “When I’m 64” by the Beatles (in an off-key A cappella, no less) at one of our staff meetings. That was followed by several jokes about my Jitterbug flip phone and having dated Rose Marie in high school (which, for the record, I did not).

OK, that last one was funny. Hurtful, but funny.

So, here we are, nine months and two more filed complaints later, and another settlement check is in my mitts.

$3,000!

It’s time, my friends, to go vintage golf club shopping … again.

A quick flashback

Last July, I burned through my $1,500 rather quickly. Being a value shopper, however, my settlement money was well spent. Here’s the list:

That shopping spree left me with a $44 balance. I stashed that away just in case my colleagues couldn’t control themselves (which they couldn’t). That gives me $3,044 in my war chest.

eBay, here we come!

Why do this?

As a lover of history, I find peace and understanding by marking the passage of time. Some people do it with pictures of their loved ones. I do it by charting the evolution of golf equipment.

Odd? Maybe, but that doesn’t make me a bad person.

My first real irons were an early ‘80s Spalding Executive set I bought from my high school science teacher who also owned Werner’s Sporting Goods in downtown Leominster, Mass. They were ugly little things but they were all mine.

I can still remember every iron set I’ve ever played. I went from the Executives to a used set of PING Eyes (the original, not the Eye 2), which I would swap with my brother for his Arnold Palmer Axioms. Those stayed in the bag for over 20 years, although 16 of those were idle because, you know, parenthood.

When I got back into the game in 2007, I bought a set of Adams Idea OS irons. Those were traded in for the TaylorMade R7, which led to the Mizuno MP59. The years that followed were a game of Iron Whack-a-Mole. In no particular order, I gamed several different Srixon forgings, a handful of Wilsons, a set of 2010 MacGregor VIPs (grossly underrated!), the original Nike Vapor combo set, the Hogan PTx (with lofts instead of iron numbers), the new MacGregor MT-86 (also grossly underrated) and an array of excellent irons from PING, Titleist, COBRA, Sub 70 and others.

Hey, it’s my job.

Let’s go shopping!

Several iron sets missed the cut during last year’s vintage golf club shopping spree. Topping that list are two sets of marvelous Cleveland forgings, the 2012 588 CB/MB combo set and the 2000 TA1 Tour Action irons.

I found a heads-only set of the 588 CB/MB irons for $275 or best offer. Since the seller wants to whack me for $50 shipping, I’ll offer $225 so, with shipping, it’s $275. I have shafts. We’ll make it work.

I really want the TA1 irons in gunmetal black but the only sets I could find on eBay were in excess of $420. There is a set in chrome for only $50 that also includes three Tour Action 900 wedges and a Tour Action putter. Lead tape be damned; that’s just too good to pass up.

So, two off my hit list for a total of $325. That leaves me with $2,719 left over. Ahh, screw it, I’m buying the black ones, too. There goes $420, leaving me with $2,299.

Also on my list were a set of Haig Ultras from the mid-‘80s and a set of Arnold Palmer Tru-Matics from the mid-‘60s. Walter Hagen is a DICK’S/Golf Galaxy apparel brand now but back in the day it was owned by Wilson and made some pretty nifty forged irons. Many were rebranded Wilson Fluid Feel irons but that’s not a bad thing at all. Several sets were in lovely condition on eBay but the Haig Ultra Contour Sole models were the best at $140 with shipping.

I figured the Tru-Matics would be a little harder to find but, once again, I was wrong. I scored this sweet set for just $75. Now I’m five sets deep into my vintage golf club shopping spree and I’m still left with $2,084.

My wife is going to be so pissed when all these boxes start showing up.

MacGregor time

When it comes to golf history, MacGregor might be the most fascinating story in golf (only Hogan is close). That Archibald and Ziba Crawford’s shoe last company could become the “Greatest Name in Golf” is the stuff of legends. And how MacGregor went from the mountain top to the dust bin is a lesson for any OEM. Its current resurrection as a value-packed direct-to-consumer brand is a business-school study in perseverance.

Several MacGregor classics are on my list but the Jack Nicklaus VIP is my Very Important Priority. This pristine set is going for $240 with shipping and is a no-brainer.

There’s also a pristine set of 2008 MacGregor Pro-M blades (heads only) in gunmetal black just sitting there for $299. I’ll find some shafts.

This one wasn’t on my list but it popped up and, well, just look at it.

It’s a set of MacGregor Tourney MTRL3 irons. What caught my eye is this:

I thought diamonds framing the grooves were cool. This was unexpected. For $75, let ‘er buck.

I’m now down to $1,470 left in my HR settlement.

Let’s get weird

As many of you know, I’m a Penfold guy. Love the history and love what they’re doing now as a lifestyle brand. Penfold was best known for golf balls but it did sell clubs for a while. The problem, however, is that they’re very hard to find. I did track down a Penfold Ace 5-iron from the UK. It’s only six bucks plus $33 overseas shipping.

I also found this cool Penfold putter for $10 plus $33 shipping, also from the UK.

What I really want, however, is a Penfold Man statuette. These things were quite popular counter displays back in the day and are now considered collector’s items (check out the $2,500 price tag). This one is only $96, but shipping from Australia is another $115. Since I’m in full drunken-sailor-spending mode, let’s do it!

If you think chippers are a recent phenomenon, you need to learn that in golf there is no such thing as a first anything. This vintage “rough-iron” from Kroydon dates back to at least the 1940s and it’s only $33 with shipping.

Kroydon was a decent-sized golf brand back in the day out of Maplewood, N.J. It was purchased by Ram in the ’50s and featured the volcanic Tommy Bolt as its headline PGA staffer. I’d love to find a full set of Kroydon Thunderbolt irons but the best I could come up with was a pitching wedge ($37). I did find a set of Tommy Bolt Autograph irons for $60 so that will have to tide me over.

My “weird” buys total up to $420 (I really needed that Penfold man). I’m left with $1,047.

G’day, mate …

You knew we had to go there, didn’t you?

The Dunlop/Maxfli Australian blades have something of a mythical status for vintage iron geeks. The reality is they became a thing completely by accident.

In 1975, Dunlop’s Australian division was making and selling its own blade that was very different from U.S. and UK Maxfli blades. During the winter of ’75 – ’76, several American pros played the Australian circuit (it was summer there) and returned home with this new iron set that came to be known as the Australian blade. Dunlop’s U.S. division was soon flooded with requests and had to import blank heads to meet the demand. The first Australian blades hit the U.S. in 1976.

I’m not sure if these are the ’76 models but they’ll do for $130.

Speaking of Australia, these Greg Norman COBRA muscle-backs make me feel things I really shouldn’t be feeling. They’re $1,400, though, and will have to wait for the MyGolfSpy team’s next HR transgression.

These at $400, however, will work quite nicely for now.

The vintage golf club shopping reserve is dwindling. I’m now down to $517. Time to get creative.

Thunderbirds and Cadillacs

Give yourself a gold star if you knew that Chicago was Carlsbad long before Carlsbad was Carlsbad. The Windy City was Golf Central with Wilson, Ram, Tommy Armour (nee PGA Golf/Burke) and several others calling it home. The biggest of them all will surprise you, though.

Northwestern.

At one time, Northwestern was the largest golf club manufacturer in the world, focusing on department store-level products. Founder Nat Rosasco, an Italian immigrant, wanted to make golf clubs the working man could afford. Years later, his son Nat, Jr., expanded into pro-level equipment and the company introduced the Thunderbird line.

Must. Buy. Now. $150. Put ‘em in the cart. $367 left.

You may remember Connor’s piece from a few weeks back on the new Powerbilt irons. They’re drop-dead sexy but that’s a Powerbilt kinda thing. Or, more correctly, a Power Bilt kinda thing. Once the golf arm of Hillerich and Bradsby (of Louisville Slugger fame), Power Bilt was a golfing powerhouse dating back to 1951. What I’m looking for is a set of Citations, either a mid-‘60s model or the 1978 edition.

Gloryosky, Captain Bargain Hunter, looky-loo what I found for $330 …

I, I … I think I need a moment alone. I’m feeling things I shouldn’t again.

That leaves me with $37 so I’ll grab a 1978 Citation 3-iron for $35 to commemorate my senior year of high school (Rose Marie had long since graduated).

One hell of a haul …

Gotta say, spending $1,500 is fun but spending three grand is at least twice as fun. Here’s the final tally:

Our vintage golf club shopping tally comes to (drum roll, please): $3,042

Since I started with $3,044, I have two bucks left over.

There must be something I can buy on eBay.

Postscript: As you can see, there’s no shortage of cool stuff you can find on eBay. However, I have to tip my hat to Tom Wishon and his 1985 book, The Golf Club Identification and Price Guide. Wishon researched the hell out of all of these companies and his book is the source for most of the historical tidbits in this story. If you’re a history geek, it’s worth picking up on, you guessed it, eBay.

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