Can any of you Hogan experts out there tell me what if any was the significance of the names for the Star, Director and Producer lines of irons. I know the Producers were cast, but was there any reason for naming those irons that way?
Also any opinions on the '74 Directors vs. Apex PCs. Just found a short set of Pcs/ Apex 4 (2,4-9 with an IPT equalizer) that I am cleaning up and planning on re-gripping, not sure which ones I want to bag for the fall. Gonna compare them, but I wanted some advice on what to look for.
Not sure on the reasons for the names… good question though… I’d like to know also…
I would avoid short sets personally, mainly because Hogan iron sets are not that rare, and trying to find a matching club
with the right shaft in them can be a nightmare… and you can often spend as much on one club as you paid for the whole set.
#4 shafts are nice. The PC’s were a return to a really true clean blade. I like them a lot. Mine have the rare Vector shafts in them which are an interesting experiment.
Thanks for the response. BTW great Article, got to read it yesterday in the bookstore. The PCs cleaned up really nice. They were sitting in a bin a the thrift store looking really bad, I took pity on them and adopted 'em . I’m happy with my Directors, but they have Apex 3 shafts. My swing speed is right on the edge of reg/stiff, so I figure I can at least try out the PCs on the range. They currently have the original grips which really need to be replaced. A bit back I managed to find green GP Victory grips which I put on my Directors for that old school look . Found some taki-mac grips the other day which look exactly like the Victory grips, so I may regrip the PCs with those.
I’m a big fan of the PC’s (currently own 4 sets) and I think you’ll love em. Mine all have Apex 4 shafts (a great shaft imo) in them (2 have the silver label and 2 the red label). Although I own several other “vintage” sets I always gravitate to the PC’s and have played most of my golf with them over the last 18 months. They have a great head shape, little-to-no offset, and nice progressive swingweighting (approx D3 in the 2i to about D9 in the PW).
I recently came across a set of more current Hogan mb blades… the Apex model from circa 2004. They were mint with difficult to find Apex 5 shafts. I spent over $200 for them but justified it due to their condition and the shaft, plus I wanted to get a set with some modern lofts. They’re really nice but I was disappointed in the offset they put on the 8 thru PW. Just not as clean looking as the PC’s.
Still haven’t had a chance to hit the PCs yet, but noticed that the sole is def. smaller than the sole of the Directors, so I’m not sure if I’ll like that or not.
Another question: Is there any significance to the logo on the irons? I notice that some irons have just the Hogan logo and others have a full signature.
my guess would be it is a slightly miss matched set… but I could be wrong.
Most sets even back then would have everything matched up. People break and lose clubs and similar substitutes
are often put into place. I you like the feel of the clubs, I wouldn’t be too concerned about it.
Should have been more clear… I was wondering why some of the Hogan lines like the Apex have the Signature logo and the Directors have the “Hogan” logo.
but what I do know is that The Power Thrusts, Bounce Soles and Apex are all top shelf blades.
The Producers and Directors are also good irons, but maybe not quite in the category as the others.
AddArnie or Robbo (our resident Hogan question takers)… or anyone else that may know the answer…does anyone know about The Decade set of irons that Hogan produced…scouring e-bay there are a few sets that come up . There are 3 full iron sets on there at the moment… one set is B.I.N at $3000 ???..the next set is B.I.N at about $1500 and there is another set on there for B.I.N at $600
All the auctions try to say this was a special anniversary set made in 1983 (presumably a special 30th year model) and very rare… does anyone know if there is any truth to this?
Why?..because I have a set and am going to plonk them on flea bay myself if I can drag even half that much $$$ in for them… I just can’t see them being that special however and am wondering if these other auctions are blowing smoke
As near as I can tell these were a Limited Edition “Personal” Model that came out in 82 based on his 1954 irons (which I think would have looked a little like a Saber head design). Not sure how many sets were made but one of the books I have shows them with a retail value of $1000 new at the time they were produced.
I wonder where “Decade” came from if they were based on the a 50’s year head and the start-up of the company? The Apex model had been in production for about 10 years when this model came out so maybe it’s tied to that.
Decades are from '83 and are remakes of the '73 apex.
Hence the name ‘Decades’.
Like Robbo said, the Personal is indeed a remake of the first Hogan iron, the Precision. (The Sabers and Sunbursts are similar but came after the precisions.)
I have the pictures of the old Hogan site, might be a good idea to start a thread with all the specs and stuff if there’s interest?!