Hello ABS crew, I finally got a set of irons I believe I can set closer to abs standards. Does anyone know what year model my new irons are and if infact they can be bent to the proper lie angles.
Spalding Registered : Top Flite Professional 3-9
Shafts: Spalding Pro Flite Medium
The irons also came with a trio of woods. I don’t think they are abs ready or the first models but I’d love to be wrong. Any thoughts are appreciated!
I’m sure they will do fine. For the irons you would need to flatten them to spec and add weight - they’ll undoubtedly be more upright and lighter than abs specs.
ABS also advocates for zero offset. Those models are likely low offset already, but you’d need a specialized person like Lag or Mike to fully remove any remaining offset. Depending how much offset there is, this may not be a huge priority.
Adjusting the lie angles of the woods takes a lot of work. Lag and Mike made a serious of videos on it a while back if you’re a DIY person.
I hope you enjoy the new sticks. They’ll probably be great as is, but I hope this helps.
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These are late ‘60s Top Flites. They would be forged, so they can be bent to ABS specs. I have a couple of sources for info on older clubs. My Golfworks Golf Club ID and Price Guide description matches the 1965/66 model years.
The other source is a series of pages from a Golf Classics Price and ID Guide that you can find right here on the ABS Forum under the Equipment category - topic name is Classic Golf Clubs Price List and Information. Based on the picture there, they indicate you have a 1968 model. Not sure which is correct, but they’re late ‘60s for sure.
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So far so good! Had the 3 iron slide out on me on a tee shot, the original grips just couldn’t handle it haha.
New grips for the whole set and a groove cleaning on the short irons and it’s ready to go! They feel amazing. That softer steel is truly something
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The old blades are great. I’ve never found anything I enjoy more than my Wilson Dynapowers.
You might consider adding weight down the shaft when you regrip. That’s my standard procedure, but only necessary if you want to increase weight. If you have a ram rod and cork it’s an easy adjustment. And you’ll want a decent scale so you know how much powder you’re adding.
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Thank you for posting those screenshots. It’s nice to have an understanding of what I actually have now, I really appreciate the information!
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That’s a good idea. Beats having a yard of lead tape on the clubs
I personally don’t like weight down the shaft for my clubs. I always had trouble keeping the weights stable.
I do weight the butt end of the club. Tour Lock Pro makes weights to place in the grips. Think of this like having a heavy hilt on a sword.
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I’ve never had an issue. Put lead powder down the shaft and use a ram rod to force a cork down. I haven’t had one come loose before and I’ve done it on at least 20 clubs. I had one set of old clubs where I couldn’t do it because something was higher up in the shaft to where a cork wouldn’t get down near the hosel.
I’ve never used tour lock pro weights, but I use grips that weigh 67 grams (normal grips are closer to 50). I agree the extra weight in the hands is nice. Between the grips and some weight down the shaft I get my clubs heavy but the swing weights end up pretty normal.
What kind of cork do you use? Just one that’s a slightly larger diameter than the end of the shaft?
Yeah, different golf suppliers sell them. Like these: https://www.golfworks.com/swingweight-shaft-corks/p/cork-1/?sku=CORK-IR&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw_ZC2BhAQEiwAXSgClgmaZzR638vS6tgUDOr3Xwc0DgcIoma-jc7x4Ny8HtMcBqZN9HXi0hoCOHAQAvD_BwE
Then I get lead powder, 1 pound of this goes a long way: https://www.golfworks.com/powdered-lead-1lb/p/lp/
Then you need a ram rod to push the cork down so it fits tight. They sell golf-specific tools - I bought one a number of years ago. You might find something else would do the trick just as well.
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