HumanGolf.com

Vintage HumanGolf Article

By John Toepel

I played Wilson equipment while I was on the Tour. In fact I still have the irons I used. I can’t seem to quite bend the shafts these days. They are dynamic S and tipped. Actually I can bend them but the club has to be positioned between two chairs so I can sit on it.

The Wilson factory is in Chicago. I stopped in at every opportunity. There was a whole department for the Tour players clubs at the factory. All the players clubs were handmade in that small area. It was fun to see the clubs put together by those skilled craftsmen. They did it with great pride and the clubs showed it. In the 1970s, Wilson was on top with Spaulding and MacGregor trying to catch up. Have things changed a bit?

One day I was in the factory having some irons bent for the lie angle and Billy Casper stopped in. Billy had his golf bag on his shoulder, walked in, slid the bag off his shoulder and thumped it on the ground. He announced that there was something wrong with the 3-Iron and walked away.

I went over to his bag and studied his equipment. He had hit some shots with those clubs and won many tournaments. He liked those clubs and just wanted the 3-Iron to act the way it always had. He liked his foundation and wanted it to stay put.

After extensive examinations, the club makers determined that the shaft in the 3-Iron had changed and was no longer consistent with the other clubs. They changed the shaft immediately to match the other shafts. It was interesting that Billy could sense that there was some difference in the 3-Iron with no testing equipment except his hands.

Part of creating your foundation is your equipment. Find equipment you like and then find duplicates that you like just as well in case you need them some day.

John Toepel is a veteran PGA Tour Player, instructor, author, and professional speaker. He also discovered Concept Golf, the quickest way to immediate, life-long lasting improvements to anyone’s golf game. Visit his site to learn more about Concept Golf, including the most comprehensive golf instruction system ever, The Concept Golf Perfect Shot Making System.

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