Golf Irons and Golf Gear Spring of ’63

Golf Irons and Golf Gear in the Spring of 1963

Putters, putters, putters-- some legal, some illegal -- headlined the spring catalogs of new golf gear in 1963.

There were matched club sets by Walter Hagen and Ben Hogan as well as autographed models from nearly every name pro on the tour. There were Arnold Palmer shirts, Sam Snead hats, Jimmy Demaret slacks, woodless woods and practice aids galore . . . But the putters
were the big feature.

Blade Golf Irons and beginner irons were coming out as well. Putters were stealing the show, though.

As the pros like to say, "you drive for show but putt for dough" and the manufacturers obviously agree by showing these putting weapons:

A croquet-style mallet, swung as a pendulum between the knees, said to be murder from six feet and under .... one with a head of Italian marble that has a "resiliency" to provide greater control . . . another with a plastic insert to cushion the shock, also for greater control.

A double-duty putter for right-handed swinging on the greens can be turned around and swung lefty to play out a bad lie against a tree or fence . . . A "personal" putter that adjusts to size and style with a telescoping shaft and a movable head fixed by a screw adjustment.

And there was even a high-fashion model for the gals, a mallet with a red, red rose sculptured on the top of the flat head so the little lady can enjoy a bit of color while she's lining up a putt.

Among other new gadgets was a Polaroid camera that takes eight "Instant" sequence shots of a swing to help a teaching pro point out mistakes . . . a pocket - sized log-book for golfers who like to chart the pitfalls on various holes and how to avoid them. . . a club with an adjustable head that switches from a driving iron to a putter and all points between.

For the guy, there was a pipe holster for the belt to sheath the old briar while making a shot . . . and a belt pouch for the gals with space for extra balls, tees, scorecard, pencil, plus the all-important lipstick and rouge for coming up the 18th fairway.

In the glove department were new stretch gloves for fit and comfort, gloves of kangaroo skin with snap off ballmarkers and supple winter gloves for golfers who can't wait until spring.

The blade golf irons took a back seat that spring, and cavity back irons had yet to appear. To learn more about these golf clubs visit http://www.bladegolfirons.com/