Wilson - Top Club on Tour

Sam Snead, Patty Berg and club-makers Hall of Famer Bob Mendralla joined the Wilson Advisory Staff by 1947, and directed the company in the production of clubs for years to come. In the1970’s, Wilson Staff introduced more revolutions into the equipment world, including the Dyna-Power, the Fluid Feel and the FG Series blades. By 1983, Wilson clubs were the number one club on the PGA Tour.

1980's and 1990's

Wilson remained the top club throughout the 1980's, introducing the Staff Tour Blade in 1985. This club was introduced alongside the Staff persimmon woods, which featured aluminum face inserts, and went on to become the top woods in golf. The Staff FG-51 was introduced in 1990 and new Dyna-Powered wedges were made by Mendralla, along with a reincarnation of Snead's R-90 sand wedge.

Wilson / Walter Hagen Haig Ultra BLADES 4-SW Irons Wilson Steel Shaft Irons - 8 clubs total, 1974

Walter Charles Hagen (December 21, 1892 – October 6, 1969) was an American professional golfer and a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of 11 professional majors is third behind Jack Nicklaus (18) and Tiger Woods (15). Known as the "father of professional golf," he brought publicity, prestige, big prize money, and lucrative endorsements to the sport. Hagen is rated one of the greatest golfers ever.

Hagen won the U.S. Open twice, and in 1922 he became the first native-born American to win The Open Championship, and won the Claret Jug three more times. He also won the PGA Championship a record-tying five times (all in match play), and the Western Open five times when it had near-major championship status. Hagen totaled 45 PGA wins in his career, and was a six-time Ryder Cup captain.

Born in Rochester, New York, Hagen came from a working-class family of German descent. His parents were William and Louisa (Boelke) Hagen. His father worked as a millwright and blacksmith in Rochester's railroad-car shops. Walter was the second of William and Louisa's five children and the only son.

Hagen developed his golf game at the Country Club of Rochester, beginning as a caddie, and earned money to help support his family from pre-teen age. He earned ten cents per round and was occasionally tipped another five cents. Hagen played golf at every chance he got; caddie access to the course was limited to off-peak times, as it was elsewhere in the U.S. during that era. Hagen, with assistance from head professional Alfred Ricketts, gradually improved his golf skill to the stage where he was an expert player by his mid-teens, and was then hired by the club to give lessons to club members and to work in the pro shop. He made his top-class professional debut at age 19 at the 1912 Canadian Open, placing 11th, a good showing. Hagen followed up with a surprise 4th place showing at the 1913 U.S. Open at Brookline where he stated that he was treated badly by the other professionals who knew nothing about him. Hagen said "they pushed me off the tee and told me I could practice when they were through". He vowed to play in the 1914 U.S. Open and "win it", and he did exactly that.

Hagen was also very skilled at baseball, primarily as a pitcher and shortstop. He canceled a 1914 tryout for the Philadelphia Phillies in order to play in a golf tournament. Later that week, Hagen was the U.S. Open Champion, and his career was changed forever.

Hagen was a key figure in the development of professional golf. He emerged in an era when the division between amateurs and professionals was often stark, with the amateurs having the upper hand in some sports, golf among them. This was especially true in Great Britain, the leading country in competitive golf when Hagen began his career. Golf professionals were not allowed to partake of the facilities of the clubhouse, and were not allowed to enter the clubhouse by the front door. On one occasion, at the 1920 British Open in Deal, Kent, Hagen hired a Pierce-Arrow car to serve as his private dressing room, because he was refused entrance to the clubhouse dressing room. He hired a Chauffer, and parked the expensive car in the club's driveway; this behavior raised a few eyebrows in class-conscious Britain. On another occasion, he refused to enter a clubhouse to claim his prize because he had earlier been denied entrance. At the 1914 Midlothian Open he brazenly entered the clubhouse then mingled with the rich members who were delighted at which that episode permanently opened the doors. The 1920 U.S. Open in Toledo marked a turning point; the players, encouraged by Hagen, donated a large grandfather clock to the host Inverness Club, in appreciation of the club allowing access for the professionals to their clubhouse during the tournament.

Hagen was a dashing and assertive character who raised the status of professional golfers and improved their earnings as well. Throughout his career, he played hundreds of exhibition matches, all across the United States and around the world; these tours popularized golf to an immense degree. Hagen was also widely known for his dashing wardrobe while playing; this featured expensive tailored clothes in bright colors and plush fabrics. As one of the world's top players, Hagen found his skills were much in demand with this exhibition format, and concluded it was much more lucrative than playing most tournaments.

Hagen also made significant money endorsing golf equipment, and played a major role in helping to design clubs for Wilson Sports, which bore his name (either "Walter Hagen" or "Haig Ultra"). His work with Wilson produced some of the first matched sets of irons, around the same time that his great rival Bobby Jones was performing similar work for the Spalding company. The improved equipment expanded golf's appeal, brought high-quality clubs within the price range of many more players, and raised the standard of play.

Hagen was the first golfer to earn a million dollars in his career. He said he "never wanted to be a millionaire, just to live like one". Hagen once expressed his creed in these words: "Don't hurry, don't worry, you're only here for a short visit, so be sure to smell the flowers along the way." Gene Sarazen, who was ten years Hagen's junior commented, "All the professionals ... should say a silent thanks to Walter Hagen each time they stretch a check between their fingers. It was Walter who made professional golf what it is." On the notion of golf as a financial endeavor, Hagen wrote in his autobiography, "My game was my business and as a business it demanded constant playing in the championship bracket, for a current title was my selling commodity."

Made in 1974 (by Wilson to Walter Hagen specs)  the Haig Ultra Forged Irons are still considered one of the best sets of forged irons ever to hit the market for low handicap golfers. They’re forged from mild carbon steel so they give the soft, solid, “buttery” feel that better golfers look for in a forged iron, and while they have a relatively small sweet spot — roughly the size of a dime — many people who have used these clubs describe the feeling of hitting the sweet spot as “a sensation unlike any other.”

The Haig Ultra irons aren’t fitted with the latest in technology, but they’re incredibly accurate and they give great workability and control. However, they are one of the most unforgiving clubs available, even more so than the Titleist 690.MBs, but their feel and feedback are superb. Players who are used to the Ultra irons say that even if blindfolded, they could tell roughly how and where they hit the ball based just off the incredible feedback these clubs give.

And in addition to their performance, the Haig Ultras have all the traditional style that a person could wish for. They feature a semi-square toe design, a thin sole, and minimal offset. These, combined with the striking chrome finish, make the Haig Ultra forged irons quite handsome indeed.

To sum it all up, despite being an older set of irons, the Haig Ultra forged irons are a superior set of irons for the experienced player. They’re unforgiving, but they make up for it by performing excellently in the hands of a skilled player.

Review/Info: "I have owned these irons since new in 1974, and suffice it to say, I've told my wife that I want to be buried with them when I die.