1973 Ben Hogan Irons - The Vintage Golfer

[@torlefborsting471]

I owe my limited ability to strike a golf ball to this exact iron set. This was the first set of irons I ever bought and the gentleman who sold them to me had just lost his father. They belonged to his dad but he (the son) was not a golfer and did not need to keep them. I didn’t know what they were but knew that I thought they were beautiful and the story of this man’s dad really touched me. I hit them until I could make semi center contact and now play a slightly more modern iron (Titleist 962b). I still have the set , the woods, a putter, and a gorgeous leather golf bag. Mine forever :)

[@jacksparks9801]

I’ve gotten into golf this year after getting invited to the driving range and as a former baseball player with a good understanding of biomechanics and physics I just found my second favorite sport and at the moment my favorite sport. I recently while adding to my starter goodwill collection of clubs I found a 1973 hen hogan 9 iron and I can say after having not evening practiced off the tee with it I managed the purest hit of the day my very first time hitting a ball with it, to far on my back swing landed me in the rough past the flag on the 8th hole of my par 3 today. I was playing at Eagle Run Par 3 Meadows Course

[@kenbuffie2877]

I'm like you. Played on a baseball team every year from age 7-27. Played at University and in the Army. Got married and baseball was over. Took up golf. Nothing like hitting a white ball with a stick. 62 years old and still swinging. Baseball is not a lifelong sport. Golf is. Good luck my friend.

[@stevetilk4926]

I love Hogan clubs. They stand the test of time for their beauty and craftsmanship.

[@quantumpotential7639]

I played these as a junior golfer back in 1973. The Hogan Apex was the gold standard in my opinion. They would instill fear in your opponents.

[@thebigeasy8609]

TGIF!!! Hogan made some beautiful irons. Good stuff sir.

[@jesseisaac8808]

Great looking irons.defiantly like the look of the split muscle design over the flanged👌

[@johnaustin635]

The only problem with these Hogan irons and all Hogan irons up until around 1998 was the shafts were pinned with an Apex shaft which was never popular and changing pinned shafts is costly and unsightly as the original pin was chromed meaning the heads would need refinished if re-pinned so good as these blades are like their sought after Red- Line model re- shafting is a problem hence the reason I play the 1998 Apex muscle back on a blade 2-9 with DG S300’s.

[@MrKallen49]

In 1973 and thereafter, I used my father’s hand me down clubs which were pretty much all blades. You would think that after all that I would be able to strike a ball solidly. Thank goodness for cavity back irons. It has helped me enjoy the game much more.

[@geoffreyclark2805]

I graduated from High School in 1973, in fact I have a 50 year H.S. reunion this Sept.. I also have that exact 1973 Apex set 3-E apex 4 shaft too. I have several sets of Hogan irons in my collection and I think these are the best looking for sure. I agree with you they are a pleasure to hit and that's why they were in production (with minor changes) until 1978. Thank you for another vintage offering. Geoff.

[@SammySnead]

Those were wonderful clubs in the day. The lightweight Apex shafts were great.

[@robertakerson7186]

Mr. Vintage- Another fine and fun review! At the start I asked myself: "I wonder how these clubs compare to my 1972 Apex irons?" and then the question was immediately answered😃, so I can hardly complain. I like my Apexes (Apices?) a lot and they are not hard to hit like people tell you; if anything they are a lot better to use especially on shorter shots than other clubs. I continue to wait with anticipation for each of your Friday club reviews!

[@johnwaynecarlson5391]

Fun piece. The club that you're using is a 15th Anniversary Reissue of the '73 Apex. The "AB" assembly number is for 1988 production clubs. The grind is a little different and the shaft is a later version of the Apex than the originals.

[@rhv84060]

These were a big part of TW’s Tiger Slam 681’s (ENDO not miura) design process

[@SammySnead]

The metal was very soft. They really needed head covers to prevent dings on the heads

[@steventicknor8059]

I have this set 1-E as well as a second set and I play them all the time. I think they are the best looking clubs because of the classy simple design without all the overdone marketing on clubs today. I added the BeCu wedges and the Apex persimmons and i’m happier then anyone who dropped $3k on their modern junk.

[@stephenmilburn7622]

January 1973 Elvis Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite was aired. The '73 is an iron I have been wanting to get. Most reviews I've seen on Hogan irons have these at the top with the Redlines.

[@craig3775]

The ‘73 Apex are really lovely but…which Hogan set from the 80’s would you choose? I get confused with medallion and apex and apex 2 and redline etc.

[@djelalhassan7631]

I am a vintage golfer too, peace

[@chandlerbryan3448]

I have 3-E in this set and am very happy with them. Well full disclosure I have 3-E heads in this set. I bought a ladies' set for cheap and reshaftrd them. I feel your point about sticking with a set and getting intimatly acquainted with them for the good of my game but like you I have several iron sets and it's hard to see any of them get lonely!

[@Weshopwizard]

That was when it was actually the Ben hogan company. The real deal.

[@bumpedhishead636]

The vast majority of corporate CEOs now come from the Sales & Marketing or Finance departments, not the Engineering departments. They care only about their market share, profit margin and the resulting stock price. They would rather have 10 customers that buy a new set of clubs every 2 years than 20 customers that buy the same set every 10 years. And, what they REALLY want is the customer that bought the competitor 2 years ago to switch and buy from them. That's what will drive up their stock price.

[@jeffnahass8373]

I’m always looking for Hogan clubs. It’s a shame what happened to Apex.

[@16pennynails]

Blade on blade design on that muscleback, or at least that's how I understood it. I think anyone who watches chanels like this including myself enjoy the equipment side of golf in some cases maybe more than golf itself. I really believe that.

[@graemetaylor4149]

The '73's are True classics even amongst other Hogan sets. I find the '72's difficult. I have always put that down to the weight being higher behind the face and debated whether that is why they were 1 year only? The '73's are an improvement on that and endured with only minor year on year changes through to '76. Looking only at the '70's, I might favour the Apex II Cameo's but either stands head and shoulders above anything made today!

[@beng4647]

Same equipment doesn't matter. Your swing does.

[@A-FrameWedge]

Would be nice to see a straight overhead shot of topline, as if looking down at address instaed of having it 45 degree angle, it is a mistake that so many club reviewers make, any many don't even show a glimpse of the topline.

[@TheVintageGolfer]

Anyone interested top line at 10:20

[@A-FrameWedge]

@@TheVintageGolfer I love seeing the top line of irons from older clubs, because I like seeing how thin they are and like a squarish toe. I was wrong you do show it at address position, but you waited until the last 40 seconds to show it, I pretty much thought the video was,over. I enjoy watching your videos on classic clubs because I played golf since the late 70’s and played older clubs then, because I couldn’t afford the newest, even though some of the older clubs were better, like the 1950’s Persimmon drivers, but those were more expensive by far than the new clubs.

[@bcstones0000]

I hate those robo-screeners....I just keep repeating customer service or representative or (in your case) pharmacist till the robo switches to a real person.... ahh....interesting comparison, wonder if you had the '74 Apex (cosmetically different cuz the face was shiney, not sure if it was functionly different). Love vintage Hogan...as well as almost any vintage set... Forget about wishing Golf club makers to make one set that never changes, that'll never happen...so just tell that "consumerism" side of you to quiet down & find a vintage set, pick a decade prior to '93....& keep that set as your unchanged set. If you wish to keep those "new" adjustable head woods, why not? (my woods are early 2000 Ben Hogan Big Ben's, 460cc)...then again, why not persimmon, you've featured a few here. My opin on Golf is that it should be FUN! I don't care about score or handicap, just that the ball goes where I want it to & it ends up in the hole....I even use bubbles to check the wind :-D

[@gilgarza2903]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you can hit a vintage golf club, all these new clubs are a joke. I have a set of '84 Hogan Apex PC. They're more of a mid muscle back. Pro V1 is still basically the same ball. Ping Anser putters are still the same design. Different weights though. Wedges are 1000% better. I have an old Taylormade SW, it sucks compared to my Cleveland 485 which is an 80's design.

[@rhv84060]

Clearly, everything at this point is based off of something else. And the way modern balls perform make vintage clubs more playable than ever. It’s the best version of a time machine that I know of. Even the latest US open winning 3D printed irons are spawns of past greatness. It’s a beautiful thang baby

[@perrystransdaughter5535]

You talk too much