The first set of forgings I bought were MacGregor Masters at a yard sale and learnt the game with those. Only recently did I get the FG-17s, and I couldn''t be more pleased with my choice. The club design (with mass concentrated right behind the striking area) gives a low penetrating ball tragectory when struck at the sweet spot. I have compared them with several current forged blades by Mizuno, Cleveland and TaylorMade -- but have yet to come across clubs that feel better than these. So, if you have a consistent (repeatable) swing, find yourself some used FG-17s and you will not regret your decision.

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MP-14, MP-29, MP-33, Cleveland TA-1, Cleveland TA-3, Hogan Apex, Taylor Made 300 series.

The set of staffs I have were first purchased in 1976. This would make them one year younger than I am at 26. I love these clubs. I have been on a break for about 5 years , and have just started to hit the range. My only coach and golf mentor Hank Schiller from california hit staffs and hit the hell out of them. Guys joked with him about getting some modern clubs but he wouldnt have it, and now I know why. Granted if you miss hit these clubs they tell you, but when unload on the ball it feels awesome. My clubs are considered the fake bullet backs. If anybody runs into Mr Schiller tell him to give me an email. Everything I know about mechanichs I learned from him.

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Old Pinseekers King Cobra 1s

The first set of golf clubs I ever bought, a set of Wilson Staff Blades (FG-17''s), back in 1984. I think they were actually made in ''83. When I was playing a lot of golf, and had my handicap down to about a 3, I played the FG-17''s and loved them. Fade, draw, whatever could me "manufactured" by these clubs. Hitting the sweet spot on these irons is like butter. Sweet and smooth. I would have to rate these irons as some of the best blades ever produced. The Haig Ultras run a close second. Unfortunately, I do not play enough golf to justify swinging a blade, as I do not find the sweetspot as often as I used to. Maybe one day, after my 3 year old and 8 month old get older, and I can afford to join a golf course again, I will take these outta the closet, dust them off, and take them out to the range. For now, they are just taking up space. Anybody want to buy a used set of Staff Blades?

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Never used it.

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Many blades and cavity backs in my 25+ years of play.

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I am a total club junkie. I have played umpteen irons over the last few years, both cast and forged. Last year I abandoned "game improvement" cast cavity backs and returned to forged blades. A couple of my favorites have been Golfsmith Pro Forged and KZG. However, recently I picked up a very clean set of 1983 Wilson Staff FG-51''s and a clean set of 1993 Wilson Progressives. Unbelieveable!!! These sticks are simply fabulous. If you have a decent stroke and strike the ball fairly well you owe it to yourself to try forged blades. You''ll be shocked! It is a myth that they are very difficult to play and only for scratch golfers. You may want to swap out the long irons for cavity backs or hybrids, but in the mid to short irons you''ll love the blades. The wonderful thing about these Wilsons is that you can pick up a pretty clean set on eBay for less than $100 to $150, have them reshafted and regripped for another $100, and you''ll have a terrific set of sticks for way less than a crappy set of cast cavity backs.

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Ping Eye 2, Zing 2, ISI, and I3. Titleist 962, 981, and 990. Orlimar SF302. Macgregor PCB. Hogan Apex Plus. Maxfli Revolution. Golfsmith Tour Cavity Pro and Pro Forged. KZG Forged Blades.

First off, I know these aren't Wilson Staff irons, but there is no entry available for Haig Ultra's. Besides, Wilson purchased Walter Hagen in the late forties/early fifties, so, close enough.
Let me say that I've been playing golf for over thirty years now, and while I don't play or practice as much as I should, I suppose my handicap is about 7 or 8.
I've owned these clubs for nineteen years now and even though the irons have lost some chrome, to me, they're still the best. I had these clubs reshafted two years ago with TT regular steel shafts an inch over standard length.
The big advantage to these irons for me is that the long irons are easy to hit straight and to hit fades or draws when neccessary. I found it difficult to do that with cast,perimeter weighted clubs.They are not as forgiving as some clubs, but they are deadly accurate around the greens, and provide a feel you don't get with cast clubs. Another advantage is that because the clubs are so old the lofts are weaker, and a pitching wedge is a true wedge loft and not 45-47*. It's interesting to me, that while sometimes I may not hit quite as many greens with these irons as with "game-improvement" clubs, I seem to score lower overall with the "Haig's."
As many other reviewers have said, I think if you pick up an old set of forged blades on ebay, and put some new shafts in them, you'll be surprised how well they perform against the newer, more expensive irons.
One more thing, I have found that many times clubs you perform well with could have more to do with them being properly "fitted" to your swing, than with the clubs themselves. Having said that though, Haig-Ultra's fit my game. In a word-GREAT!

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Spalding Tour Edition blades,Hogan Edge original,Ping Eye 2, Cleveland VAS+,Macgregor JNP,Mizuno MP-29,King Cobra II,etc.,etc.,etc.

Played golf as a teenager in the late 70's, and always wanted a set of Staffs but couldn't afford them. Stop playing, then picked golf up again in 1999 after a 20-year hiatus. Kyped a set of Armour TI-100's and liked them, but still had my eye on those Staffs. Spotted my set on eBay, and man was it the right decision! Re-shafted with TT Lite XL regulars and GP Player's Sofftie grips, and have shot my 5 lowest rounds since beginning this stupid game again. I just love them. They have the right feel when I swing them, and when solid contact is made, there's just nothing like them. I can't believe I paid a tenth of what I gave for the Armour's! I've hit the Hogan Apex blades a few times, and I liked them, but these FG-17's are just tooooooo good!!! I don't know about irons that are marketed as "game improvement" clubs, but I can tell you that these 20-year-old forged blades certainly improved my game. Makes me think that all these other clubs are just hyped mediocrities. Everyone dreams of "buying" a good game, and the mfgr's have tapped into this in a big way. Me? I've found what I need. The only money I'll spend from now on is for new grips. I even bought 2 other sets of FG-17's to use in case I break shafts, etc., and I should be assured of having great clubs for many years to come!!!

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component cavity backs, Armour TI-100's, Hagen Ultra's,

Tour blades are pretty hard to hit, but they hit straight. They are great out of deep rough.

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None

I got an experienced (c. 1967) set of these forged irons on ebay and they work wonderfully. Less forgiving than game-improvement sets, these great-looking irons make me want to play better because I can really feel more precisely what's wrong -- and what's right -- with my swing. Besides, in any given round most shots involve wedges, your putter, and the odd wood.

What else can be said but these clubs are the best. They combine workability, feel and a classic look. Thin top line, bullet back. They aren't as unforgiving as they look. I have novus graphite in mine to absorb some of the shock on the mis-hits. These clubs have feel, you can close your eyes and know where the ball went based solely on feel. The traditional, no bounce, sole allows for crisp play from fairway or rough. Not for the faint of heart, if you don't have game, don't put these in your bag but, if you can play, you may as well play the best. It was a sad day in my life when Wilson announced that they were going to stop forging clubs.

Similar Products Used:

Titleist DCI Black. Hogan Apex. Hogan Medallion. Haigs.

Recently re-shafted these relics with X-100's, and had them re-chromed and re-grooved. What can I say? Still the best sticks ever made. High fades, low draws, whatever you want, these babies can do it. Wasted a lot of time searching for newer, "more prestigious" sticks, when I had the best all the time. I would encourage any good player (these ain't for high handicappers) to seek them out.

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Zevo blades, Marumann "Curtis Strange", ad nauseum.