Waggle Room's Ryan Ballengee decided to get a hold of a set of old V-groove clubs to see what all the fuss was about from the pros. Take a look as he works his was through the bag to show you what it is like to hit some throwback clubs. You'll be surprised at the results.

I had been talking for some time about wanting to get my hands on some older irons to see for myself how they would perform compared to today's irons.  In part, the trial was inspired by the complaints from players and manufacturers that new clubs - meant to simulate the v grooves in these 1965 irons - would throw off their games.  My second muse was the recent TaylorMade commericals featuring Nick Faldo saying that the new Burner irons were going 25 yards longer than his old irons.

Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect.  I had been playing the original TaylorMade RAC irons for five or six years now.  I had grown accustomed to them and liked them.  No one had ever put blades in my hand before now, and I had heard that a poor ballstriker would regret making the switch to them.  Given how much the pros complained about the throwback in groove technology, I really was not sure if a 12 handicap like myself would be able to handle the clubs on my first try.

I rolled into the range, took a few practice swings, and got going with the 9 iron - just like I normally would when I practice.  The clubs were an inch shorter than my lengthened RACs, so the first ball was a topper down the range.  Thinking it was an ominous sign, I was worried about how the next ball would go.  It was pure.  Pure and as far as I hit my modern 9 iron.  It felt great and I got great feedback from the club.

I gingerly moved my way through the bag.  7 iron and 4 iron went well.  Almost too well.  They were perfect.  Actually, they were better than my RAC irons.  Obviously, this was a small sample size, but I was getting concerned that everything I had ever been told about technology was not true.

Then, I decided to go for the 2 iron.  I had never hit a 2 iron before and they're practically extinct on Tour now.  I can remember trying to hit a 1 iron when I was younger and it being a traumatizing experience.  The blade was so thin and my contact so poor that I thought I would never handle a club like that again.  Though the 2 iron was not nearly as daunting, I still was anxious. 

The first ball was not very good.  But the second, third, fourth, and fifth were excellent - and long.  It was like hitting my hybrid 3 iron.  Great feedback.  Consider my fear of the one and two iron to be vanquished.

Having had my fill of the irons, I took a crack at persimmon four and five woods off of the turf deck.  Having never been much of a fairway wood player, I figured this is where I would meet my match.  Surely, between my lack of skill with the clubs, their protruding screws, and some of the cracking, I was going to fail.

It didn't happen.  I pulled a few, but after adjusting to the shaft flex and weight of the clubs, I was busting the ball better than I may ever have with a metalwood.  Long, straight, and with a beautiful draw.  It was majesty to hear the crack of the wood against the ball and watch it fly into air.

Even the driver had decent length.  The tees at the range were really optimized for today's behemoth woods, but the groovy Wilson Staff driver allowed me to work the ball well and with more than respectable distance.

It wasn't all great.  The poor shots stung my hands in a way that I would never experience with a modern iron.  Shots that were not struck precisely had their flaws magnified tenfold over what I would see with my 21st century equipment.  Still, the great shots - more of those than lousy ones - did not leave me longing for my RAC irons.  They had me excited to play a complete round with my throwbacks.

So, that's what I'm going to do.  I'm going to keep them in the bag for a little while and see how I do with them.  And I'll report back with how it all turns out next.