Hogan Channel Back

[yeahright]

Hey guys I was thinking of buying an old set of Ben Hogan Channel Back irons, since they are really cheap. Just wondering if anyone has used them and if they are as good as other Hogan irons?

[rgk5]

I used them and they are as easy to hit as any Hogan blade. Nice feel and appearance.

[Marcos]

To give you an idea about Hogan quality,I play with a fellow that has a set of blades wich he purchased 43 years ago.They are still in very good condition and sweet to hit.At the course i play out of,the pro used to be sponsored by Hogan and he sold a ton of irons in the past.I have never seen so many junior,to senior players playing one brand of clubs.I play the FTX blades and I can vouch for the quality and exceptional feel of these wonderfull clubs.They are easy to find at a very good price anywhere.Go for it and make Mr Hogan proud.

[yeahright]

right now I am playing the Apex Edge Pro irons and i was thinking of buying the channel backs and mixing them into my current set

[1972Apex]

right now I am playing the Apex Edge Pro irons and i was thinking of buying the channel backs and mixing them into my current set

I think the Channelbacks are nice looking clubs and great to purchase if you want to play some vintage style clubs. They were, however, never considered one of Hogan's best clubs and were immediately forgotten the minute the 99 Apexes came out to replace them.
I think mixing them in with Edge Pros is probably going to be a waste of time. The channelback long irons are much harsher and less forgiving that the long irons in the Edge Pros. The short irons in the Edge Pros have as good feel as the Channelbacks and are more forgiving to boot.

[yeahright]

Another question I have is about the FTX irons. Are the long irons in those ets more like the apex plus or the pros? I have always wanted to buy a mixed set ut i can't find any stores around here that have them in stock so i take a look at them and give them a swing.

[CBrown]

I found the FTX's longer irons alot like the Plus ... one of the knocks on the FTX was that as nice as they were, there just wasn't enough to get the guys playing the Plus to make the switch. I was actually thinking about making a combo set using the long irons from my crappy BH-5's and the mid/short irons from the FTX's.

I wish I hadn't sold my Apex Plus irons ... I wish I hadn't sold that Special W Grind wedge ... I even wish I hadn't sold my old H40 Oversize irons

[1972Apex]

I wish I hadn't sold my Apex Plus irons ... I wish I hadn't sold that Special W Grind wedge ... I even wish I hadn't sold my old H40 Oversize irons

I feel the same way about my Apex Plus irons... should have never sold them....

H40s I would not miss so much

[CBrown]

I feel the same way about my Apex Plus irons... should have never sold them....

H40s I would not miss so much

Now be nice ... the H40's were crap but the H40 Oversize irons were actually pretty decent. Sort of like the BH-5's ... not at all what you expect from Hogan but still very usefull clubs ... they made excellent waffles too

Sorry about the slight thread-jack ...

[rgk5]

I think the Channelbacks are nice looking clubs and great to purchase if you want to play some vintage style clubs. They were, however, never considered one of Hogan's best clubs and were immediately forgotten the minute the 99 Apexes came out to replace them.
I think mixing them in with Edge Pros is probably going to be a waste of time. The channelback long irons are much harsher and less forgiving that the long irons in the Edge Pros. The short irons in the Edge Pros have as good feel as the Channelbacks and are more forgiving to boot.

They were good enough to win one British Open.

[Marcos]

I have owned both the Apex pros and the Ftx but did not play the long irons.If your swing is consistent I guess they would be O.K.but,if you are off a bit they will remind you that they are cavity blades and not the easiest to hit.Like everyone else I would go to hybrids or fairway woods and play from 5 -pw.You cant go wrong with this combo.

[CBrown]

Yeahright - The idea of mixing some older and newer Hogan irons is interesting to me so whatever you end up doing, could you please post an update and fill me in. I'm interested in whether (or how much) you end up adjusting the lofts/lies of the older clubs or whether you just end up overlapping the sets (carrying two 6 irons for instance). Let us know!!!

For what it's worth, the old Apex PC blades are pretty nice and can be found for really cheap too ... they might be worth a look.

[yeahright]

I think I am going to buy the channel backs to have an extra set, but I am going to get my apex plus irons back from my brother and use them for my short irons, Sound ike a good idea?

[1972Apex]

I think I am going to buy the channel backs to have an extra set, but I am going to get my apex plus irons back from my brother and use them for my short irons, Sound ike a good idea?

Sounds like a great idea!

[GPF]

right now I am playing the Apex Edge Pro irons and i was thinking of buying the channel backs and mixing them into my current set

I have been playing a mixed set of 2003 Apex Edge Pros and 1999 Apex blades. I love the look of these heads. Depending on how I'm playing, the switch over is either the 7i or 8 and they seamlessly mix together as if they were a set from the factory. The FTX does the same thing but the difference I notice is that the FTX long irons are a bit harder to hit than the meatier Edge Pros, and the FTX short irons have a more compact head than the Apex blade which is surprisingly easier to hit for a blade. To the OP, suggest you look for the 1999 Apex as they regularly show up in Yabe at a good price (but not lately with the C$-U$).

After using this combo for a couple of years, I yearned for a nicer feeling club after sampling a few Mizzies esp the MP-33. Not that the Hogans don't feel nice, they just don't have the buttery smoothness of the Miz.

Fortunately, I bought a set of Tourstage Z-101s with PX5.5 here in FOG and club is just awesome, and has displaced the Hogans as my gamers.

[GPF]

To all Hogan fans, if you got $25K (yes, 25,000) for some nice (and I mean, exceptional) sets of Hogans check this out. http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/spo/865512278.html