Ahhh - Old school....
You've done a good job by the looks of it, in terms of finding them, laying out for them and the refurb.
Wonder if they will usurp the AP's???
JT

I remember these well. A simple clean looking club with a cavity back and a wide sole.

I'm going to put the grips on them tomorrow morning. I'll probably hit some balls into my backyard net in the afternoon.

As far as taking the place of the AP1s, I don't totally discount the idea. My AP1 set runs 5 through wedges. I like to carry a 4 iron, so what I have is an old DCI Black with a graphite shaft. There's a feel and even a sound I like when I hit that old thing.

I also don't overlook the simple fact that I'll be 70 next week, (going on 14), but at this age, not to mention having spent 16 months not playing after surgeries, there's a certain Zen element to golf that I didn't feel so much before. I don't play like I used to and the feel of a great shot is much more memorable now. These old clubs have enough game improvement built in. I suspect the lofts are weaker than what I've been using, but that's not so important anymore either.

If these old sticks feel as good as my 4 iron, they just might find a home in my new Titleist bag.

Dennis,
By saving this set from decay and dilapidation, you have earned the right to do exactly as you feel is right for you.
Personally, I'm with you - use the DCI's if the mood takes you.
With the Florida weather in your favour, you can swap and change to your heart's content.
Enjoy.
JT

Wow, nice pick up! Those are gonna be awesome to have around!

Nice find

I finally got a chance to hit balls into my net and they feel pretty good. I think I'll take them to the course Monday morning.

Wow that's nostalgia right there! Great find! Im curious as to how you went about restoring the heads? They look great and this sounds like something I might have fun with doing myself. My first set of brand name clubs were the 962's and I would love to do the same thing to them!

Sorry I overlooked replying until now...

The heads were pretty good when they arrived, but the first thing I did was spray them with Krud Kutter and let them soak in that for a minute. I wiped it off and then gently rubbed each head all over with 000 steel wool. Whatever was left in the tight little corners came out by using a dental scaling tool I got at a hobby shop years ago. In general, that scaling tool is one of the most useful things that works for so many purposes. The faces didn't have any rust or leftover dirt in the grooves, so oter than just rubbing the faces with the steep wool, I didn't need to do anything to them.

It's really no investment at all for what you can use to restore a club. If I had needed it, I have a Dremel Tool with a big variety of tips like wire brushes and sanding wheels. This set didn't need anything like that, but it could be useful for something that needed a deeper level of work than I had to do.

Try it! It's fun!!!

I have a set of DCI blacks that I used for over 20 years. I think I got them in '94. Just replaced them this year with AP3s.

So many memories with those clubs, I'll never get rid of them.

I have a set of DCI golds that I’ve just upgraded to AP2s. I can’t bare to part with them and I’m going to keep them for when my son starts and he can have them as his first full set.

Well done!

My graphite shaft 4 iron that I carry with my AP1 716 set has a filled in black triangle. It's got a slightly wider sole than this oversize + set with the unpainted interior on the triangle.

I'm about to leave for the course with the AP1 set and the 3-5-7-PW from the DCI set in my bag. Usually, Monday mornings are pretty dead, so I'm hoping nobody will be behind us and I can take time to hit some comparitive shots with these old clubs. There's a breeze here at home and it usually blows harder at the course, so I suspect the 3 iron might get a workout.

My only concern could be the extra shock of steel shafts not feeling too good compared to the graphite I've used for a lot of years now. With the usual aches and pains of someone about to turn 70 the end of this week, I feel like it's the only thing that could be a deal breaker, something that would keep me from pulling this set out more frequently.

One way or the other, I think it's going to be fun.

With the typically weaker lofts of the DCI irons, I was short a lot today. What mattered is, they felt very good. I'm going to put them together wish some woods and stock a spare bag so I can just grab them occasionally and have fun with them. This turned out really well!

This might sound silly, but I like these old DCI irons so much, I sold my AP1 set and I've kept the DCI set in my bag. The old lofts make me think about club selection a bit, but I'm beginning to get it right. Having a PW that's 48* makes me consider whether to eliminate my Vokey 50* gap wedge, but I'll figure it out. I definitely like hitting the 3 iron in place of carrying a hybrid.

I guess a set this old sorta fits a 70 year old stinker like me...

Nice post.... You have me thinking! I have a pristine set of DCI Black(2-PW) in an old staff bag. Although I love my AP3's, I think that I am going to regrip the DCI's and have some fun. Thanks for the post.

To add to the above, I'm looking for a duplicate set with graphite shafts. Using the steel shafts tends to irritate my wrists and elbows a bit the next day. Having played graphite for a few years now, I never had that problem. I'm really sold on these old sticks. Even the sound is different and brings back fond memories.

Maybe I should stick this putter in the bag with the old DCI set...

Those were the first clubs I ever bought with my own money! used them for over 15 years! Now have Ap2... should have never sold those old clubs, but I love my AP2!

Very nice, I have a set of the 990's I still use today. My AP3's and TS2 Driver was stolen from my home when I was in the hospital (chemo) luckily I still had my older 990's and 975 driver in storage I can still use. They remind me of my younger years...