Cory Crelan got a lot of strange looks when he stepped to the first tee at Oak Hill Country Club the day after the 2023 PGA Championship and pulled out his MacGregor Tourney persimmon driver with the gamma fire insert. He teed up his Wilson Duo ball, took a few waggles and swung away. His slight push ended up in the thick right rough and led to an opening double.
“It’s a hard hole,” Crelan said of the par-4 that ranked ninth toughest of the week for the world’s best professionals using the latest modern equipment.
Crelan shot 84 at Oak Hill without the latest equipment. The 49-year-old former club pro from Norwalk, Connecticut, toted a collection of sticks from another century. His Hogan Apex II “Cameo” irons were bought by his father in 1980. His Titleist Dead Center putter (bought for $5 and refurbished) is a mid-’80s model. His MacGregor driver and Eye-o-Matic 4-wood as well as Hogan Anniversary 3-wood ranged from the 1960s to ’80s.
Crelan’s affection for the clubs of his youth generated a concept to tap...