In this video we discuss the revolutionary and strikingly beautiful Browning 440 irons and woods. Also reviewed is an earlier Golden Goose style putter by Pirie of Glasgow.
How, when and why were the Browning 440s developed?
Were they any good?
Why did they vanish so quickly?
These questions are answered in the video and the clubs are then taken out onto the course to play four holes.
15 Comments
Thanks for the video. I learn something every time I watch.
Thanks again for a very interesting post . I remember the clubs coming out and there was a fad for them . I had a set of Wilson GE irons which were also low ish profile but they didn’t last long ! How many sets do you own . I’m finding the series fascinating , and am amazed you play so well with such a great variety of implements !!
Looks like all the modern woods and hybrids have a low profile design nowadays.
Great video on the history of low profile golf clubs. Thank you. May I add that you play so well.
Great video! Love the Browning set up and bag. I don't think I have seen the woods before but my playing partner had a set of 440 irons in the early '80's. I couldn't hit them at all and he quickly learned that high launching irons and Scottish links golf is not a match made in heaven so they didn't last long! Also didn't appreciate quite how early they were introduced, I was thinking they were a current model in the '80's but clearly not. Keep these videos coming, really enjoyable and informative.
Huge "negative" bounce on the PW must make it very difficult to play.
I was going to buy a set of the browning 440 earlier this year but lost out on eBay they look great clubs
Unusual but effective club design. Although not too low in profile but wide soles remind me somewhat of Hogan Radial irons. Another nice researched vlog, thanks Nick, and good course vlog as well.
Another superb video .they are lovely irons .I really enjoy the content,keep it coming!
New subscriber here in snowy, cold Winnipeg Canada. This channel is quickly becoming a top favorite. Please keep up the great content and thank you!
The Browning 440 was marketed as a graduated profile club as the irons got deeper through the set. They came on the market around 1979 as I signed a contract with them, and played them forv about 2 years. As an opener they held an invitation tournament at the Belfry in 1980, a photogapher was placed on the 10th tee and took photographs of all the competitors. I drove the green, which made the Browning executives very excited and wanted a picture of me and my Browning driver. Shame really but my clubs hadnt arrived so they all had Slazenger written on them, obviously they werent to keen. I played the irons but the woods were so awful I didnt go near them.
i used my 440's for the 1st time yesterday on the range and they are easy to hit . i shall use them again today i think , so thankyou for this video , as with all your content its a delight to watch .
Glad to see this video on the 440's. In the late 90's I stumbled across a full set minus the SW in a used sporting goods store. 1,3,4, and 5 woods and 3 iron thru PW only the six iron and a bent shaft. Tacki mac arthritis grips big ones too, but Im thinking they had Brunswick shafts or something else. I felt like I was looking at a set of heel shafted putters, lol, and I just had to have them. I learned pretty quick to hit the ball directly or yes, in deep rough I could go right underneath! I liked the irons and became more of a picker than a digger thanks to those old 440 irons. The woods were beat up and always looked "hooked face" to me at address which I never liked. I had only been playing for barely two years at the time. I tee'd up the 3 iron on a 200 plus yard par three and nailed the green, the long irons worked well, mid irons were okay but the short irons I had to be real careful with. Again, thanks for the memories!
Thanks for this video. I was introduced to Brownings by my father in the 80's. He was an engineer and could see the logic behind having all the weight below the ball's equator. He won several club championships with them and eventually a few of his friends switched to 440s. I still play them, periodically trying the latest muscle backs, same length, etc. new ideas, but I always come back to the Browning irons. I agree that their weak point is deep rough, which I have solved with hybrids. I also agree about the PW being the most problematic of the set. The comment I always get when friends try my Brownings is how easy they are to hit, and how well the ball gets up in the air – I attribute this to the low center of gravity. I won't be surprised if some of the golf companies revisit the "low profile" design soon, because they need to constantly create new products.
Bought an 8iron for 50p just for a giggle from a boot sale with the intention of having a laugh at the club but then started hitting it, just amazing launch and flight, then spent a year looking for a set which I found for £31!! Have so much fun playing with them especially in firm conditions alongside my Ping Zing Blondes & O-Blade putter from 63, I play to 5 and love the old set more than the new bats, the lack of expectations and over delivery the oldies provide are just priceless