Category Archives: Golf

Ricky Ricardo’s MacGregor Golf Clubs

Sentimental Anniversary Original air date: February 1, 1954
Sentimental Anniversary Original air date: February 1, 1954

macgregor-clubsLucy and Ricky exchange gifts in celebration of their anniversary in the I Love Lucy episode Sentimental Anniversary. Lucy’s gift to Ricky is a set of MacGregor Golf clubs.  MacGregor Golf was founded in 1897 and is the second oldest golf company in the United States after Spaulding. MacGregor clubs were used by famous 1950’s  golfers like Ben Hogan and Jimmy Demaret. and many of the top PGA players.
The McGregor  popular clubs in 1954 were the Tourney series of clubs (with four choices of shaft flexes), Eye-O-Matric woods, the Pro Peel steel shaft and ceramic-face irons.

MacGregor c.1954 M55W Persimmon Driver
MacGregor c.1954 M55W Persimmon Driver seen on eBay

The vintage MacGregor M55W Persimmon Driver pictured above is similar to one seen in Ricky’s golf bag.  In real life Desi Arnaz was a keen golfer and an early member of the Rancho Mirage Thunderbird Country Club  where they owned a home. Desi Arnaz,  Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Jack Benny, Gordon MacRae, Hoagy Carmichael, Phil Harris, and Desi Arnaz were among the first members at Thunderbird Country Club.

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Note the MacGregor logo on the box in this shot from the opening scene of Sentimental Anniversary
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Fred and Ethel admire Ricky’s new golf clubs

References:

Ricky’s Thunderbird Country Club Golf Hat

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Ricky’s Thunderbird Country Club Hat

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thunderbirdccpatchIn “The Golf GameRicky Ricardo played by Desi Arnaz is seen wearing a hat with a prominent  Thunderbird Ranch & Country Club patch on the front. Lucille Ball and husband Desi Arnaz were early celebrity residents of Rancho Mirage, with a home at Thunderbird Country Club built in 1951, the same year that their hit television show, I Love Lucy debuted.

Thunderbird-ranch-desi-arnaz-receipt
Desi Arnaz Receipt Thunderbird Country Club

Desi was a keen golfer and Lucille and he spent a lot of their free time in their Rancho Mirage home facing the ninth and 18th fairways at the Thunderbird Country Club. Lucy was not a golfer, but she spent family time with Lucie and Desi Jr., swam  in the pool and played cards with other ladies in the club. The Chamber of Commerce appointed Lucy as their first Honorary Mayor of Rancho Mirage. At one time, the valley’s honorary mayors were all members of Thunderbird or Tamarisk Country Clubs: Bob Hope, Palm Springs; Frank Sinatra, Cathedral City; Lucille Ball, Rancho Mirage; and Bing Crosby, Palm Desert. Lucy served as Rancho Mirage’s Honorary Mayor from 1958- 1965 and again from 1971 until the city’s incorporation in 1973.

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The Arnaz Family at Easter – Thunderbird Country Club -Desi is wearing the same hat we saw on the show.
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Thunderbird Ranch Country club Program ca. 1955
Patch design inspired by the patch on Ricky’s golf hat

The first logo golf caps were made by Cali Fame of Los Angeles for  Thunderbird Country Club in Palm Springs, CA.

Desert-Sun-Ad-27-January-1955
Desert-Sun-Ad-27-January-1955 mentions Desi Arnaz


Among the items Desi Arnaz retained in the divorce settlement with Lucille were a golf cart and a membership in the Thunderbird Country Club in Palm Springs.
References

Ricardo’s Bookshelf: My Partner, Ben Hogan

1954 book: My Partner, Ben Hogan I Love lucy episode "The Gold Game"
1954 book: My Partner, Ben Hogan I Love lucy episode “The Golf Game”
MY PARTNER BEN HOGAN by Jimmy Demaret1954
My Partner Ben Hogan
Ricky and Fred refer to the book My Partner Ben Hogan in “The Golf Game”

My Partner, Ben Hogan by Jimmy Demaret who was a three time Masters winner and friend of Ben Hogan, “to the degree anyone can, tries to give insight into the man”. “The inside story of professional golf and its greatest player”. Seen above on the mantelpiece in the I Love Lucy episode “The Golf Game”, this is now a scarce book. Author Jimmy Demaret made a guest appearance on the same show.

Jimmy Demaret and Ben Hogan on the  back dust cover
Jimmy Demaret and Ben Hogan on the back dust cover
 Jimmy Demaret 2nd from the  left.on the I Love Lucy show
Guest appearance by Jimmy Demaret, 2nd from the left,.on the I Love Lucy show