Lucy 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.
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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In “The Golf Game” Ricky 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.
