Never bought new clubs - using 30 year old clubs

[Nutsmacker]

Hello,

I have never bought new irons and have been using my father's ping eye2 irons since I started playing golf about 15 years ago.  I quickly improved when I started and was breaking 90 on the score card on a fairly regular basis after about 1 year of play.  Fast forward to now and I am regularly shooting in the 80s and occasionally in the 70's.  However, I have been stuck at this level of play for about 10 years.  Once and awhile I will shoot an even par on the course but I will follow it up with an 85 the next day.  

I know that my weaknesses are around the green and my putting is either on or off one day to the next...If I spent more time improving my short game I would consistently shoot in the 70s.  However, I have been playing these clubs forever and they are starting to look their age.  I have been hesitant to ever consider getting a new set of irons as I play these pretty well.  Nowadays though I have been getting more grief then usual at tournaments for playing such old clubs.  I also play a TaylorMade 510 driver that has to be about 15 years old also.  My fairway wood is a Ping g10.   

I am starting to think now is the time to get a new set of irons and get fitted for them.  I am not sure if it makes sense or not.  I am also aware that there is now a rule against playing Ping eye2's in tournaments and I would rather not get into a conversation about whether my clubs are legal or not.  

What do you guys think about a replacement set for ping eye2's green?  What would be something similar?  Another Ping product?

 

[shanksalot]

 Those PING Eye 2 irons are a very good set of sticks. Go and see if the new irons help you. I would think the main help with new irons would be forgiveness. The new PING G series irons are more forgiving and also longer in the mid to long irons. Talk to your club fitter and see what he says about your swing/game and what club would help you the most.

[gregsandiego]

It's too bad there is a ban on these - why?
I see a ton of them on ebay.  One "almost new" just sold for $510.

[shanksalot]

I think the groove rule makes them non conforming, but I am not sure about that. 

Edited November 27, 2016 by shanksalot

[gregsandiego]

7 hours ago, shanksalot said:

I think the groove rule makes them non conforming, but I am not sure about that. 

That seems ridiculous. Hey  - if it's that arcane maybe just ignore the stupid rule. I'd buy new ones if I'm attached to them. i don't see any unfair advantage.

[Vinny Cap]

Being an Eye 2 guy myself I know what you like about these clubs.  I play the BeCu ones and love the feel of them.

If you want to stick with Ping, look into the S55 line or the new i blades.  They look nice and get good reviews.  Go swing some and see what the data says. 

I have a couple of other sets and can recommend Miura and Mizuno as they are sweet clubs as well.  Good luck to you with your search.

[Typhoon92]

I just bought new irons last year too....my last new set were becu ping eye 2 irons in 1986.  

 

I consistently shoot even par or better and opted for the Ping I e-1 irons.  They  are great.  On vacation my rentals were the G series irons and they were stupid easy  hit.  I could game those and be perfectly happy.

 

U should look at the G series.

 

What I got from New irons was a little less spin and one more club in distance.  All good because I had too much spin...old heads with new tech golf balls.  My accuracy improved as well a lot.

[Joey G]

Quote

The Ping Eye 2 clubs (irons and wedges) were grandfathered for life as part of a settlement in 1993 of a suit Ping filed against the USGA. In short, any Ping Eye 2 manufactured prior to March 31, 1990, is within the rules as long as the USGA governs the game.

Quote

In that notice -- which has been and still is on the USGA's website -- are the following words: "In accordance with previous agreements, clubs manufactured before March 31, 1990, that meet the criteria of USGA Decision USGA/4-1/100, such as the Ping Eye 2, will be treated by the USGA as conforming to the Rules of Golf and will continue to be acceptable for all USGA competitions."

Golf Digest Article

I thought the Eye-2 (and older) clubs had been grandfathered in? I have been thinking about upgrading from my old Ping Eye irons to some Eye-2 BeCu...but now I'm curious if these could be played in club tournaments? Or is this just an issue with higher level amateur/pro events?

 

 

Edited December 27, 2016 by Joey G

[Vinny Cap]

Joey - Go for it!  You will love the Copper Eye2's.  I played mine for the first 3 years of golfing.  I still pull them out for a round here and there.  I would get the regular ones, not the +'s like in the picture above.  They will be similar to the Eyes you currently game(Loft Wise).  Be careful if you buy on Ebay as most selling the +'s don't list them as being +'s.

Make sure you keep them Eyes if you get new clubs.  If you need more info, let me know.  If you wanna sell them Eyes, let me know! 

[Joey G]

Grandfather's Eyes...I may retire them but I'll never cut em loose.

I don't bag them anymore but I have the 1, 2, and 3 irons too.

Edited December 28, 2016 by Joey G

[Vinny Cap]

10 hours ago, Joey G said:

Grandfather's Eyes...I may retire them but I'll never cut em loose.

I don't bag them anymore but I have the 1, 2, and 3 irons too.

Nice!  Not too many people keep the 1 & 2 irons.  If they were your Grandfathers, I would keep them for sure.  When you retire them, look for an old Ping leather bag and keep them in it.  Makes for a nice piece in your man cave, if you have one.  I have a whole set of Eye2's like that.... 1, 3 & 5 w's, 3-S and even a putter.  Looks great on my wall.

[Vinny Cap]

I read that article years ago and just re-read.  So, as long as the clubs are pre 1990, they are legal.  To find the born on date, you can call or email Ping and tell them the SN in question.  They have a ton of info like length, loft, swing weight, clubs ordered with the set, shaft info and so on.

So.... if you got em, play em!!!

[Nutsmacker]

Well, as a follow up to my post...I tried all of the current ping irons, the callaway apex, and some other taylor made iron.  After hitting all of the various irons, the G irons really performed the best for me and were the most consistent.  They were considerably more forgiving than the eye2's and were a little hotter off the face.  I was easily gaining 10-20 yards on the swings.  I ended up going with the G Iron...I have played them twice so far and I have had trouble judging my distance as I am going long on every shot.  I go tthe arrco system and am going to start gathering data so I can dial it in better but so far I really like these clubs.  I really must say that they are super easy to hit. 

[Buckeyebowman]

On 11/27/2016 at 0:15 PM, shanksalot said:

 Those PING Eye 2 irons are a very good set of sticks. Go and see if the new irons help you. I would think the main help with new irons would be forgiveness. The new PING G series irons are more forgiving and also longer in the mid to long irons. Talk to your club fitter and see what he says about your swing/game and what club would help you the most.

Yep! I was in a league with a guy who said one of the biggest mistakes he ever made was selling his Ping Eye 2's!

[Joey G]

32 minutes ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Yep! I was in a league with a guy who said one of the biggest mistakes he ever made was selling his Ping Eye 2's!

Can't tell you how many times I hear this comment from someone admiring my sticks.

[onthehunt526]

On 11/27/2016 at 11:17 AM, Nutsmacker said:

Hello,

I have never bought new irons and have been using my father's ping eye2 irons since I started playing golf about 15 years ago.  I quickly improved when I started and was breaking 90 on the score card on a fairly regular basis after about 1 year of play.  Fast forward to now and I am regularly shooting in the 80s and occasionally in the 70's.  However, I have been stuck at this level of play for about 10 years.  Once and awhile I will shoot an even par on the course but I will follow it up with an 85 the next day.  

I know that my weaknesses are around the green and my putting is either on or off one day to the next...If I spent more time improving my short game I would consistently shoot in the 70s.  However, I have been playing these clubs forever and they are starting to look their age.  I have been hesitant to ever consider getting a new set of irons as I play these pretty well.  Nowadays though I have been getting more grief then usual at tournaments for playing such old clubs.  I also play a TaylorMade 510 driver that has to be about 15 years old also.  My fairway wood is a Ping g10.   

I am starting to think now is the time to get a new set of irons and get fitted for them.  I am not sure if it makes sense or not.  I am also aware that there is now a rule against playing Ping eye2's in tournaments and I would rather not get into a conversation about whether my clubs are legal or not.  

What do you guys think about a replacement set for ping eye2's green?  What would be something similar?  Another Ping product?

 

Ping eye2's were the greatest selling iron of the 1980s bar none.... That being said, you wouldn't necessarily have to get a set of Ping irons from a current model, G25 and i25 are fine clubs. But I would definitely go get fit, maybe stick with Ping, and sell me the eye2's. :)

[Nutsmacker]

18 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

Ping eye2's were the greatest selling iron of the 1980s bar none.... That being said, you wouldn't necessarily have to get a set of Ping irons from a current model, G25 and i25 are fine clubs. But I would definitely go get fit, maybe stick with Ping, and sell me the eye2's. :)

Well, as I stated, since my original post I decided to go and try a number of different clubs.  I tested all of the various ping clubs including the i200, g30, g irons, iblade, callaway apex, and a taylor made m2 model.  Looking at all of the characteristics and spin, I was hitting the g iron most consistently and it felt really good.  I know that it is a high handicapper iron but who cares.  Mishits were literally going the same trajectory and only losing a few yards.   I ended up going with the g iron and have played them a couple of times and really like them.  But, I am not getting rid of my eye2s, I will hand them down to my son when he is ready to start playing.  In fact, I am still gaming with the sand wedge and 2 iron in my bag.  I lost the original Lob wedge many years ago after hitting an amazing 20 yard straight up in the air flop over some pine trees.  I threw the club up in the air in celebration and forgot to pick it up after I saved my par.  Of course no one turned it in to the clubhouse and it was lost forever.  However, I went out and bought the Ping eye2 replica "gorge" model as a replacement.  That club is pretty nice around the green and out of traps but kind of sucks for full swings.  Its to easy to hit it fat off the fairway with a full swing.  The biggest thing that I am having trouble with in regards to the g iron is dropping down a club because of the loft.  SO I am airmailing greens when I would use a 7 iron with the eye2...I need to be hitting an 8 or 9 with the g iron.

[Blackjack Don]

When I started playing golf again, after decades of neglect, I bought a used set of Ping i/3 oversize. I had no idea. I remembered Pings from years and years ago. I've tested all brands of clubs since, and haven't honestly found a justification for replacing them. I, too, hit the Ping G's and love them. But enough to spend a grand? Tough call when you play munies.

My i/3's are kind of forgiving blades? I get a lot more feedback when I miss the center, but rarely feel like hitting rocks. I hope someday I'll figure all this stuff out. Someday maybe I'll find a reason to replace my beloved i/3's. I'm with ya, man. Just how much is new worth?