Trying to Identify These Clubs

[Ryharg07]

So, a little back story before I get to the real question at hand. My grandfather was given a set of clubs as and anniversary gift while he was working in the oilfield back in the mid 70s. He was never a golfer and his boss was a bit of a spacecadet so my he gave them to my and a few years back my dad passed them along to me. The thing is, I have no idea what I have in my bag and I was hoping someone could help me identify them. I'm not looking for any kind of value and I have less than zero desire to sell, I'm just curious. 

These clubs have no manufacturer stamp, just a model number and a stamp showing the construction material. They look an awful lot like Ping Karsten 1s but they are missing the obvious ping stamp. I'll upload a few pictures  any help would be appreciated. 

[MrGolfguy67]

They do look like some early Ping knock off. I do not know what they are but i think something stamped under the 9 could be the info you need (if someone can decipher that).

PUNCH G

SUS-304

[Ryharg07]

5 minutes ago, MrGolfguy67 said:

They do look like some early Ping knock off. I do not know what they are but i think something stamped under the 9 could be the info you need (if someone can decipher that).

PUNCH G

SUS-304

Outside of the Ping stamp, these look identical but I've searched everywhere I can think of and can't find anything on them. I'm starting to lean toward a clone but they do have True Temper shafts that seem like they would be on the higher end for a cheap knock off set. The shafts alone would put this set out of the budget range. 

By the way, the SUS-304 stamp indicates that these clubs are made with 304 stainless steel as opposed to the Karsten irons that used 17-4 stainless.

[MrGolfguy67]

OK, then i believe your answer lies in what PUNCH G means.

[1badbadger]

Very interesting.  They do look really close to the Karsten I irons:

I think they are Ping irons.  No, I don't know why they are made from 304 stainless when other Pings are made from 17-4, and I don't know what "Punch G" means, but let's look at some other aspects.

The "toe-heel/balance" stampings are the same.  So are the iron numbers.  I know the set in question doesn't have the club number stamped on the sole, but the one on the back is the same style.  I do not think they are knock-offs.  When the Karsten I irons came out, I don't think knock-offs were a thing yet.  My guess is they are a set of Ping irons that were never stamped in the cavity or on the sole because they were either a prototype set, or maybe they were made for some guy who's nickname was Punch G, or something like that.  It's very common for clubs that are Tour-issued or built for testing, to not have all the same details as the retail version.  Here is a good example:

This is one of my old wedges that was given to me by a Tour player.  It's a Cleveland 588, but it doesn't say Cleveland or 588 anywhere on the club.

Anyway, there are still some things that I don't know the answer to regarding the clubs the OP asked about, but if I were to make an educated guess I would say they were made by Ping and are either the Karsten I, or a slightly modified version of them.

[billchao]

SUS-304 is the Japanese designation for 304 stainless steel. It suggests the club was possibly manufactured in Japan or meant for a Japanese market. 

[dbuck]

I am going with a knock-off. And some of the  knock-offs were pretty good.  Karsten/PING would have put their name on it.

True temper made a huge percentage of the shafts used during the 70's, so anything from least expensive to top end clubs could have had TT shafts.

[Vinny Cap]

My guess would be knock offs as well.

Compare the OP pic with the Ping club and it looks so obvious.

[steven hansen]

17 hours ago, MrGolfguy67 said:

They do look like some early Ping knock off. I do not know what they are but i think something stamped under the 9 could be the info you need (if someone can decipher that).

PUNCH G

SUS-304

Your Right, low quality Junk.

[Ryharg07]

Wouldn't the toe-heel/Balance stamp be trademarked? Also, the shafts are in very good condition for a set of irons that are 40 years old which leads me to believe they weren't bargain quality. I know they could be a knock off but it seems like they are too  close to the real deal compared to some of the clones I've seen. 

[Shorty]

7 hours ago, 1badbadger said:

Very interesting.  They do look really close to the Karsten I irons:

I think they are Ping irons.  No, I don't know why they are made from 304 stainless when other Pings are made from 17-4, and I don't know what "Punch G" means, but let's look at some other aspects.

 

if I were to make an educated guess I would say they were made by Ping and are either the Karsten I, or a slightly modified version of them.

They are ABSOLUTELY NOT Ping irons. Dozens of companies made copies of Ping irons when investment casting became the normal way of making irons. 

They are simply a knock of of the Karsten 1s made by a no-name manufacturer.

[1badbadger]

On 5/8/2018 at 6:43 PM, Shorty said:

They are ABSOLUTELY NOT Ping irons. Dozens of companies made copies of Ping irons when investment casting became the normal way of making irons. 

They are simply a knock of of the Karsten 1s made by a no-name manufacturer.

Really?  There were dozens of companies making knock-offs in the late '60s?  Investment casting wasn't "the normal" way of making irons when the K-1 model was released.  Yes, eventually many companies made Ping copies in the '80s (maybe by the late '70s), but it wasn't very mainstream in the '60s.

It's possible they are knock-offs, but there is a possibility they are the real deal too.

[Shorty]

57 minutes ago, 1badbadger said:

It's possible they are knock-offs, but there is a possibility they are the real deal too.

How can they be "the real deal"? They are 100% knock-offs.

Ping clubs are Ping clubs.

Knock offs copy the Ping design.

Ping is not a manufacturer that made clubs under other names.

[Groucho Valentine]

Look very similar to Ping Karsten I irons. But It doesnt nesscary mean they're Ping knockoffs. They're likely custom or prototype set. The punch mark is probably just the maker. Read it more like "this club was made for or punched marked by J and made with 303 stainless steel."

 

[1badbadger]

3 hours ago, Shorty said:

How can they be "the real deal"? They are 100% knock-offs.

Ping clubs are Ping clubs.

Knock offs copy the Ping design.

Ping is not a manufacturer that made clubs under other names.

For the reasons I believe they could be the real deal, see my original post.

I'm not sure why you made the point that Ping doesn't make clubs under another name...I never claimed they did, and the irons the OP has do not have a name on them at all, so I don't understand that point.  But since you mentioned it, if they were knock-offs there probably would be some sort of brand name stamped in the head to look like the Ping logo rather than leaving them blank.

It's not uncommon for manufacturers to make iron sets that do not have their name or model stamped on the head:

And as someone else pointed out, the "heel/toe balance" logo would have been patented, so a knock-off company would not be able to stamp it the same way Ping does.  But a knock-off company would have likely stamped the club number on the sole, which this set does not have.

[billchao]

32 minutes ago, 1badbadger said:

For the reasons I believe they could be the real deal, see my original post.

I'm not sure why you made the point that Ping doesn't make clubs under another name...I never claimed they did, and the irons the OP has do not have a name on them at all, so I don't understand that point.  But since you mentioned it, if they were knock-offs there probably would be some sort of brand name stamped in the head to look like the Ping logo rather than leaving them blank.

It's not uncommon for manufacturers to make iron sets that do not have their name or model stamped on the head:

And as someone else pointed out, the "heel/toe balance" logo would have been patented, so a knock-off company would not be able to stamp it the same way Ping does.  But a knock-off company would have likely stamped the club number on the sole, which this set does not have.

Yea, I'm leaning towards Ping prototype or possibly a custom job. Instead of it being a Karsten I, it's a Punch-G I. Maybe Punch - G.I.?

The steel (assuming it is 304) and the JIS stamping still leaves some questions though /shrug

[Shorty]

6 hours ago, 1badbadger said:

For the reasons I believe they could be the real deal, see my original post.

I'm not sure why you made the point that Ping doesn't make clubs under another name...I never claimed they did, and the irons the OP has do not have a name on them at all, so I don't understand that point.  But since you mentioned it, if they were knock-offs there probably would be some sort of brand name stamped in the head to look like the Ping logo rather than leaving them blank.

It's not uncommon for manufacturers to make iron sets that do not have their name or model stamped on the head:

And as someone else pointed out, the "heel/toe balance" logo would have been patented, so a knock-off company would not be able to stamp it the same way Ping does.  But a knock-off company would have likely stamped the club number on the sole, which this set does not have.

The "Toe-Heel Balance" logo is very similar but not the same - although not dissimilar enough not to breach copyright - which is not the issue. Look at the slightly bent and tapered unbroken line versus the straight line broken with  a dot. And Ping clubs are not "stamped".

The manufacturer would not be concerned about copyright because no one would know where they came from.

Edited May 10, 2018 by Shorty

[Valleygolfer]

On 5/7/2018 at 10:29 PM, Ryharg07 said:

Outside of the Ping stamp, these look identical but I've searched everywhere I can think of and can't find anything on them. I'm starting to lean toward a clone but they do have True Temper shafts that seem like they would be on the higher end for a cheap knock off set. The shafts alone would put this set out of the budget range. 

By the way, the SUS-304 stamp indicates that these clubs are made with 304 stainless steel as opposed to the Karsten irons that used 17-4 stainless.

True temper has cheapy shafts as well. I have a set of "Ping knock offs" from the 80's with All star true temper shafts. I'm fairly certain the shafts are cheap regardless and at the time those were made, low end golf equipment wasn't that expensive.

Edited May 11, 2018 by Valleygolfer