Ping A-Blade Putter Restoration Question

I found an old Ping A-Blade (85029 zip) for $2 and it had a gross, non-stock fiberglass shaft in it, a really long one too made custom for some giant dude (38 inches). I'm like 5'7" and prefer the 33-34" length. I've been finding a lot of mid-century gear at the thrift store, really lucky actually, and this one had the "I'm from 1966" patina, but I could be wrong--I'm no wizard with Ping history. The plan was to reshaft with a more original steel shaft, regrip with a Ping Man grip and just have fun playing with it as-is. As you can see from the photos, it's got quite a bit of the typical bag chatter. So of course, right before I'm about to install the new shaft, I get the "no, mail it to Ping, get it retumbled" remarks from my uncle. There seems to be two camps of thought on GolfWRX, where some are hell bent on making these like new again, a noble yet meddling-with-the-original task, and some who are more philosophically/politically laissez-faire, say testosterone-fueled things like, "that bag chatter, those dings and patina tell a story, man. You take that away and you'll lose your street cred."

So what camp are you in? Are you stock or mod? Should I mail this head to Ping for fun, see how it comes out with a basic tumbling (seems cheap enough), or be like, you know, super macho and stick to Plan A-Blade, putt with this classic equipment as-is?

Great question and one which will have troubled the minds of this bunch of hoarders frequently.

There is an option inbetween - just polish. Will still have some clatter, just takes the last ten years of patina off. Shiny, but still keeps the character. Unless you like dull-look putters.

You've got a great putter there which would otherwise be landfill. Shined up, nice new grip and many happy years now. I presume. Have not seen you putt.

Very satisfying to beat the Cameron crew with a dinged up old putter ... plus you save on headcovers :)

To my mind, the main reason to send a putter like that back to Ping would be to get them to remove the shaft if you were wanting to swap out the one that would have been originally secured at the factory with a wedged ball-bearing. But it looks as if that is not an issue for you. The pictures don't show, but if you've got a vintage ping that's been reshafted and NOT drilled through the hosel then you're a lucky scounger.

The only bag chatter and dings that I'd worry about are if the face is badly scarred, otherwise I'd get that shaft and grip fitted and out on the course with it.

Personally speaking, I think those manganese bronze heads look much better once they've darkened with age. I polished a bronze headed anser once and hated it until it darkened again. You can take the patina off, but I think it then shows up all the dings much worse and shiny copper or bronze is not a look that I cherish. I think a retumbling would give you a clean but matt finish, which I prefer to scrubbed and shiny - but really I'd be tempted to leave it as is unless you think the face needs some remedial work to make it playable.

Last thing to consider is this. If you're going to set that putter up to 33 or 34", that's quite a bit shorter than stock. Nothing wrong with that in itself, but if you were planning on playing about with additional weight down the shaft then I'm not sure that you would WANT to have Ping reinstall a shaft for you if they still do that with the help of a ball-bearing. In those circumstances, I think I might be happier with a shaft that could be more easily removed if need be for further headweight adjustments.

Welcome aboard the Classic section 8bit. Good question. I firmly come down on the side of .........it all depends. Have gone both ways with old(er) Ping putters. The very first "thrifted" golf club was a 029 MgBr Anser that had been painted over and a ugly blotch of a sight line painted on top. No choice with that one. It was cleaned and polished up. Even took a ball-peen hammer and beat out some dings. It had an original shaft and label so was worth the effort. And the ONLY correct choice for a grip on a classic Ping putter is a Pingman grip.

Found a Karsten Co. 029 MgBr "Dalehead" Anser last year. Decided to flip it because it had a fair amount of value. So I left it original. With full disclosure via pics, wanted to let the purchaser make the decision whether to resto or leave original. Same applies to BeCu Pings. I would try to leave those original if at all possible (other than a grip replacement).

Specifically with your A blade. Your first pic makes it look a little worst for wear than the second. Plus no face or sole pics. So difficult to assess the overall condition. If you want to resto back to an approximation of like new condition, go ahead and get it tumbled. No harm, no foul IMO. If you're OK with the character marks, leave it as is. New shaft and grip were a necessity, given how you found it. So not exactly in "original" condition. A classic Ping putter like this A-Blade does not have any significant monetary value, so do what you want with it. However, I'm not a fan of the high polish look that some perform on a old Ping. Just doesn't look right. They never had that look originally.

Having no idea of your general knowledge of classic Ping putters (and I'm no expert, just a layman's knowledge), probably best to consult within this forum for information before proceeding. Wouldn't want to mess up something that had value by performing a resto. Especially if you did not plan on keeping it. Example being a BeCu, would from refrain doing anything with those if at all possible. Most prefer those with original patina. I agree.

Good luck. Check back in and show us some "after" pics once you have it back together. BTW, nice putter. Have a 029 A-Blade in inventory that gets occasional use. Actually prefer the feel of it compared to the Anser.

Edit Note: Like B-S said, the ball bearing shafted Pings are a major PITA to remove. Never again. I install extensions (preferred length is 35") so no bid deal. One final note. If you do decide to tumble and/or clean up a bit, the patina will begin to re-acquire (darken) rather quickly on a MgBr head.

Another piece of information that I find useful. Identifying a Ping putter age by zip code:

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/66705-ping-putters-time-period-by-zip-code/

If you were to ever find a Scottsdale 85282, DON'T TOUCH IT. Those are quite valuable. Consult here first.

jonny: Thanks. My tastes tend to the natural/matte, and all I've done so far was take a wire brush with soap and water to remove oxidization, so you're minimal, compromise solution is not a bad idea.

Junkie: Couldn't agree more. Practical and endless entertainment. A few weeks ago some kid on the local high school team was in my group, missed a 6 ft putt with a $300+ SC blade and I sank some goofy downhill, 20 ft putt with an Allied gooseneck blade, a leather-gripped club from the late 30s/early 40s. I think my comment was something like, "not bad for old thrift store junk, eh?" Priceless!

shirly: Thanks, and I've uploaded some more photos that show the sole and blade condition. I find these kind of dings purely cosmetic and I'm in no way worried about them affecting my putting. Your comment about weight though is spot on, as I've noticed these putters get very light when shortened. Other than lead tape on the sole, not sure how best to add weight just yet.

Fella: Thanks for the welcome. Hey, nice forum you got here. I don't think this putter has monetary value, especially in this condition. I do think it's the older, 1966-67 model though by the style of the lettering and info on the flange, and maybe a Ping expert will correct me if I'm wrong. I'll be sure to post some after pics if I do end up getting it tumbled as an experiment to know what it can/can't do to a putter with this kind of typical wear and tear. I do prefer the matte/soft look to non-stock shiny, and I also noticed that these older Pings have a rougher, rocky finish on the flange compared to the sole and blade edge, which could be smoothed out, everything homogeneous post-tumble. Stay tuned and I'll update you guys on the decision and results.

tungsten power down the shaft followed by some type of plug...i know many of the golf supply store sell little corks you can fit down the shaft...

tungsten power down the shaft followed by some type of plug...i know many of the golf supply store sell little corks you can fit down the shaft...

Thanks for the info. That obviously sounds logical, less paradoxical when compared to putting lead tape on an object of restoration!

8bit-

Lee Trevino won a PGA Championship (Shoal Creek) wielding a PING A-Blade. There should be enough photos of him kissing it.

Believe Tony Jacklin also won a Major with an A-Blade.

PING would do a very nice job with it, but....

whatever decision you make will be the right one.

pretty sure it was the 1973 Open Championship Trevino won using an A Blade coz i went out next day and bought one, still use it now at times, i seem to keep going back to it.

Even my 20 something vokey/cameron ho mate tried it last night and said 'that feels nice, its too good for you.'

8bit-

 

Lee Trevino won a PGA Championship (Shoal Creek) wielding a PING A-Blade. There should be enough photos of him kissing it.

 

Believe Tony Jacklin also won a Major with an A-Blade.

 

PING would do a very nice job with it, but....

 

whatever decision you make will be the right one.

Lee kissed my new A-Blade? I'll never wash it again!

pretty sure it was the 1973 Open Championship Trevino won using an A Blade coz i went out next day and bought one, still use it now at times, i seem to keep going back to it.

Even my 20 something vokey/cameron ho mate tried it last night and said 'that feels nice, its too good for you.'

I can't wait to put it together and test it out. Above, Fellaheen51 said he prefers it to the Anser. That's some A-Blade respect right there.

Sorry. O blade fan...

Sorry. O blade fan...

O really?

O yes.

Ok this one is for the patina lovers out there, the guys that like to keep it stock and look tough. I found another A-Blade in a little better shape but with almost perfectly even dark brown patina. I just regripped it with a $5 Pingman blackout grip and we're off to the races. Old is the new new, right? Ok, ok, I know, I'm just cheap.

Is that a Big Trouble in Little China background that I'm seeing?

Kim Catrall was a hottie!

Very satisfying to beat the Cameron crew with a dinged up old putter ... plus you save on headcovers :)

Ok this one is for the patina lovers out there, the guys that like to keep it stock and look tough. I found another A-Blade in a little better shape but with almost perfectly even dark brown patina. I just regripped it with a $5 Pingman blackout grip and we're off to the races. Old is the new new, right? Ok, ok, I know, I'm just cheap.

jonny: Thanks. My tastes tend to the natural/matte, and all I've done so far was take a wire brush with soap and water to remove oxidization, so you're minimal, compromise solution is not a bad idea.

 

Junkie: Couldn't agree more. Practical and endless entertainment. A few weeks ago some kid on the local high school team was in my group, missed a 6 ft putt with a $300+ SC blade and I sank some goofy downhill, 20 ft putt with an Allied gooseneck blade, a leather-gripped club from the late 30s/early 40s. I think my comment was something like, "not bad for old thrift store junk, eh?" Priceless!

 

shirly: Thanks, and I've uploaded some more photos that show the sole and blade condition. I find these kind of dings purely cosmetic and I'm in no way worried about them affecting my putting. Your comment about weight though is spot on, as I've noticed these putters get very light when shortened. Other than lead tape on the sole, not sure how best to add weight just yet.

 

Fella: Thanks for the welcome. Hey, nice forum you got here. I don't think this putter has monetary value, especially in this condition. I do think it's the older, 1966-67 model though by the style of the lettering and info on the flange, and maybe a Ping expert will correct me if I'm wrong. I'll be sure to post some after pics if I do end up getting it tumbled as an experiment to know what it can/can't do to a putter with this kind of typical wear and tear. I do prefer the matte/soft look to non-stock shiny, and I also noticed that these older Pings have a rougher, rocky finish on the flange compared to the sole and blade edge, which could be smoothed out, everything homogeneous post-tumble. Stay tuned and I'll update you guys on the decision and results.

pretty sure it was the 1973 Open Championship Trevino won using an A Blade coz i went out next day and bought one, still use it now at times, i seem to keep going back to it.

Even my 20 something vokey/cameron ho mate tried it last night and said 'that feels nice, its too good for you.'

 

I can't wait to put it together and test it out. Above, Fellaheen51 said he prefers it to the Anser. That's some A-Blade respect right there.

Kim Catrall was a hottie!

Last time I checked she still is! :wub:

Is that a Big Trouble in Little China background that I'm seeing?

Indeed, sir!

Is that a Big Trouble in Little China background that I'm seeing?

 

Indeed, sir!

Simply awesome!!!

Is that a Big Trouble in Little China background that I'm seeing?

 

Indeed, sir!

 

 

Simply awesome!!!

"hold down the fort and keep the home fires burning, if I'm not back in an hour...call the president"

I quoted this the other day, and people just stared at me with a blank look on their faces like they had no idea what I was talking about....millennials....

BTW, I've always liked the shape of the O-blade and the A-blade. I wish Ping would re-issue a new version.

Is that a Big Trouble in Little China background that I'm seeing?

 

Indeed, sir!

 

 

Simply awesome!!!

 

"hold down the fort and keep the home fires burning, if I'm not back in an hour...call the president"

 

I quoted this the other day, and people just stared at me with a blank look on their faces like they had no idea what I was talking about....millennials....

 

BTW, I've always liked the shape of the O-blade and the A-blade. I wish Ping would re-issue a new version.

One more time...

As it has always been with PING....

"Pretty is as pretty does....." -Harvey Penick

My uncle who loves golf said I'm not cheap I'm sentimental. Whew, that was a close one.