Going old school

[No_1]

I recently obtained a set of Ping Eye 2 clubs. Intend to have them re-gripped, then play them a few time, just for fun. Crazy. I Know.

 

I dropped out of golf as a very occasional player in the early 80's to raise a family, using clubs purchased in the early 70's (Haig Ultra?)I returned to the game 7 years ago. I think this set will give me an idea of what the technology was prior to the big breakout in technology.

 

Anyone have any balata golf balls?

[tony_teetime]

Those are nice clubs , perimeter weighting and workable. Have fun and play well.

[SixtySomePing]

Great clubs, you should enjoy them... balata balls you can get on Ebay

[Shambles]

Balata balls I would not recommend unless you just happened to have a few and wanted to see if there has been any progress. In truth as I see it, the modern day ball is the same albeit better in that it resists damage much more successfully. Otherwise it does all the things the balata did but more reliably. Fact is, balata is just a cover for the ball and the old balls suffered damage easily so, in a serious tournament, you would change balls every three or four holes, just to be safe with a more reliable ball. Not because the ball you've been using was damaged, but because there was a chance it was and confidence required a new ball. The modern ball resists damage better.



Shambles

[No_1]

Shambles - I could make a golf ball smile in less than 10 strokes in the 60's and 70's!

[tatertot]

Honestly, other than being a club shorter than today's clubs because of loft, I doubt you see much difference between the Eye 2s and modern irons.

[Buzzkill]

[quote name='Shambles' timestamp='1424105752' post='10963787']
Balata balls I would not recommend unless you just happened to have a few and wanted to see if there has been any progress. In truth as I see it, the modern day ball is the same albeit better in that it resists damage much more successfully. Otherwise it does all the things the balata did but more reliably. Fact is, balata is just a cover for the ball and the old balls suffered damage easily so, in a serious tournament, you would change balls every three or four holes, just to be safe with a more reliable ball. Not because the ball you've been using was damaged, but because there was a chance it was and confidence required a new ball. The modern ball resists damage better.



Shambles
[/quote]

Balatas would only last a couple holes - balls wouldn't be round.

[tony_teetime]

The pros back in the old days prefer the balata balls because of it's soft feel and good spin near the green.
With the ball technology today combine with modern wedges you can get the same or better performance with a good ball , there is no need for balata balls.

Play with the ping eye 2 irons, but consider replacing the PW to a modern one.

[lightgrip]

Ping Eye 2s still work. Have fun!

[Kathy Marie]

No-1, I like my Eye 2's and my instructor has a set-in-waiting for her small daughter to use when it's time. They're *great* clubs!!! (OK, IMHO)

And I Luuurve your avatar, it's *GREAT*!!!!

[Guia]

The Eye2 measure up to any of the newer cavity irons, with the exception that they are weaker lofts.

[Shambles]

[quote name='tony_teetime' timestamp='1424111848' post='10964543']
The pros back in the old days prefer the balata balls because of it's soft feel and good spin near the green.
With the ball technology today combine with modern wedges you can get the same or better performance with a good ball , there is no need for balata balls.

Play with the ping eye 2 irons, but consider replacing the PW to a modern one.
[/quote]

Replacing the W with a modern P is not so good an idea. Depending on the brand involved you would be duplicating the 8 or 9 iron of the eye 2, loft wise. Some brands come a bit on the in between of the two. The eye 2 W comes somewhere betweeb 51* and 52* loft, depending on which " authority " you are listening to.

Personally, I am more satisfied maintaining my set, including SW, as my basic swing for the short game is maintained throughout the set. If you want a modern set, use a modern set and buy the needed additional wedges. I'm happy with my set as is, though it could do with a bit of hefty cleaning.



Shambles

[oldschoolrocker]

# uno,
Lots of folks still bagging the eye-2s. The trick is not to be concerned what the number on the club but with the number(in yards/meters) the club plays at. A lot of us here regularly play clubs that are older than the eye-2s. The only number that matters is the number you want the shot to travel.
We are not playing look at me I hit a nine iron 160 yards and you used a "five!!!" OMG what's wrong with you, are you a candy ***. No, the game, if any, is I holed out in four and it took you six, and even then that's only if money and/or bragging rights are on the line.

[scruffynick]

The eye 2s for me were the best iron ever made. All modern clubs come from this design as karsten was one hell of an engineer. But as someone above has pointed out apart from the lofts (a little weaker a probably a club shorter) they strike the ball as good as anything modern. So many very good players across the world at clubs still use them.......and there's a reason for that, they haven't come across a better club in 30 years! Enjoy, they are a brilliant set of clubs

[Dinosaur]

although its been discussed ad-infinitum, I had almost forgot what a tour balata ball felt like until I happened to find one in a bag of shag balls I got at a vets store. It was a Titleist Tour Balata. I was just playing around waiting to tee off and was pitching a little ways from the tee and it just felt so darned good. I know they are prone to damage and getting out of round, but I am tempted to order a box from ebay. I don't know how much distance I might lose (if any). It's better than sex without a condom, (well, maybe not). I think I saw some advertised as "new" for $45.

[butch33611]

[quote name='Guia' timestamp='1424149745' post='10969079']
The Eye2 measure up to any of the newer cavity irons, with the exception that they are weaker lofts.
[/quote]

Which is really funny because when they came out they were 2 degrees more up then any other club. I was running a course when they came out. I had a 7 iron demo club in the proshop. Guys would come in and pick it up and check it out. We talked a little bit then I would say here ya go. Take this bucket of balls out to the range and compare it to your 7 iron. As soon as he walked out I would start getting the order form ready.

Karston was a very smart man, Just by bumping up the loft slightly it made his clubs the lastest greatest and longest. They were and still are quality clubs. Quality clubs coupled with longest distance they couldnt help but be a hit. I bought a set back then and they are still neatly lined up in the closet.

Not many clubs could stand the test of time as well as those have.

[jonnygrouville]

Having some Pings is like a rite of passage. In the day, it might only have been the odd club like a one iron or the "lob" wedge that looked like it was from the moon. A Ping Eye 2 one iron is still in my modern bag, sitting next to some Mizuno blades like the last chicken in the shop. Great club.

Ping Zing 2s for me. Still have them, with some of the BeCu wedges and a set of the laminated woods. Quirky and easy to use. What's not to like?!

[birly-shirly]

I've got a set of Eye 2+, and I think I'd probably prefer a set of original Eye 2s. Nothing to do with "illegal" grooves - but I think I'd rather have the older, weaker lofts. I think you get more options around the green, and I couldn't care less what number of iron I happen to hit 150 yards.

[Blade Junkie]

[quote name='birly-shirly' timestamp='1424299774' post='10980893']
I've got a set of Eye 2+, and I think I'd probably prefer a set of original Eye 2s. Nothing to do with "illegal" grooves - but I think I'd rather have the older, weaker lofts. I think you get more options around the green, and I couldn't care less what number of iron I happen to hit 150 yards.
[/quote]

Not really that much in it loft wise ... I actually think the gapping across the set is better on the 2+ ... more "even" at the scoring end ...


Quite a big gap between PW and SW in the Eye 2 ...

[attachment=2625153:Ping Eye 2 vs 2+.jpg]

[birly-shirly]

You're quite right Blade.
What I should have said was that my preferences were based on not having the LW. I think I'd get more options out of the PW and SW at 50.5 and 57.5, than the E2+ equivalents of 48.5 and 53. A relatively lofted PW is my go-to pitching club, and for greenside bunkers I'd much rather have 58* than 53* loft. But if I just added an Eye2+ LW to my existing set, I'd be pretty well sorted - subject to the LW having a sole grind that's conducive to getting out of the sand. I'm not a huge fan of the E2+ SW as a bunker club.

[boggyman]

[quote name='oldschoolrocker' timestamp='1424180402' post='10969921']
# uno,
Lots of folks still bagging the eye-2s. The trick is not to be concerned what the number on the club but with the number(in yards/meters) the club plays at. A lot of us here regularly play clubs that are older than the eye-2s. The only number that matters is the number you want the shot to travel.
We are not playing look at me I hit a nine iron 160 yards and you used a "five!!!" OMG what's wrong with you, are you a candy ***. No, the game, if any, is I holed out in four and it took you six, and even then that's only if money and/or bragging rights are on the line.
[/quote]. Sheweeee!! Exactly,! First thing someone says bout an iron these days is, theyre long, who cares what Lil Johnny hits, I just want his scat money lol. I've just got me a set of Eye2+ to put in the bag!3-pw,SW & lw.
We said in your post also!

[Blade Junkie]

[quote name='birly-shirly' timestamp='1424352578' post='10984061']
You're quite right Blade.
What I should have said was that my preferences were based on not having the LW. I think I'd get more options out of the PW and SW at 50.5 and 57.5, than the E2+ equivalents of 48.5 and 53. A relatively lofted PW is my go-to pitching club, and for greenside bunkers I'd much rather have 58* than 53* loft. But if I just added an Eye2+ LW to my existing set, I'd be pretty well sorted - subject to the LW having a sole grind that's conducive to getting out of the sand. I'm not a huge fan of the E2+ SW as a bunker club.
[/quote]

What is quite funny BS, is that version one of my first line (before I edited it and hit "post") was as follows:

[i]Not really that much in it loft wise ... I actually think the gapping across the set is better on the 2+ ... more "even" at the scoring end ... [b]as long as you have the LW[/b] [/i]- so I think we are thinking alike here !


I bought an orange dot steel set of Eye 2+ just before Xmas - not hit them yet. Mine is 3-SW, so will be interesting if that is enough versatility around the green. Just messing about indoors hitting carpet chips with the sand wedge, it does seem to work better than expected when you lay it open ... proof of the pudding on the course at some point!

I must say they are ugly little buggers mind you ... hence why I did not choose "Cavity Back Junkie" as my screen name I suppose

[Eidolon]

You guys did it again,this is not a question about eye2's, but balata balls.

[Blade Junkie]

[quote name='Eidolon' timestamp='1424412377' post='10989931']
You guys did it again,this is not a question about eye2's, but balata balls.
[/quote]

Enjoy the thread .. we all are !

You'll see plenty of mentions on the merits or sourcing of balata balls in posts 3,4,7,8 and 15 if you read it again.

Also some good discussion on the merits of PIng Eye 2s, in response to the OP's subject title of "Going Old School" and his choice in using this particular set of irons as a set that "will give me an idea of what the technology was prior to the big breakout in technology".

Welcome to the Classic Forums, and btw we do things a little differently in here from the rest of golfwrx ... so no disparaging remarks necessary ...

[freddiec]

Ah.. Balata balls ! Can't wait to tee a few up with persimmon this season when the 5 feet of snow melts.. Such a sweet thought to look fwd too. Tour balata 100 with persimmon is the best feel.

[Dinosaur]

[quote name='freddiec' timestamp='1424436286' post='10990423']
Ah.. Balata balls ! Can't wait to tee a few up with persimmon this season when the 5 feet of snow melts.. Such a sweet thought to look fwd too. Tour balata 100 with persimmon is the best feel.
[/quote]

This prompted me to do a search on Balata. All of the things mentioned above, but I am not entirely convinced that the new tech balls such as Pro V1 have the same feel, spin as claimed in some of the articles. Granted the new balls probably out perform the older ones, and definitely last longer, but at least for me, the feel is NOT the same. The other post stating that Tiger had an advantage in 2000 because he changed over from balata ahead of the field is germane to this discussion as well. I played a round with the old balata I got in the shag bag and for whatever reason, it gave me more confidence and I did not notice any appreciable loss in distance. I should also mention that my driver is a little dated. I have the TM R-7 Limited but I do not know how it would affect the outcome of using balata, but probably [s]slightly[/s] different than an old Persimmon or laminate.

[Dinosaur]

[quote name='Blade Junkie' timestamp='1424431139' post='10990289']
[quote name='Eidolon' timestamp='1424412377' post='10989931']
You guys did it again,this is not a question about eye2's, but balata balls.
[/quote]

Enjoy the thread .. we all are !

You'll see plenty of mentions on the merits or sourcing of balata balls in posts 3,4,7,8 and 15 if you read it again.

Also some good discussion on the merits of PIng Eye 2s, in response to the OP's subject title of "Going Old School" and his choice in using this particular set of irons as a set that "will give me an idea of what the technology was prior to the big breakout in technology".

Welcome to the Classic Forums, and btw we do things a little differently in here from the rest of golfwrx ... so no disparaging remarks necessary ...
[/quote]

notwithstanding that once in awhile some from the other sub-forum come in and introduce a "speck in the ointment", I only hope that I am not one of them as I have been guilty of the occasional foopah, but not with intent mind you.

[Shambles]

My bad.

I missed out that the OP considered the Eye 2 old tech. I think otherwise.

The Eye 2 was not even the opening shot of the new ideas of club manufacturing. I think it was the Ping Eye, or whatever that clubs name was. A low profile stainless cavity made by Ping, or maybe an even earlier model. The idea behind the Solheim's creation was to introduce a flock of elements in club design that encouraged the ball to fly more eagerly as against the more common designs that kept the ball a bit less eager to fly high, therefore a higher center of gravity as against the Ping emphasis on a lower center of gravity. Pings extraordinary hightoe which had the effect of moving the vertical COG moving higher as you approached the toe, whose function and utility I still fail to understand and stopped thinking about some time ago. The well rounded leading edge and hosel which caused the club to cost more to manufacture and the offset which made squaring the club a touch easier.

The Eye 2 was brought in as the nadir of club design but many of it's design features came from older clubs. It seemed to me that Karsten Solheim took what he thought was the best ideas of his time and poured them into the Eye 2 and that included minor adjustments of the Eye 2's predecessors. The rounded leading edge was present in the early Hogan Apex and I seem to remember some perimeter weighted clubs were around before the Eye 2. In short, I think the Eye 2 was a well thought out hodge podge of good ideas combined in one club design with less thought give to cost of manufacture and more thought given to ultimate functionality.

Personally, I most appreciated the club for having a 3, 2, and 1 Iron that was not size intimidated by the ball of that time, though I also appreciated the well rounded leading edge for helping preserve the ball against cuts and smileys. The formerly gigantic Eye 2 also encouraged players of that time to hit the ball a good one with fewer errors simply because it felt like you had plenty of club to swing with. Formerly the Eye 2 was a giant, these days it is a rather modest mid size. Whether those design elements actually helped or not is irrelevant to my case. The club design gave me confidence at a time I most needed it.

OP, if you want a look at more primitive club designs before modern ideas took over, you need to look for something made in the mid sixties to the early seventies, maybe even earlier. The new technology is in matching the player to the club, or vice versa, amd that is only growing because of all the shaft and head design choices that are so very confusing for so many of us.



Shambles

[freddiec]

[quote name='Dinosaur' timestamp='1424444837' post='10991141']
[quote name='freddiec' timestamp='1424436286' post='10990423']
Ah.. Balata balls ! Can't wait to tee a few up with persimmon this season when the 5 feet of snow melts.. Such a sweet thought to look fwd too. Tour balata 100 with persimmon is the best feel.
[/quote]

This prompted me to do a search on Balata. All of the things mentioned above, but I am not entirely convinced that the new tech balls such as Pro V1 have the same feel, spin as claimed in some of the articles. Granted the new balls probably out perform the older ones, and definitely last longer, but at least for me, the feel is NOT the same. The other post stating that Tiger had an advantage in 2000 because he changed over from balata ahead of the field is germane to this discussion as well. I played a round with the old balata I got in the shag bag and for whatever reason, it gave me more confidence and I did not notice any appreciable loss in distance. I should also mention that my driver is a little dated. I have the TM R-7 Limited but I do not know how it would affect the outcome of using balata, but probably [s]slightly[/s] different than an old Persimmon or laminate.
[/quote]

I would not see the point of hitting or playing a balata ball with a Titanium driver. The old wound balls including balata covers and the newer Professional were really made for Wood drivers and Medal woods from the 70s, 80s and early 90s. The Ti face is so hot, you probably would not even feel the old ball off a pure hit. If you have a good vintage bag and you play a classic course, persimmon, blades and the old wound ball, or a newer soft ball like the Srixon soft feel or the new Calloway ball is a fun experience for those looking for the "old game".

[BIG STU]

[quote name='Buzzkill' timestamp='1424111321' post='10964491']
[quote name='Shambles' timestamp='1424105752' post='10963787']
Balata balls I would not recommend unless you just happened to have a few and wanted to see if there has been any progress. In truth as I see it, the modern day ball is the same albeit better in that it resists damage much more successfully. Otherwise it does all the things the balata did but more reliably. Fact is, balata is just a cover for the ball and the old balls suffered damage easily so, in a serious tournament, you would change balls every three or four holes, just to be safe with a more reliable ball. Not because the ball you've been using was damaged, but because there was a chance it was and confidence required a new ball. The modern ball resists damage better.



Shambles
[/quote]

Balatas would only last a couple holes - balls wouldn't be round.
[/quote]You are correct Chief (as CPOs usually are) I still have my roundness gauge to check balata balls with and believe it or not back in the day I have seen "new" in the box balls a year or two old have some out of round