Ping Eye 2 - How Does is stack Up vs Today’s clubs

[mshills]

I’ve had BeCu ISIs and an OG Eye2 LW in my bag full time for years, and shot my career low with a full bag of Eye2s. 
 

They still perform perfectly well for a good ball striker, but IMO on a small miss, there is no comparison with a modern iron, particularly on a toe miss. 
 

My bag is getting a full revamp in 2022, but I will never sell the copper Pings I’ve accumulated over the years. 

[njlam]

I think the Ping Eye 2s stack up well versus todays irons with one exception.

The Eye 2 lofts are not jacked, so an Eye 2 7 iron may have the same loft as a modern 8 iron. This is not a technology issue, it is a labeling issue.

Because of this, the Eye 2s are not shorter than modern irons as many may complain, they are just using old school labels.

That being said, the Eye 2s do have a distinctive shape/offset/finish that some may have outgrown. The newer generations of Pings maintain the same qualities of the Eye2 but are updated for modern fashion.

I love my Ping Eye 2+ BeCu 3-LW set and will never sell them; they are collectors items and fun to play every once in while (in good conditions). 

For everyday play, I use the Ping i200s with some Eye2 Gorge wedges. Ping invented the cavity backed iron and has modified and improved this innovation over the last 45 years.

I was surprised to learn on this thread that the Eye 2 Gorge wedges did not sell well. I have two sets and love them.

[scruffynick]

For me the best irons ever created, most clubs still have members still playing them. They are just brilliant irons and as good as anything built today 

[OnTheBag]

The lowest round I ever carded (63) was with Eye 2's back in the late 80's.  I still play that same set very frequently now.  Is there a difference between them and my MP-18's?....yes.  Is it substantial?  Not for me.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

I bought a really cheap set of red-dot BeCus with the intention of flipping, but I thought I'd try hitting a few balls with them first. I wrapped up the old grips of the 8i and 5i with tennis racquet wrapping and took them to the range.

 

I have to say, I was really impressed with their performance. I was expecting them to be short due to their weak lofts, but actually found myself surprised by the distance I was getting. 8i was an easy 150y, and the 5i was about 185. 

That said, the red dots were definitely too flat for me, and I was leaking lots of shots right. I think even black dot might be too flat for me.

If I found a set of Blue or green dot BeCus at a reasonable price, I'd be tempted, but where I am, red and orange dot are way more popular. Anyway, they're irons I'd happily play today and not feel I'm giving shots away due to "old" technology.

 

 

[golfarb1]

The feel of compressing the   Ping eye2 BeCu is analogous to the feel of cutting through semi soft butter,PURE. 

[GrandStranded]

On 6/4/2020 at 8:59 PM, LowAndLeft32 said:

Wondering what if anything is materially better in today’s new supposedly hi tech irons vs Ping Eye 2 irons. Will todays clubs result in better performance, better forgiveness, straighter ball flight, etc? Obviously, today’s irons have more jacked up lofts. But could the Ping Eye 2 be played successfully today? What about tour pros using cavity backs today? Could they game the Eye 2 with little difference? Ultimately should I put my old Ping eye 2 set back in play? Thanks.

If you want to move up a tee, yes, why not?

I totally get that they’re classics, but I mean come on. You can “play“ any set you want. You can throw a set of hickory shafted clubs in a bag and go “play” and have fun.

Let’s not make believe they’re going to play as well as a modern cavity back set though, they’re just not.

That said, if I could find a set of Eye2+  left handed irons in good shape, I’d buy them and have a lot of fun with them.

Edited January 15, 2022 by john myrbch

[OnTheBag]

59 minutes ago, john myrbch said:

If you want to move up a tee, yes, why not?

I totally get that they’re classics, but I mean come on. You can “play“ any set you want. You can throw a set of hickory shafted clubs in a bag and go “play” and have fun.

Let’s not make believe they’re going to play as well as a modern cavity back set though, they’re just not.

That said, if I could find a set of Eye2+  left handed irons in good shape, I’d buy them and have a lot of fun with them.

Why would you have to move up a tee?  I play MP-18s and Eye 2's on a regular basis.  The only difference is the loft by 1 club.  MP-18 PW is 46, Eye 2 9i is 46.  I just adjust one club up when playing with them.  I'm more accurate and have better control with 9-L in my Eye 2's than with anything else I've ever played.  

 

I do agree that a modern long iron feels much better than cranking on a 2 or 3 iron from the Eye 2's.  But I play hybrids in that part of the bag anyway.  

[Thayneil]

On 5/23/2021 at 11:21 PM, RobotDoctor said:

Tour players play for endorsements and Ping isn't going to pay anyone to play an iron that is out of production, especially the Ping Eye 2 irons.  It would be interesting if all club endorsement money ceased to see what players would actually be playing.  I would bet some would revert back to clubs that are out of production because of familiarity and that those clubs simply perform.  I am sure some older players might revert back to the Eye 2 irons.

Ping eye 22?

[Chazb]

On 5/28/2021 at 12:22 PM, braincramp52 said:

I just played a round with my old Eye2's this week. Compared to my ZX5'S they don't come close. They immediately went back in the basement. 

Even though I loved the eye 2s when I played them there is no comparison between the zx5 and eye 2…..I will stick with the ZX5.

[bellairemi]

9 minutes ago, Chazb said:

Even though I loved the eye 2s when I played them there is no comparison between the zx5 and eye 2…..I will stick with the ZX5.

The funny part about this - the ZX5 actually has a lower MOI than does the Ping Eye 2.

[morgan1819]

15 minutes ago, bellairemi said:

The funny part about this - the ZX5 actually has a lower MOI than does the Ping Eye 2.

Zx5 also has a lower MOI than a hockey stick blade with a strip of lead along the bottom.

 

I hit my dad's mint Eye 2's at least once a year. They were great in their day.  They are also fugly, feel awful, and have a diggy, sharp leading edge.

 

Could probably shoot about the same score with them though.  Lol

 

 

[JahSteve]

On 6/5/2020 at 8:31 AM, 2Down said:

The face is not a trampoline. But loft for loft with any blade and most cavity back forged I would say even. It’s only when you add the modern face that you lose distance.

 

 

I feel as though i was going to write this exact response.

I play(ed) as set of eye 2 BeCu's and do enjoy them. I bought a modern set ( '18 hogan edge) and love them. Lofts of my new vs. old are not to far off (like 2*). My game is liking the newer clubs better.  

[dekez]

I played Eye 2+ for about 10 years begining in the early 90s and still have great memories since they were my first set of nice irons.

 

Course conditions have changed in the past 30 years, though.  Fairways are cut much lower.  If Ping ever released a refresh of these, I'd bet they would put a more rounded/beveled leading edge on them.

[Shooter McLovin]

The biggest difference you will find is the lofts which has been mentioned and the forgiveness on mis-hits. Today’s clubs do not punish you as bad on slight mis-hits. It won’t matter if you hit the hosel or way out on the toe but a slight mis-hit may not even produce a bad shot at all with a modern club. The other issue that isn’t talked about much is how the strong lofts affect different golfers. Many people with slower swing speeds already struggle getting the ball airborne which stronger lofts only make worse. Some of this is offset with high launching shafts but killing the spin on all your irons for distance gain can be more hurt than help. Now you have a 7 iron with traditional 4 iron loft that someone is trying to hold a green with. Not to mention, turning everyone’s mid irons into long irons goes against the battle the average golfer has with even playing long irons. I think the stronger lofts hurt most golfers for that reason alone. Better players can’t play these lofts because it creates to many gaps in yardages and the ball also flys very inconsistently with the low spin created in distance irons. It is why you can hit a PW 160 yards or 130 with some of these 42 degree PWs. Knuckleballs are impossible to consistently control which is what ultra low spinning golf balls can become. Hitting your short irons longer does not help you score better. It only makes you inconsistent with approach shots and struggle with mid-irons because you are back to playing long irons in reality. Remember this, the people that design clubs for the major manufacturers are not as interested in lowering your handicap as they are in selling you a new set of irons every year or two. It may be fun to relive your youth and carry your 8 iron 160 yards but if it one hops over the green and goes out of bounds or into a bunker with a downhill lie, what has it done besides make you feel better about your new 8-iron yardage? With today’s fitting technology, you can see the spin on all your irons and it is a big factor in what makes these newer clubs go like they do. The downside is the lack of control it creates when approaching greens especially. The main reason average players struggle with long irons is the low loft. The less backspin we create, the more side spin affects the golf ball. The clubs we hit sideways the most, generally have the least amount of loft. Long irons and the driver are the toughest clubs to hit straight for this reason. Trying to play golf with a set of irons that is truly only long and mid-irons makes it more difficult in my opinion than it is with clubs that have more traditional lofts that stop where and at what distance golfers expect. 

[hammergolf]

Ping could literally take the conforming groove molds of the original Eye 2 irons, make three minor changes and sell tons of them. Just change the number stamping in the molds to 1 club less, (i.e. stamp 7 on the 6 iron mold etc.), add a screw port to the toe (to add tungsten weighting and for custom swing weights), and camber the soles and blunt the leading edge a little.  

[Binson]

1 hour ago, hammergolf said:

Ping could literally take the conforming groove molds of the original Eye 2 irons, make three minor changes and sell tons of them. Just change the number stamping in the molds to 1 club less, (i.e. stamp 7 on the 6 iron mold etc.), add a screw port to the toe (to add tungsten weighting and for custom swing weights), and camber the soles and blunt the leading edge a little.  

Agreed.  I would throw Hydropearl in there as that's been a proven performance enhancement.  

 

I'm not personally sensitive to offset but if it had i210-like offset, it would have quite the industry buzz around it. That said, if there was not an appreciable difference in performance between this new Eye 2 and the Original Eye 2 irons, there are quite a lot of used sets out there that would be available at 10-20% the cost of new.

 

The other quality to the classic Ping irons is that they are pretty much indestructible and hold up really well over time.  The downside of that from a revenue perspective is your customer base likely won't have to buy a new set for decades and there will be tons of 2nd hand options available to further eat into your revenue.  So, it's a bit of a double-edged sword. 

 

To me, I would be better able to justify spending i59 money on a set that will last me a long time and hold their value than on a set with forged faces that will brown and become virtually unsellable in a few years. 

 

The most likely path to new Eye 2 irons is likely some sort of limited release.

[LaymanM]

Bumping old thread. I played PING Eye 2 from age 13 until 28. And then again for a short time in my early 30’s. I’m 40 now. Bought a nice set blue dot 2-PW with zz lite shafts. Putting them in the bag after one range session. I have Srixon Z785’s, a set of PING G’s [hit them terrible]. Hit eye 2’a high and on target. Really able to compress and get through the ball for whatever reason. Offset doesn’t bother me on eye 2, probably due to the shape but really bothers me on PING G’s.  G’s also have a weird weighting to them with AWT 2.0’s. 
 

Excited to put them into play Wednesday. 
 

Bag set up:

 

PING G400 lst tour 65s

Taylormade M2 3 wood, Reax 65s

2-PW Eye 2 zz-lite

PING Glide 3.0 56ss / 60ss

Cobra KING 3D printed Agera 

 

Might swap out the 2 iron for my 3 hybrid or 5 wood. Haven’t decided yet. 

[Stanks]

I played in 2021 with Ping Eye 2's and went back to modern clubs. All I can say is, the middle is the middle and the clubs will behave as expected. But the modern clubs are far more forgiving on mishits.

[LaymanM]

11 hours ago, Stanks said:

I played in 2021 with Ping Eye 2's and went back to modern clubs. All I can say is, the middle is the middle and the clubs will behave as expected. But the modern clubs are far more forgiving on mishits.

Middle is the middle. For whatever reason sure is easy to find with PING Eye 2’s 

[LaymanM]

On 12/17/2021 at 7:53 AM, mshills said:

I’ve had BeCu ISIs and an OG Eye2 LW in my bag full time for years, and shot my career low with a full bag of Eye2s. 
 

They still perform perfectly well for a good ball striker, but IMO on a small miss, there is no comparison with a modern iron, particularly on a toe miss. 
 

My bag is getting a full revamp in 2022, but I will never sell the copper Pings I’ve accumulated over the years. 

I liked ISI and played a few rounds with them, however never fell in love with them like my EYE 2’s.  Would love a becu set 

[Stinky48]

I am a senior golfer. I bought a used set of Eye 2s and had them reshafted with TTLite regular flex . I did not think stiff was suitable for me. Did I screw up? 

 

[NRJyzr]

38 minutes ago, Stinky48 said:

I am a senior golfer. I bought a used set of Eye 2s and had them reshafted with TTLite regular flex . I did not think stiff was suitable for me. Did I screw up? 

 

 

If that's a shaft that fits you, I would say you did not screw up.  🙂

 

[Nessism]

1 hour ago, Stinky48 said:

I am a senior golfer. I bought a used set of Eye 2s and had them reshafted with TTLite regular flex . I did not think stiff was suitable for me. Did I screw up? 

 

 

TT Lite is quite stiff compared to most other shafts in the market.  It's old school, like Dynamic Gold, in that regard.  Nippon Modus is the opposite in comparison.

[dasparks]

I've tried to come back to the Ping Eye 2's multiple times over the years but it's only for a little while. It's probably nostalgia that keeps dragging me back. I mean, I like them and want to love them but I just don't. They're still a solid set of irons that plays way ahead of it's day, but at this point, I think you can do better - feel, looks, forgiveness - in a newer set of irons.

[braincramp52]

Shot a 78 with my old Ping Eye 2's recently. I guess they do still work considering I've only shot in the 70's three times this year.

[dekez]

Is there a modern Ping iron with similar playing characteristics?  The last set I saw that had similar COG and MOI numbers was the i15.

[NRJyzr]

33 minutes ago, dekez said:

Is there a modern Ping iron with similar playing characteristics?  The last set I saw that had similar COG and MOI numbers was the i15.

 

The CG is higher, but the iE1 might be the closest.  The iBlade also, but the CG on those is a bit higher than the iE1. 

 

[willie991]

11 hours ago, dekez said:

Is there a modern Ping iron with similar playing characteristics?  The last set I saw that had similar COG and MOI numbers was the i15.

I've played G15, G20s, iBlades, G's... and never found one that I'm as comfortable with as my Eye 2's and Eye 2+'s.  Of those, I enjoyed the iBlades and probably should have kept them.  But... I have two sets of Eye 2's, 3-SW.  Also have a set of Eye 2+ BeCu's 3-LW.  Love the Eye 2+ BeCu's.  So afraid I will leave one laying or someone will pick one or two of the wedges out of my bag.  They sit in the basement until I can't sand their tears and they go to the course for a week or two.  Just brought them back home a couple days ago.  Have one of the sets of Eye 2's back in the bag.  

We have postage stamp greens.  I can stick balls on the greens with no fear of them hitting and rolling off the back side.  Have tried so many "modern" irons that are all about distance and Elmer's glue on the ball wouldn't keep it on the green with some of them.  

If you can find a copy of the book "And The Putter Went Ping" beg, borrow, or buy it.  You will read a few pages and say, "What did I just read?"  You'll go back and read it again.  It's the story of Karsten from long before he even could spell "Ping".  What a story!  I've been a Ping enthusiast for years.  That book, though, will make an enthusiast out of many who don't know Karsten's life story.

 

Sorry for the length! 

[Putterboy68]

I guess I'll keep this Eye2 thread going. I started playing just as the Eye2 came out but I could never afford them. When I did get them the lie angle was wrong for me and I hated them. I was around age 37. Now at age 68 I bought a couple of nice sets. Eye2+ BeCu and +no+ My gamers are still X-14s which I love. I'm an 8 hdcp and getting better. Played a round with the BeCu plus irons and I hit laser beams the whole round. The feel was so solid. Then tried the +no+ Eye 2 and they were butter. The shafts on the BeCu irons were bent at the hosel so it gave me a lower trajectory. I shot a 3 over 75. I'm thinking about replacing the shafts in the bent BeCu irons to Nippon Modul3 105s which are lighter than the zz Lites. The stainless steel heads felt like butter.