Ping Eye 2 woods at the driving range

[Guest]

Hey everyone it's the world's worst golfer with even more ignorant questions.

In my summer of trying to learn how to golf I've been working on my short game at a par 3.

Now I've decided I need to learn how to hit a wood and attempt a larger course. I've been asked to play a fundraiser with some neighbors at a FANCY course and I probably won't learn enough by then, but I want to make an effort.

So taking dad's old Ping Eye 2s to the range today and watching youtube videos left and right I tried "driving"

I'm almost embarrassed not only by how bad I hit but I'm the only guy there who doesn't make a pinging sound when he hits a driver. It's more of a wooden "whaaack". I did a little research and learned these are not persimmon woods but laminate. But I did read that older woods can be ruined with new balls. Am I risking a chance by ruining these at the range?

[Gsea]

New balls will not hurt the eye 2s !!!!!

 

[JimmyC59]

Since the Ping woods were considered terrible clubs, you can't hurt them.

[Richard 77]

That’s news to a helluva lot of Ping wood players! Btw what do you play?

[Guest]

Well I’d hate to ruin them as to they were my dead grandfather’s passed down to my now dead dad.

Them being “terrible” would fit my golf game so I may have found the perfect club!

[golfunderpar18]

Ping “Wood” woods are maple laminates. The range balls of today are solid rocks which were the same as the range balls in the 70’s and 80’s. These woods will hold up just fine. Ping woods are some of the easier “wood” woods to hit and they feel and sound great. I have multiple sets of these. They are excellent woods. Not the prettiest but they work.

 

[golfunderpar18]

Who says that? Never heard of anyone calling ping woods terrible. Didn’t work out for you? I played them back in the 80’s. My 5 wood, Karsten 1 , was a rocket. For Old school ping lovers .... https://www.facebook.com/groups/224999788715463/

 

[Gsea]

LOL

[Guest]

Multiple set?! Is this part of the addiction I'm starting to experience?

I just asked to join that FB group. Seems like the type or people I need to be in contact with.

Thanks!

[JimmyC59]

I caddied for a lot of low handicappers in the 80s who played and loved Eye2 irons. NONE of them played Ping woods.

[Guest]

I played a set 3 and 5 of ping eye 2 woods way after i switched to a golf smith version of a burner and some vas's. I always hit them great. Didn't switch until I found the warbirds. I still take the pings to the range now and again. Fun clubs to hit!

[baloo]

I was at the range today hitting some MacGregor laminated woods. They'll hold up just fine. I would add that if there's any kind of damage to the woods or loose components (soleplate, insert, shaft), you'll want to get that addressed before pushing them too hard.

I've had older woods break during range sessions, but it was because they weren't in playing condition. Also, one of the breaks occurred in freezing cold weather...

[baloo]

 

[golfunderpar18]

That doesn’t mean the woods We’re/are terrible. In the Mid to late 80’s I Was a 1 Handicapper as a late teen junior playing in Toronto . I used a 1950’s m85 4 wood and driver. When I needed less distance or a little more loft from the fairway I subbed in with my Karsten 1 5 wood. I played stainless eye 2 irons and used a Old Wilson. 8813 blade.

Edited August 2, 2021 by golfunderpar18

[golfunderpar18]

I have about 500 clubs in my collection now. Ive owned 150 sets of ping irons in the past 35 years. I have many friends who own way more clubs than I do including my dad who owns 300-400 putters alone. Yup it can be addicting but fun.

[Fellaheen51]

That's quite a collection of Ping implements. Have no where close to that number, more of a small accumulation of Ping things. Mostly putters. Thanks for sharing the FB page. Forced me to log in to my FB page (only used for marketplace) to join the group.

Edit add: In search of information about an 029 Anser I found was what brought me through the WRX door for the first time. And into the classic section. Been down the Rabbit Hole ever since.

__________________________________

When I take wood woods afield, find myself increasingly bagging the E2's. Simply because I hit them better than the persimmons I have on hand. The E2 4 wood played is stellar, hit it nearly as well as the modernist 4 metal. Not that penal in distance, near perfect trajectory. Yes, a bit of any unusual shape. But think it's in keeping with Karsten's club design philosophy during this period. The aesthetic is to be found in the functionality of the design. Or something like that.

Could care less who did or didn't play E2 woods BITD. They seem to work OK for me, thus not even close to being a terrible club.

[Richard 77]

And that makes them terrible clubs. BTW you never said what woods you play.

I bought my first set of KI woods in 1973. They looked just as funny to others as the irons did. Always liked and still have several assorted K series , E series and Zing. Might just be that I was never a good enough player to find out how terrible they are.

I looked at the Facebook page and will join. It’s overwhelming how much stuff theses guys have.

 

[naval2006]

I'm not familiar with the history of clubs of yesteryear but I remember very well when I was a kid Ping Eye were THE irons but no good player had Ping woods.  It was the classic list of persimmon for the best players at my club.  Only a retired old man had a set of Ping woods.  Was it because they were laminated or anything else?

[braincramp52]

On 8/7/2020 at 4:12 PM, JimmyC59 said:

Since the Ping woods were considered terrible clubs, you can't hurt them.

 

 

That's a good one!!! 🤣🤣🤣 Wrong, but funny.

[kcstock]

I’ve still got my eye 2 irons if you need to complete the set!

[profsmitty]

Ping Eye2s are a wonderful iron set, if you know how to play reasonably well. In fact, I think you might find some support for the proposition that the "2s" had a significant influence on the design of many modern clubs.

 

However, you might find that the older shafts may not fit you well. It might be worth while to have a club pro or other knowledgeable person check to see if you are hitting a shaft that is appropriate for your current situation. It may be that the shafts are too stiff, to heavy, etc.

 

As for the woods in this set, the same situation may exist. In my experience, steel shafted woods are not as forgiving by any measure as modern composite shafted clubs. The laminate heads are smaller than modern clubs. While this doesn't directly effect their "hit-ability", there is at least a psychological impact when you look down a very small head as compared to one of the modern, large headed clubs we play today.

[NRJyzr]

Speaking of Eye2 woods....

 

It looks like I am going to be transitioning to graphite in my irons, and likely also my wedges.  With the exception of my Smart Driver, all of my persimmons and laminates are steel shafted.  Seems odd to use steel in the woods while using graphite in the irons, at least to me.

 

Toying with reshafting my Eye2 woods with graphite to get a start.  They were a relatively inexpensive purchase, I like playing them, seems like a good fit for the start of the experiment.

 

If I decide to stick with steel after all, I'll still have the rest of the collection, including my Zing Blondes, to tote around the course.  🙂 

[Swingingk]

On 8/7/2020 at 3:12 PM, JimmyC59 said:

Since the Ping woods were considered terrible clubs, you can't hurt them.

Ping woods were terrible?!  Hmmmm...  never heard that one before.   

[Gsea]

4 hours ago, NRJyzr said:

Speaking of Eye2 woods....

 

It looks like I am going to be transitioning to graphite in my irons, and likely also my wedges.  With the exception of my Smart Driver, all of my persimmons and laminates are steel shafted.  Seems odd to use steel in the woods while using graphite in the irons, at least to me.

 

Toying with reshafting my Eye2 woods with graphite to get a start.  They were a relatively inexpensive purchase, I like playing them, seems like a good fit for the start of the experiment.

 

If I decide to stick with steel after all, I'll still have the rest of the collection, including my Zing Blondes, to tote around the course.  🙂 

Just my 2 cents but I put graphite in the Zing blondes.  I have one driver with the original ping graphite shafts it came with it goes pretty far.

[Gsea]

[jplroper]

  I've never hit the Eye 2 woods, but in HS I did have Royal woods, used them for years, then up graded.  We where at a driving range one day and I loaned them to my brother , he busted 2 of them from hitting the range mats to hard[fat]. If the clubs have sentimental value I would stay off the mats.

 

[LeoLeo99]

42 minutes ago, jplroper said:

  I've never hit the Eye 2 woods, but in HS I did have Royal woods, used them for years, then up graded.  We where at a driving range one day and I loaned them to my brother , he busted 2 of them from hitting the range mats to hard[fat]. If the clubs have sentimental value I would stay off the mats.

 

I have hit a ton of shot with wooden clubs off mats years ago.  Never seemed to harm them.  Wooden clubs are a lot more delicate than metal clubs, though.  

[jplroper]

3 hours ago, LeoLeo99 said:

I have hit a ton of shot with wooden clubs off mats years ago.  Never seemed to harm them.  Wooden clubs are a lot more delicate than metal clubs, though.  

    Yeah, so had I . I don't know what he was doing, catching them on the neck maybe, thats where they broke. My Royals might not have been of the same quality as the Pings, I don't really know, I liked them when I used them in HS.

[LeoLeo99]

46 minutes ago, jplroper said:

    Yeah, so had I . I don't know what he was doing, catching them on the neck maybe, thats where they broke. My Royals might not have been of the same quality as the Pings, I don't really know, I liked them when I used them in HS.

I've cracked a few wooden heads hitting off the heel or neck.  I was one of the early adopters of metal woods and it was due to durability.  Being young, strong, and wild was not a good combination for wooden heads.  

[Go Horns!]

Anyone know the specs of the old Ping Woods? I can't find lofts and lengths for the 3-wood and 5-wood