Ping Eye 2 BeCu: Eye 2 SW vs. Eye 2+ LW?

[sm_watts]

Looking to finish out my set- I just bought another set of Eye 2+ BeCu’s, 3-SW, but now I need a high-lofted wedge. Do I go with the original sand wedge or the plus lob wedge? Here’s my thoughts so far:
~Both are about the same loft.
~I like to open my 58 up for flop shots. 
~original SW has the square grooves, but is that even relevant considering they’re 30+ years old and everything on eBay is pretty well worn?

~Trying to keep it cost-friendly, and the words “BeCu” and “lob wedge” are anything but. The SW is definitely the cheaper way to go. 
 

I’ve never owned either, so not sure which way to go. If it helps, I’m more of a sweeper and rarely take big divots. I play mostly on firm conditions in Wyoming. Any input is appreciated!

[animalgolfs]

I always played BeCu Eye 2+ SW & Eye 2 SW - probably 15yrs I played this set up......found the Eye 2 sw had plenty of loft & performed beyond expectations. Eye 2+ SW was & still is my go too grind.....It's PERFECT

 

 

[Gsea]

The Eye 2 SW is 57 deg and the LW is 61, Eye 2+ SW is 53 and LW 58. I have had the Eye2+becu  sw in my bag forever and can play any shot with it, chip, high pitch, and it is a miracle worker from any green side sand.

[Jab3384]

I’d bite the bullet and get the + LW, but I’m probably more OCD than most. For what it’s worth, after years of watching eBay, I finally found a 1-LW BeCu set with matching serial numbers in my specs and definitely overspent… but the joy I get from my bag is worth it to me. The difference between a SW and LW is probably $100… you only live once 😜

[sm_watts]

1 hour ago, Jab3384 said:

I’d bite the bullet and get the + LW, but I’m probably more OCD than most. For what it’s worth, after years of watching eBay, I finally found a 1-LW BeCu set with matching serial numbers in my specs and definitely overspent… but the joy I get from my bag is worth it to me. The difference between a SW and LW is probably $100… you only live once 😜

It just pains me to buy the 3-SW set for $250 shipped, then have to spend another $150 or more just for the lob wedge 🤯

[dlygrisse]

The grinds are radically different.  Base your decision on that. 

[Jab3384]

24 minutes ago, sm_watts said:

It just pains me to buy the 3-SW set for $250 shipped, then have to spend another $150 or more just for the lob wedge 🤯

Just think of it like you got one heck of a deal on the 3-SW haha. $250 is a good deal! 

[Nessism]

The "square groove" reference is a bit of a misnomer.  Most people think this means sharp edge grooves, but with the Eye 2 the grooves had very blunt edges, thus the USGA said grooves were too wide.  Ultimately, the controversy came down to how the groove width was measured and the fact that the grooves had a square bottom shape had no bearing.

 

[sm_watts]

4 hours ago, dlygrisse said:

The grinds are radically different.  Base your decision on that. 

That's why I'm soliciting input, I've hit plenty of the + wedges, but I've never had an original Eye 2 wedge.

[sm_watts]

4 hours ago, Nessism said:

The "square groove" reference is a bit of a misnomer.  Most people think this means sharp edge grooves, but with the Eye 2 the grooves had very blunt edges, thus the USGA said grooves were too wide.  Ultimately, the controversy came down to how the groove width was measured and the fact that the grooves had a square bottom shape had no bearing.

 

The diagram makes it look like the Ping grooves are more narrow than the USGA limit.

 

Also, considering how quickly wedge grooves go dull and the fact that original Eye 2 wedges are 30+ years old and (mostly) well used, would they still have any advantage over a new 2021 wedge?

[animalgolfs]

17 minutes ago, sm_watts said:

The diagram makes it look like the Ping grooves are more narrow than the USGA limit.

 

Also, considering how quickly wedge grooves go dull and the fact that original Eye 2 wedges are 30+ years old and (mostly) well used, would they still have any advantage over a new 2021 wedge?

I still have a few Eye 2/+ SW & LW

 

The BeCu 2 SW I have will shred a golf ball still. Also have a stainless 2+ SW that will roast any ball - never seen a wedge spin like this one.

Edited November 12, 2021 by animalgolfs

[AP76]

I had the BeCu eye 2 lob wedge back in the day, what a fantastic club. Was great from any type of lie and really improved my short game. Had the 1 iron in it as well, another super club.

[Nessism]

There were two versions of Eye 2 grooves before the ones that started all the trouble with the USGA.  The version immediately before had sharp edge grooves and shreaded balls.  That's why Ping rounded the edges off...which the USGA didn't like.  Previous to that were the fully conforming to this day version commonly denoted "patent pending" (as written in the cavity.)  I believe these used V grooves.  You can tell this version by the upside down lettering on the topline shelf, and/or patent pending written in the cavity.  

 

 

Edited November 12, 2021 by Nessism

[hammergolf]

20 hours ago, sm_watts said:

Looking to finish out my set- I just bought another set of Eye 2+ BeCu’s, 3-SW, but now I need a high-lofted wedge. Do I go with the original sand wedge or the plus lob wedge? Here’s my thoughts so far:
~Both are about the same loft.
~I like to open my 58 up for flop shots. 
~original SW has the square grooves, but is that even relevant considering they’re 30+ years old and everything on eBay is pretty well worn?

~Trying to keep it cost-friendly, and the words “BeCu” and “lob wedge” are anything but. The SW is definitely the cheaper way to go. 
 

I’ve never owned either, so not sure which way to go. If it helps, I’m more of a sweeper and rarely take big divots. I play mostly on firm conditions in Wyoming. Any input is appreciated!

I never liked the wedges in the Eye 2+. I played Eye 2+ after my original Eye 2’s, but I took out the Eye 2+ PW, SW, and LW and put the original Eye 2 wedges in. 

[dlygrisse]

15 hours ago, sm_watts said:

That's why I'm soliciting input, I've hit plenty of the + wedges, but I've never had an original Eye 2 wedge.

Personally I like the original grind much better, you have a wider sole, some major heel grind and the hollowed out sand cup in the middle.  It's a great all around grind, whereas the Eye2+ grind is more of a hard pan, tight lie grind.  

 

In my opinion I would go with the SW in the Eye2+, then get the SW in the original, and maybe the LW as well.  You could also just go with the LW, the 53 is a good high lofted GW, and if you dont mind a 8 degree gap. it's really personal preference.  

Edited November 12, 2021 by dlygrisse

[sm_watts]

Thanks for all of your input.  I've got an Eye 2 BeCu sand wedge heading my way in the mail right now, but I really won't be able to try it out much until spring.  However, the rest of the set got a coca-cola bath over night and a little metal polish today, just for fun!

[JahSteve]

wondering how you like the eye 2 SW. 

Personally i have  the SS/BeCu eye 2/eye 2 + PW/SW/LW. Love the bounce and grind on the Eye 2 + wedges. Use the BeCu currently but do use the SS at the range to save some of the BeCu faces... I  did not get along well with the Eye 2 wedges. Im a digger though so that might explain it. 

[JAMH03]

Quote

I like to open my 58 up for flop shots. 

Just my 2 cents but if you do that less you'll probably be a better player.

It's a bit counter intuitive but I've found one of the keys to wedge play really is hitting the ball solid, which is much easier with a bit more square attack. I know because I spent nearly 10 years trying to perfect my touch shots around the green and hitting a million different cut/lob shots.

That said
 

Quote

Do I go with the original sand wedge or the plus lob wedge? Here’s my thoughts so far:
~Both are about the same loft.

Get the one with the cleanest grooves.



 

[nitram]

The OG EYE 2 SW is the best you can buy sans something custom fit for you.

[miamistomp]

I still use them

[sm_watts]

I bought an OG Eye 2 BeCu sand wedge, but I got a good deal on a black dot and it seems to be very upright for a “standard” lie, so I’m still looking for an orange dot to add to my set. 
I got to hit the SW a few times, but our greens are covered for the winter so I didn’t get to see how it really handled greens. 

[nitram]

8 hours ago, sm_watts said:

I bought an OG Eye 2 BeCu sand wedge, but I got a good deal on a black dot and it seems to be very upright for a “standard” lie, so I’m still looking for an orange dot to add to my set. 
I got to hit the SW a few times, but our greens are covered for the winter so I didn’t get to see how it really handled greens. 

^^^^^^You can bend the Black (Std.) to Orange (2 flat) over the winter without worry.^^^^^^

Edited December 12, 2021 by nitram

[njlam]

16 hours ago, nitram said:

You can bend the Black (Std.) to Orange (2 flat) over the winter without worry.

Isn't bending BeCu clubs difficult and not recommended?

[nitram]

No more so than some other non-forged irons. If your local guy won't do it, check with PING.

[Bob M]

Ping Club Repair is great to deal with BTW. Recently I bought the Eye 2 Gorge SW shown below (in really good condition) from an eBay seller with the idea of having it re-shafted to my specs. As you can see from the photo, the wedge has had a pretty significant back grind which is really well done. Inquiring of Ping's repair department, my contact confirmed that Ping had done the grind for a customer who wanted something closer to the Eye 2 + grind. I ended up sending Ping the club to bend to 58*, re-shaft with a Recoil ES 780 F3 and shorten to 35". In otherwords, matching the Eye 2 + lob wedge specs. The price for this work was reasonable (about $90. including shipping) and the promised turnaround is about a week. 

[sm_watts]

On 12/13/2021 at 5:59 AM, nitram said:

No more so than some other non-forged irons. If your local guy won't do it, check with PING.

My local shop owner is pretty fearless, he's not a big box store store guy and he'll bend anything (and I've never seen him mess anything up).  This is probably my cheapest option since he often does work for me for free.  The long-held story from Ping is that they won't bend them because they can't replace them IF they break.  Everything I've read is that 2 degrees is reasonable with the BeCu heads.

[njlam]

let me know how it goes....I have a pristine set of eye2+ 3-LW with green dots that would fit me better in blue or black....