I was fitted for ISIK irons when they came out and I still use them. It’s not the clubs that miss greens or hit bad shots. It’s the player. I know, because I’m good at missing greens.
Just picked up a brand new set of the ping isi-K irons and got a 1 iron with it , not matching numbers like the new set but mint and it was thrown in for an extra $20 bucks. I will be trying them out tomorrow on 18 holes, I am hoping they work for me.
I bought a set of these in 1991,and their the best irons i ever had.Great feel,great spin.And once i bent the shafts on a 3 and a 5,Ping took them back,sent me a whole new set,no charge.Great company,great irons.Still have em.
1992 I saved up to get PingEye2 irons. With Ping stand bag. 2 iron thru SW. at age 25 was cool to only carry a driver and irons. SMH. Now I have woods and hybrids. PE2 Arguably the best irons made IMO.
James, i still have my Ping ISI Irons (2-LW). They sit in the garage and when i feel my game going south, I bring them out and they bring me back. They are just one of the best sets ever made. They will always be my arsenal. Keep up the great work.
I played 9 holes just last night with my Ping Eye 2 Becu irons. Only used 5, 7, 9 and SW and driver, 4 iron GMax and putter. Had them for a long time and occasionally give them a hit. I never score any worse and always take 1 extra club than normal. I love them and will never get rid of them.
LOL I'm still playing my Ping Zing 2's from around 1992. The ISI's were the next level of development from the Zing 2's - 😂 I keep playing them. I'm 71 now and I figure if the Zing 2's were good enough for Lee Westwood to play on the Tour for 14 years they're still good enough for me. At this age the shafts might be too stiff of a flex for me, but I'm not out to break any records. As for your round, you don't need to be told that you aren't going to do real well on your first outing with clubs you haven't used.
I game with 1989 Titleist DTRs. I'm the second owner of the set, and I've had them since 2003. 20+ years and going strong. I know how they play and the grooves are still in good shape, so I see no reason to replace them yet. Titleist are one of the few companies that haven't changed the lofts on their irons over the last 30 years, so I'll eventually replace them one by one... but I'll never get rid of them... Genuinely love my irons... 😊
Good video, James! It looks like you've got a mix of green and black dot there. Green is 2º up, which is quite a bit, and black is Ping standard. So the shifting lie angles, combined with the unfamiliar shafts and massive offset, make it really hard to produce consistent shots. I was never able to play any of the Ping Eye 2, Zing, ISI irons because of the huge offset. It just always seemed like a lot of work to point the face straight with the club head that far back from the shaft. I just hit pull hooks and pushes with them. They do go want to go pretty straight, though! The perimeter weighting was way ahead of its time. And that finish was gorgeous and seems like it's really held up over time.
Great video James. I play my Ping eye 2’s still. Had these since college and I have been playing them for over a year now, just re-gripped them and they feel and preform great. Mind you I was in college 30 years ago. I find that I can work them better than anything in todays market. The ball doesn’t “jet” off the face like newer irons and my distance control is much better. I have the eye 2 sand and lob as well with my set and their versatility with the offset around the greens or bunkers is waaay better than anything in todays world. To each their own I guess. I play off of a 4 handicap FYI. Thanks.
I'm currently playing a set of ISI Nickle green dot plus 1" . They hit the ball high and very straight, slight draws are doable, gentle fades also. Push for greater work on the ball gives pulls and fluttery pushes. Stops the ball well on greens. Staying in the bag, good swings get good results.
I have gone back to using my 31 year old irons , bought in 1992 and re gripped them and hit my best score of the last 3 years, a 75 ,3 over par. On a 131 rated course off the back markers The new irons are overated and the lofts are a joke , a 7 iron today is pretty much a 6 or 5 iron as most manufacturers deloft everything these days so today's distances are misleading.I have tried most companies irons and not one is any better than these irons.
I ended up getting a set of ping i210 irons with a retro spec so they were the same lofts as my mp62 which must be about 20 yrs old, playing partners seem to think they hit the ball further than me coz there using an iron less 😂
I think they look beautiful. Maybe not your day but probably setup of the irons. Gorgeous location. Hope it all goes off without a hitch for you both. 🎉
Just regripped and starting using my grandfathers ping zing karstens and man I love them. Took a little while to get used to looking down at the size of them but they hit great. Can't believe they aren't too many years older than I am.
The blue banded Regular ZJ shafts are quite a soft flex. The ZZ Lite from the Ping Eye 2's or the red banded Stiff's would better suite your game. I have a set of mint Nickel ISI's 2 iron to Lob, but Allas with the Blue shaft which I don't find very stable. I also wonder what would happen with modern shafts (for Ping's they would need to be Taper).
I bought some Ping Zing 2s a few years back and popped some KBS Your shafts into them. Absolutely brilliant irons. In summer. Thin bullets in winter made me very sad!!! 😂😂😂
I’ve still got a set of red dot eye2’s that I use occasionally. They fit me when I was in high school, but now I’m 4 inches taller and need a white dot. I miss right with them due to them being too flat of a lie for me. I can usually adjust after a few holes, but when I go back to my regular irons I have to readjust again.
A couple of years ago I reshafted My Ping Zing 2 irons I bought new back when they came out. I now need senior shafts and I went with graphite. Super upgrade for my game. I don't need all those irons since now I have woods all the way down to 9W! I still love those irons.
I have a set of PING EYE, PING EYE2 and S57 irons I currently play with and also several early Anser style putters. What engineer Solheim realized when taking up golf in his 30s was that the blade putters and irons which had basically the same design since the 1800s were too toe heavy, causing them to swing open relative to the swing arc in the backswing then snap shut in the downswing. He realized the solution was changing the heel-toe balance until the face did stay square. The various models of Anser style putters hang at different angles between 40-45° and are designed to stay square with a inside-square stoke. The balancing of the mass heel-to-toe also results in less face deflection when missing the point of balance sweet spot on the face. Because they don’t open and close to the swing line like blades there is less feedback via twisting in the hands during the swing, especially when opening and closing the face for fades and draws. The original PINGS were sold with only minor changes from the late 50s until the 1982 EYE2 and it was sold with until 1992. The USGA and PGA banned the EYE2s as non conforming due to the grooves being spaced too close together. The reason? PINGs were cast, not forged and the sharp edges of the grooves tore up the soft Balata ball covers so PING milled off the sharp edges leading USGA to conclude the grooves, edge-to-edge were too close together. PING sued arguing the correct way to measure was from center-to-center and won getting cash settlements and a lifetime exemption from any future groove rule changes from the USGA and PGA. PING EYE 2 was the first to include a LW in the set and the groove exemption is why Mickelson, Harrington and others put PING EYE2 lob wedges in their bags after the 2011 V groove rule change. There was such a demand for EYE2 LW PING reissued them as the PING EYE2 XG. The casting made it difficult to bend PINGS to adjust loft and lie due to a risk of cracking so there were different castings for each lie identified with the color codes. In later models the notch in the hosel was added and all heads are now cast in the blue loft (the most commonly fitted) then adjusted when built to order with a dead blow hammer on the toe.
Old clubs only for me. I don't know what you were expecting from what are essentially GI clubs with a big offset, the offset could have been what was giving you issues on direction control. You should have used blades if you wanted to shape the ball, haven't you got a set of MP-32 irons? They're getting on for 20 years old now. 🙂
ping ISI first came out in 1996, and are rated by Maltby as Super Game Improvement, meaning they are easier to hit, but not very workable. I have a set of ISI Nickel that I still play today.
Bad day + offset methinks James. Gamed BeCU Eye2's for 20 years, they do perform and are forgiving but you first must give into how they look. Play almost a club shorter with the loft differences too. Good to see the rest of the Robinson crew! :)
Being golf ignorant the first clubs I bought were hogan apex blades. About a year later I realised they wasn't starter clubs. Kept the wedges for a while, lots of feel.
I have the ISI-K (slightly larger head, but narrow base), and they are the best irons I've ever used (even better imo than G400/410++). There super forgiving, range is fine, feedback could be better...but discovered a lot of that is simply finding the right grip. Agreed with other comments that the golfer needs more practice...especially if this was his first time with this set.
I’ve been struggling to hit my Ben Hogan Apex Irons for a couple of years now, looking at an old used set of ISI-K as I can’t afford any of the new stuff… thoughts on this? Thx
The Zing 2 and ISI line were such unicorn irons. Forgiveness but with a thin middle portion of the sole. I love the turf interaction I get with them that I don't quite get with modern Pings.
Would be great if James would do a video comparing the three materials. Steel (retailed for £550 in 1998), Copper (retailed for £900 in 1998) and Nickel (retailed for a whopping £1400 in 1998!) all 3iron to sand wedge. I think the copper look best and seem to hold their value best on second hand market. Which set is best to play?
Nickel is arguably the best to play...most consistent feedback with steal stiff shaft combo (Google reviews). Absolutely support this comparison video. Manufactures stopped producing these metals due to EPA production restrictions that increased costs too much. BeCu putters are kinda becoming sought after in the used market.
BC ISI are possibly one of the best sets of irons for pure feel I’ve ever played.. I was lucky to be a Asst Pro when they came out and worked closely with Ping due to where I was Pro.. so had access to tour stock irons.. the only issue was how many broke when you tried to bend them.. 😂😂
I had the original Ping Zing irons. I played with them for about 7 months...during that time I tossed my 6 iron in a pond! I ended up buying another 6 iron...A friend in the business got it for me...and I sold them for about half of what I paid for them! My 1966 Wilson Staff blades until I got King Cobra Oversized irons. I never considered Ping irons again!
Some Ping irons are very hard to get to draw or fade. The weighting in cavity makes them just go straight. So is you play with them again, just go straight at what your target.
Had my Ping ISI Nickels Steel ZJ shafts for 26 years cost me $1,200 lol loved them... Decided to get some new Tech ... Finally, up graded to Ping G425's Graphite shafts $924 5-SW. Only used these at range so far and I can see the difference. Shot shaping to a new level!
I bought a used set of blue dot eye 2's years ago with the very rare Sandvik titanium shafts in stiff flex. The offset drove me nuts, those shafts were light weight but quite stiff, it just didn't work for me so off they went. Also at the same time I acquired a Zing sand wedge with a regular flex titanium shaft which became my second favorite wedge, still have it twenty two years later. Favorite wedge was a new sw2 ISI, green dot BeCu, 52 degrees of loft. That was my favorite approach/pitch/chip wedge back then. Darn thing snapped in two right under the grip one day at the range in transition, looked like the shaft had been cut (?!)...still have a stainless steel ISI 2 iron, not freindly, lol! It looks real nice hanging on the wall.
My first set was a set of Ping Zing 2s. I loved those clubs though. People were definitely playing with other wedges 20 years ago though. I've been playing with a PW, gap wedge, 56 and 60 basically since I started.
I have a set of Ping Eye 2 BeCu irons that I recently got....I find the ball goes ALOT higher & I am a club shorter that my Titleist T100's....however they are STRAIGHT....& as a 59 year old 6 handicap golfer I am willing to sacrifice some distance for the accuracy these give me.....great video!
Got to say England has the most beautiful golf courses. ..I've golfed many different irons, blades, 100 year old clubs, to new callaways. I went back to my old ping zing becu irons because they are straighter, and have the best feel of any iron I've ever hit, If you just used those old pings for a few weeks I bet you would see some benefits. Tough to judge on a short try. I also use the old ping g15 driver. Nothing made after that works well for me. Probably just me. I wouldn't use any driver made in the last 10 years as a garden tool. I expect to see drivers coming out with laser beams and recorded verbal cues soon along with adjustable grips and special grip tools.
I have the Ping ISI S3 wedge in BeCu which is about 58 deg and has proper bounce so you can open it up to 60+ , the standard sand iron is about 54/55 deg.
I had that exact set. loved them at the time (although I found them to be very heavy), but I can't imagine they would hold up against my Titleist T100 forged irons.
Until late last year, I was gaming my 25 yr old Cleveland irons and Callaway Big Bertha Driver, 3, and 5 wood. The tech sure has changed since the mid 90's.
I’ve got a basement full of vintage clubs, primarily Hogans and Wilson staff/Hagens. They all feel great, not as forgiving and adjusting for the difference in lofts can be hard on the ego. The persimmons are a different story, feel great, but really hard for me to hit consistently.
I have a set of the first year Ping introduced the Ping Eye 2 irons...1-sw. My set is so old it says patent pending on the back. I remember when I first set the clubs donw they looked huge compared to my Palmer forged irons....great clubs!
Never mind the clubs…how nice was it to see The Family Robinson in this video? Great seeing Laura and The Lads out for a lovely walk in the English countryside! ☺️ Thanks for sharing, James!
My clubs are 30+ yrs old... I don't play often enough to shell out thousands on new clubs. Interesting video though to see how older clubs makes it difficult for you
I bought a set of isi stainless new back around 1998.... Wish i would have bought something else. I made myself play them for years bc i spent so much money on them. We can learn so much more about clubs these days for tons of reviews and articles on the Internet.
Played a 9 holes round with old Ping Eye 2… and I just couldn’t wait to get back to my Cobra’s LTDx… as a very average golfer, I found the Pings very hard to control, get the ball in the air and I just felt the club face couldn’t square up to the ball. I know it’s more the golfer than the clubs the problems but it does answer your question that modern club DO help to get better score.
Would be great if James would do a video comparing the three materials. Steel (retailed for £550 in 1998), Copper (retailed for £900 in 1998) and Nickel (retailed for a whopping £1400 in 1998!) all 3iron to sand wedge. I think the copper look best and seem to hold their value best on second hand market. Which set is best to play?
They do have wedge options, W, W2, S, S2, S3, LW. Maybe try a full set of wedges from this line in the future, could be a good video. I noticed you had a green dot and a black dot? The green dot is +2 upright the black is flat, every degree upright is 4 yards left for a righty. That could have affected your accuracy. Enjoyed the vid!
I think the issue is you're using 20 year old shafts. The irons are great when paired with modern day graphite shafts. I've enjoyed using the ISI's for the past two years. Still use a modern day driver, fairway woods and putters but for irons and wedges, Ping ISI's are the best.
I packed my good mizuno clubs and Scotty putter Ping Driver away for my holiday to Portugal. Played the medal the morning before we left with my old ping G2 driver and ping g10 clubs and 20 year old putter. Best score of the year and won the medal with only 10 clubs in my bag.
I had this ISI Ping set 25 years ago. Could not hit them worth a damn. Replaced them with Callaway VFT and my game immediately became enjoyable. Every manufacturer has released a "clunker" model over the years. IMHO these ISI were Ping's big mistake.
Still a very hard game, but modern technology makes it easier, as it should do. May be nostalgia, but think good players back in the day were better ball strikers than those today. Totally agree with the wedges. That's why Seve was a true legend in the short game department.
Honestly, I would put Hogan apex edge forged irons over anything your going to find in a pro shop today. Just be smart about your purchase. It's like buying a used car. You don't want a set that's been drug behind a truck, you want a set that was bought by an elderly man in 1992 and never touched.
James one should consider going to a range rather than heading to the first tee, additionally I noticed your left back of your wrist is in what I call the positive position, that is its slightly pointing skyward instead of straight down your forearm to the shaft. Dustin Johnson has his left wrist in what I would term in the negative position it that it bends to the ground and he "flips" it through the zone. Creating greater torque and speed on the golf head at impact. The loft on these older clubs are weaker compared to newer clubs and the shafts were generally slightly shorted giving you a shorter arc in the swing...equals less speed and distance. IMHO. Even back in the day one would not use a ping sand wedge, they did not have enough sole weight or bonce. Lots of other choices. I bought a the best sand wedge from Northwestern at the factory in Chicago back in the day. It was better that any Scottie Cameron that I've struck, and it was a $5 club out of there barrel at the counter. Someone stole it out of my bag in Hawaii, and I miss it to this day.
I had a set of the BeCu Eye 2 + 3-PW & SW, (LH) it was a great set. I still have 3 BeCu Ping putters, Anser 2, GoWin and Pal2. When they came out, were ahead of their time but since then equipment has evolved.
I have a set of those which I get out one in a while. Even hitting some good shots with them it makes you appreciate my newer irons. Always wanted a set of these years ago. Only paid 40 quid for 4 to sw black dot
I had a set of the ISI nickel's with prototype satin Project X 7.0 shafts that were the best ever! Literally nothing close to them until PXG Gen 4 P's.
Can't wait to see you try the old Callaway Big Bertha irons, I made the mistake of buying these as my first set of 'brand name' irons. Big error, put my game back years I reckon
What would be an appropriate modern day shaft for the steel ISI's? I just bought a set and would like to re-shaft them, but I don't know what to go with. What gram weight of shaft? Graphite or steel? I wouldn't want to spend over $50 a shaft. A little help please, thank you in advance!
@@MooseRio Hi I put UST graphite shafts in my irons, cost me $120 each, 4-pw. Not sure if you can get any cheaper than that, especially graphite, they are not cheap, but the difference for me is about 30y further with longer irons, 20y further with my mid irons, and about 10y further with my 9 and pw irons. I have an older set of Titleist irons, 990b’s. They are like from 2005, but they are in great shape. I’m 50 years old, and I can now hit my 5 iron, 190y, which was never possible, before I switched my shafts out.
I use berrilium ram laser irons, I really like them . Probably should change shafts . (Update) I have to club up , I’m seventy two. My back ups are mizunos.
Just love my back ups, I use ping I3's with Nippon shafts which work for me, also got eye2 beu,with ping shafts not as good as feel as the I3's and a set of g700' with True tempers shaft,which I just struggle with,
Beryllium Copper used on Ping Irons is highly toxic and carcinogenic if sanded and inhailed. I don't know how they made the club at the time, I just hope Ping employees had proper protection.
I have a full set of these ISI. Just now returning to golf after a 15 year no golf. Went to the range and never a solid feel shot from any club. Maybe more hitting or to another more current (2024) irons. ??
Nice copper beryllium clubs! I still sometimes use such a1 iron eyes2 clubs. But if i soon get a TAKOMA iron set, than i will buy a new drivings iron to blend them with the set. My problems in golf are others, i front habe such a natural ball striking likes Christian has....
I play a set of beryllium copper eye 2s. I love them. I have every club as well.1iron through lobe and 1wood through 7wood. I recently picked up a isi 9wood it matches the set as it is maple. the lobe wedge lets me down the most often. Its just not as versatile as I am so I try to leave it for 70 yard shots and out of rough chip shots.
Owned a set of ISI-K (the oversized model). Graphite shafted. They were the last of the "funny looking" PING irons. Kept them until PING released the i3 irons.
I own a set of the square-groove Eye2’s, and a set of becu Zings. I’ve tried several other sets down thru the years, but always go back to the old reliable Pings.
I think different irons feel better or worse depending on the player. I just re shafted some old Macgregor Golden Bear irons. I went to hit them and I liked them so much I decided I'm gonna game them for a while. I do have a more modern wedge set in there though. But the irons themselves are bangers. My dispersion has been the best it's ever been.
Still game a set 3-pw. Might look at making a change to something more modern. Struggle with the new drivers sizes, find it harder to find the sweet spot as opposed to the older ones.
I was fitted for ISIK irons when they came out and I still use them. It’s not the clubs that miss greens or hit bad shots. It’s the player. I know, because I’m good at missing greens.
Ditto! 😂
Exactly. There's always that one.
Just picked up a brand new set of the ping isi-K irons and got a 1 iron with it , not matching numbers like the new set but mint and it was thrown in for an extra $20 bucks.
I will be trying them out tomorrow on 18 holes, I am hoping they work for me.
@@johnnewcomb5162Curious, how did they work out for ya?
@@lawbinson Great clubs, I really like them and will be keeping them.
I bought a set of these in 1991,and their the best irons i ever had.Great feel,great spin.And once i bent the shafts on a 3 and a 5,Ping took them back,sent me a whole new set,no charge.Great company,great irons.Still have em.
1992 I saved up to get PingEye2 irons. With Ping stand bag. 2 iron thru SW. at age 25 was cool to only carry a driver and irons. SMH. Now I have woods and hybrids. PE2 Arguably the best irons made IMO.
James, i still have my Ping ISI Irons (2-LW). They sit in the garage and when i feel my game going south, I bring them out and they bring me back. They are just one of the best sets ever made. They will always be my arsenal. Keep up the great work.
You wanna sell them
Good stuff. I had the Ping Eye 2's and used for 10 yrs back in the 80's - 90's but these were the Pings I ALWAYS WANTED.
I played 9 holes just last night with my Ping Eye 2 Becu irons. Only used 5, 7, 9 and SW and driver, 4 iron GMax and putter. Had them for a long time and occasionally give them a hit. I never score any worse and always take 1 extra club than normal. I love them and will never get rid of them.
LOL I'm still playing my Ping Zing 2's from around 1992. The ISI's were the next level of development from the Zing 2's - 😂 I keep playing them. I'm 71 now and I figure if the Zing 2's were good enough for Lee Westwood to play on the Tour for 14 years they're still good enough for me. At this age the shafts might be too stiff of a flex for me, but I'm not out to break any records. As for your round, you don't need to be told that you aren't going to do real well on your first outing with clubs you haven't used.
I game with 1989 Titleist DTRs. I'm the second owner of the set, and I've had them since 2003. 20+ years and going strong.
I know how they play and the grooves are still in good shape, so I see no reason to replace them yet.
Titleist are one of the few companies that haven't changed the lofts on their irons over the last 30 years, so I'll eventually replace them one by one... but I'll never get rid of them...
Genuinely love my irons... 😊
Good video, James! It looks like you've got a mix of green and black dot there. Green is 2º up, which is quite a bit, and black is Ping standard. So the shifting lie angles, combined with the unfamiliar shafts and massive offset, make it really hard to produce consistent shots. I was never able to play any of the Ping Eye 2, Zing, ISI irons because of the huge offset. It just always seemed like a lot of work to point the face straight with the club head that far back from the shaft. I just hit pull hooks and pushes with them. They do go want to go pretty straight, though! The perimeter weighting was way ahead of its time. And that finish was gorgeous and seems like it's really held up over time.
yeah came here to say the same thing. 2 degrees upright+offset=Left
Great video James. I play my Ping eye 2’s still. Had these since college and I have been playing them for over a year now, just re-gripped them and they feel and preform great. Mind you I was in college 30 years ago. I find that I can work them better than anything in todays market. The ball doesn’t “jet” off the face like newer irons and my distance control is much better. I have the eye 2 sand and lob as well with my set and their versatility with the offset around the greens or bunkers is waaay better than anything in todays world. To each their own I guess. I play off of a 4 handicap FYI. Thanks.
I'm currently playing a set of ISI Nickle green dot plus 1" . They hit the ball high and very straight, slight draws are doable, gentle fades also. Push for greater work on the ball gives pulls and fluttery pushes. Stops the ball well on greens. Staying in the bag, good swings get good results.
BeCu irons hitting a balata ball from back then felt soft as butter. It was fantastic!
I have gone back to using my 31 year old irons , bought in 1992 and re gripped them and hit my best score of the last 3 years, a 75 ,3 over par. On a 131 rated course off the back markers The new irons are overated and the lofts are a joke , a 7 iron today is pretty much a 6 or 5 iron as most manufacturers deloft everything these days so today's distances are misleading.I have tried most companies irons and not one is any better than these irons.
I ended up getting a set of ping i210 irons with a retro spec so they were the same lofts as my mp62 which must be about 20 yrs old, playing partners seem to think they hit the ball further than me coz there using an iron less 😂
When i was born 😅
110% agree with you on this. It's gotten ridiculous.
Biggest difference in the last 20 years is marketing...
Plus stronger lofts
I think they look beautiful. Maybe not your day but probably setup of the irons. Gorgeous location. Hope it all goes off without a hitch for you both. 🎉
Just regripped and starting using my grandfathers ping zing karstens and man I love them. Took a little while to get used to looking down at the size of them but they hit great. Can't believe they aren't too many years older than I am.
The blue banded Regular ZJ shafts are quite a soft flex. The ZZ Lite from the Ping Eye 2's or the red banded Stiff's would better suite your game. I have a set of mint Nickel ISI's 2 iron to Lob, but Allas with the Blue shaft which I don't find very stable. I also wonder what would happen with modern shafts (for Ping's they would need to be Taper).
9:08 those green staff thinking "don't spoil our freshly raked bunker" 😂😂.
I bought some Ping Zing 2s a few years back and popped some KBS Your shafts into them. Absolutely brilliant irons. In summer. Thin bullets in winter made me very sad!!! 😂😂😂
Lee Westwood says the Zings were his favourite clubs. He had them in his bag for years.
I’ve still got a set of red dot eye2’s that I use occasionally. They fit me when I was in high school, but now I’m 4 inches taller and need a white dot. I miss right with them due to them being too flat of a lie for me. I can usually adjust after a few holes, but when I go back to my regular irons I have to readjust again.
A couple of years ago I reshafted My Ping Zing 2 irons I bought new back when they came out. I now need senior shafts and I went with graphite. Super upgrade for my game. I don't need all those irons since now I have woods all the way down to 9W! I still love those irons.
I have a set of PING EYE, PING EYE2 and S57 irons I currently play with and also several early Anser style putters.
What engineer Solheim realized when taking up golf in his 30s was that the blade putters and irons which had basically the same design since the 1800s were too toe heavy, causing them to swing open relative to the swing arc in the backswing then snap shut in the downswing. He realized the solution was changing the heel-toe balance until the face did stay square. The various models of Anser style putters hang at different angles between 40-45° and are designed to stay square with a inside-square stoke. The balancing of the mass heel-to-toe also results in less face deflection when missing the point of balance sweet spot on the face. Because they don’t open and close to the swing line like blades there is less feedback via twisting in the hands during the swing, especially when opening and closing the face for fades and draws.
The original PINGS were sold with only minor changes from the late 50s until the 1982 EYE2 and it was sold with until 1992. The USGA and PGA banned the EYE2s as non conforming due to the grooves being spaced too close together. The reason? PINGs were cast, not forged and the sharp edges of the grooves tore up the soft Balata ball covers so PING milled off the sharp edges leading USGA to conclude the grooves, edge-to-edge were too close together. PING sued arguing the correct way to measure was from center-to-center and won getting cash settlements and a lifetime exemption from any future groove rule changes from the USGA and PGA.
PING EYE 2 was the first to include a LW in the set and the groove exemption is why Mickelson, Harrington and others put PING EYE2 lob wedges in their bags after the 2011 V groove rule change. There was such a demand for EYE2 LW PING reissued them as the PING EYE2 XG.
The casting made it difficult to bend PINGS to adjust loft and lie due to a risk of cracking so there were different castings for each lie identified with the color codes. In later models the notch in the hosel was added and all heads are now cast in the blue loft (the most commonly fitted) then adjusted when built to order with a dead blow hammer on the toe.
Old clubs only for me.
I don't know what you were expecting from what are essentially GI clubs with a big offset, the offset could have been what was giving you issues on direction control.
You should have used blades if you wanted to shape the ball, haven't you got a set of MP-32 irons? They're getting on for 20 years old now. 🙂
ping ISI first came out in 1996, and are rated by Maltby as Super Game Improvement, meaning they are easier to hit, but not very workable. I have a set of ISI Nickel that I still play today.
Most people haven't a clue about Maltby MPF😎
@@petemajor5693Maltby MPF is a bit of a bunk score. But the individual measurements it provides is very helpful.
Fun video for sure. A few of my best rounds lately have come with using my Ping Eye2 irons. I just love them!
3 peaks are Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough iirc.
Bad day + offset methinks James. Gamed BeCU Eye2's for 20 years, they do perform and are forgiving but you first must give into how they look. Play almost a club shorter with the loft differences too. Good to see the rest of the Robinson crew! :)
Being golf ignorant the first clubs I bought were hogan apex blades. About a year later I realised they wasn't starter clubs. Kept the wedges for a while, lots of feel.
A pro tried to sell me these same clubs. Think he just wanted the money. I said no
I have the ISI-K (slightly larger head, but narrow base), and they are the best irons I've ever used (even better imo than G400/410++). There super forgiving, range is fine, feedback could be better...but discovered a lot of that is simply finding the right grip. Agreed with other comments that the golfer needs more practice...especially if this was his first time with this set.
I’ve been struggling to hit my Ben Hogan Apex Irons for a couple of years now, looking at an old used set of ISI-K as I can’t afford any of the new stuff… thoughts on this? Thx
The Zing 2 and ISI line were such unicorn irons. Forgiveness but with a thin middle portion of the sole.
I love the turf interaction I get with them that I don't quite get with modern Pings.
Would be great if James would do a video comparing the three materials. Steel (retailed for £550 in 1998), Copper (retailed for £900 in 1998) and Nickel (retailed for a whopping £1400 in 1998!) all 3iron to sand wedge. I think the copper look best and seem to hold their value best on second hand market. Which set is best to play?
Nickel is arguably the best to play...most consistent feedback with steal stiff shaft combo (Google reviews). Absolutely support this comparison video. Manufactures stopped producing these metals due to EPA production restrictions that increased costs too much. BeCu putters are kinda becoming sought after in the used market.
BC ISI are possibly one of the best sets of irons for pure feel I’ve ever played.. I was lucky to be a Asst Pro when they came out and worked closely with Ping due to where I was Pro.. so had access to tour stock irons.. the only issue was how many broke when you tried to bend them.. 😂😂
I had the original Ping Zing irons. I played with them for about 7 months...during that time I tossed my 6 iron in a pond! I ended up buying another 6 iron...A friend in the business got it for me...and I sold them for about half of what I paid for them! My 1966 Wilson Staff blades until I got King Cobra Oversized irons. I never considered Ping irons again!
Some Ping irons are very hard to get to draw or fade. The weighting in cavity makes them just go straight. So is you play with them again, just go straight at what your target.
You missed out. The best sand iron of all time is the ISI - K lob wedge. The big one! 61 degrees. Seriously, try it!
I've still got my 1960/70s MacCregor Tourney MT and Wilson Staff Fluid Feel blades. Favorite club was the Tourney 2 iron.
I have a set of Wilson Staff 1969 Bullet Backs, and a set of the Macgregor Muirfield irons.
Had my Ping ISI Nickels Steel ZJ shafts for 26 years cost me $1,200 lol loved them... Decided to get some new Tech ... Finally, up graded to Ping G425's Graphite shafts $924 5-SW. Only used these at range so far and I can see the difference. Shot shaping to a new level!
I bought a used set of blue dot eye 2's years ago with the very rare Sandvik titanium shafts in stiff flex. The offset drove me nuts, those shafts were light weight but quite stiff, it just didn't work for me so off they went. Also at the same time I acquired a Zing sand wedge with a regular flex titanium shaft which became my second favorite wedge, still have it twenty two years later. Favorite wedge was a new sw2 ISI, green dot BeCu, 52 degrees of loft. That was my favorite approach/pitch/chip wedge back then. Darn thing snapped in two right under the grip one day at the range in transition, looked like the shaft had been cut (?!)...still have a stainless steel ISI 2 iron, not freindly, lol! It looks real nice hanging on the wall.
My first set was a set of Ping Zing 2s. I loved those clubs though. People were definitely playing with other wedges 20 years ago though. I've been playing with a PW, gap wedge, 56 and 60 basically since I started.
Ping clubs obviously need to be fitted. Enjoyed the video, what a beautiful course. 👍
Just a bad day. Remember many tour pros used and won majors with them.
Got to be the irons James, green dot isn't exactly the right spec for you.
A lot more upright than you're used to.
I have a set of Ping Eye 2 BeCu irons that I recently got....I find the ball goes ALOT higher & I am a club shorter that my Titleist T100's....however they are STRAIGHT....& as a 59 year old 6 handicap golfer I am willing to sacrifice some distance for the accuracy these give me.....great video!
I have a set of those exact same irons- I think they are great!
Got to say England has the most beautiful golf courses. ..I've golfed many different irons, blades, 100 year old clubs, to new callaways. I went back to my old ping zing becu irons because they are straighter, and have the best feel of any iron I've ever hit, If you just used those old pings for a few weeks I bet you would see some benefits. Tough to judge on a short try. I also use the old ping g15 driver. Nothing made after that works well for me. Probably just me. I wouldn't use any driver made in the last 10 years as a garden tool. I expect to see drivers coming out with laser beams and recorded verbal cues soon along with adjustable grips and special grip tools.
I am using a set of Taylor made rac irons from 2002 along with a burner driver…. I think it may be time for new clubs
I think you would need to hit a bucket or two and play a few rounds to see if the Pings would work for you...
I have the Ping ISI S3 wedge in BeCu which is about 58 deg and has proper bounce so you can open it up to 60+ , the standard sand iron is about 54/55 deg.
These old ping wedges were so good to open up. Zing 2 and ISI S2 to Lob wedge are amazing.
@@lawbinson I also have the Ping Eye2 2016 gorge wedges, these were made for a year or two and are simply amazing . If you see one .. buy it.
I'm still gaming my Ping Zing 2 irons. Can't find anything better for me!
I had that exact set. loved them at the time (although I found them to be very heavy), but I can't imagine they would hold up against my Titleist T100 forged irons.
Until late last year, I was gaming my 25 yr old Cleveland irons and Callaway Big Bertha Driver, 3, and 5 wood. The tech sure has changed since the mid 90's.
I’ve got a basement full of vintage clubs, primarily Hogans and Wilson staff/Hagens. They all feel great, not as forgiving and adjusting for the difference in lofts can be hard on the ego. The persimmons are a different story, feel great, but really hard for me to hit consistently.
I have a set of the first year Ping introduced the Ping Eye 2 irons...1-sw. My set is so old it says patent pending on the back. I remember when I first set the clubs donw they looked huge compared to my Palmer forged irons....great clubs!
Never mind the clubs…how nice was it to see The Family Robinson in this video? Great seeing Laura and The Lads out for a lovely walk in the English countryside! ☺️
Thanks for sharing, James!
😂😂
My clubs are 30+ yrs old... I don't play often enough to shell out thousands on new clubs.
Interesting video though to see how older clubs makes it difficult for you
I bought a set of isi stainless new back around 1998.... Wish i would have bought something else. I made myself play them for years bc i spent so much money on them. We can learn so much more about clubs these days for tons of reviews and articles on the Internet.
Played a 9 holes round with old Ping Eye 2… and I just couldn’t wait to get back to my Cobra’s LTDx… as a very average golfer, I found the Pings very hard to control, get the ball in the air and I just felt the club face couldn’t square up to the ball. I know it’s more the golfer than the clubs the problems but it does answer your question that modern club DO help to get better score.
Those are so upright for you!! Too upright.
These are anvils on a stick. Love the feel. The BENI are really nice also.
Would be great if James would do a video comparing the three materials. Steel (retailed for £550 in 1998), Copper (retailed for £900 in 1998) and Nickel (retailed for a whopping £1400 in 1998!) all 3iron to sand wedge. I think the copper look best and seem to hold their value best on second hand market. Which set is best to play?
They do have wedge options, W, W2, S, S2, S3, LW. Maybe try a full set of wedges from this line in the future, could be a good video. I noticed you had a green dot and a black dot? The green dot is +2 upright the black is flat, every degree upright is 4 yards left for a righty. That could have affected your accuracy. Enjoyed the vid!
I think the issue is you're using 20 year old shafts. The irons are great when paired with modern day graphite shafts. I've enjoyed using the ISI's for the past two years. Still use a modern day driver, fairway woods and putters but for irons and wedges, Ping ISI's are the best.
The ISI’s had optional wedges, S2 and S3.
And the legendary lob wedge which still goes for crazy money on eBay.
I play 20 year old irons. Precept Tour Premium CB. I play them pretty well. Hit most greens. But they dont look insane like those lmao
My Ping Eye 2s are FORTY years old. I love them!
Some of the best irons ever made, I still go back to my isi k irons from time to time. Plenty long, and still feels very good. 👍
I use the pitching wedge of this set and it’s incredible lol I will never change it
I packed my good mizuno clubs and Scotty putter Ping Driver away for my holiday to Portugal. Played the medal the morning before we left with my old ping G2 driver and ping g10 clubs and 20 year old putter. Best score of the year and won the medal with only 10 clubs in my bag.
Those are awesome. You need to keep them in the bag for the year James. Along with the 1 iron from a couple video's ago.
I had this ISI Ping set 25 years ago. Could not hit them worth a damn. Replaced them with Callaway VFT and my game immediately became enjoyable. Every manufacturer has released a "clunker" model over the years. IMHO these ISI were Ping's big mistake.
Still a very hard game, but modern technology makes it easier, as it should do. May be nostalgia, but think good players back in the day were better ball strikers than those today. Totally agree with the wedges. That's why Seve was a true legend in the short game department.
Honestly, I would put Hogan apex edge forged irons over anything your going to find in a pro shop today. Just be smart about your purchase. It's like buying a used car. You don't want a set that's been drug behind a truck, you want a set that was bought by an elderly man in 1992 and never touched.
Whernside, Inglesborough, & Pen-y-Ghent? My local Public TV ran a show on the walking trail there. Hey Laura & crew.
I love these old club videos but nobody ever puts todays shafts in them and then compares. Would like to see that.
Thumbs up for a quick look at the lovely Mrs Robinson!
James one should consider going to a range rather than heading to the first tee, additionally I noticed your left back of your wrist is in what I call the positive position, that is its slightly pointing skyward instead of straight down your forearm to the shaft. Dustin Johnson has his left wrist in what I would term in the negative position it that it bends to the ground and he "flips" it through the zone. Creating greater torque and speed on the golf head at impact. The loft on these older clubs are weaker compared to newer clubs and the shafts were generally slightly shorted giving you a shorter arc in the swing...equals less speed and distance. IMHO. Even back in the day one would not use a ping sand wedge, they did not have enough sole weight or bonce. Lots of other choices. I bought a the best sand wedge from Northwestern at the factory in Chicago back in the day. It was better that any Scottie Cameron that I've struck, and it was a $5 club out of there barrel at the counter. Someone stole it out of my bag in Hawaii, and I miss it to this day.
I had a set of the BeCu Eye 2 + 3-PW & SW, (LH) it was a great set. I still have 3 BeCu Ping putters, Anser 2, GoWin and Pal2. When they came out, were ahead of their time but since then equipment has evolved.
If I remember correctly green dots have a more upright lie. Which biases your shot to the left.
My Dad still uses those Big Bertha irons, they’re the exact same iteration.
Awe haha I love the visit from the fur babies 😄
I still have my ISI's (copper) from my junior days. I still bring one to the range every once in a while. The newer stuff is better, but not by much.👍
I have a set of those which I get out one in a while. Even hitting some good shots with them it makes you appreciate my newer irons. Always wanted a set of these years ago. Only paid 40 quid for 4 to sw black dot
I had a set of these in Nickel, Blue dot 2-LW, that I bought in 1998 when they were released. Felt great, but way too much offset.
I had a set of the ISI nickel's with prototype satin Project X 7.0 shafts that were the best ever! Literally nothing close to them until PXG Gen 4 P's.
Can't wait to see you try the old Callaway Big Bertha irons, I made the mistake of buying these as my first set of 'brand name' irons. Big error, put my game back years I reckon
Big Bertha 1996 irons - best irons ever made !!
Probably the huge offset in the older ping irons messing up your swing.
Great video James. Question, have you ever thought of taking these older irons, and put in new modern day shafts, amazing results for me at least.
What would be an appropriate modern day shaft for the steel ISI's? I just bought a set and would like to re-shaft them, but I don't know what to go with. What gram weight of shaft? Graphite or steel? I wouldn't want to spend over $50 a shaft. A little help please, thank you in advance!
@@MooseRio
Hi
I put UST graphite shafts in my irons, cost me $120 each, 4-pw. Not sure if you can get any cheaper than that, especially graphite, they are not cheap, but the difference for me is about 30y further with longer irons, 20y further with my mid irons, and about 10y further with my 9 and pw irons. I have an older set of Titleist irons, 990b’s. They are like from 2005, but they are in great shape. I’m 50 years old, and I can now hit my 5 iron, 190y, which was never possible, before I switched my shafts out.
I bought these as my first set. I have no desire to upgrade. I play better than most others that have "the new tech".
I had the ping eye 2 copper until Christmas & swapped them for t zoids comp ez
I use berrilium ram laser irons, I really like them . Probably should change shafts . (Update) I have to club up , I’m seventy two. My back ups are mizunos.
Just love my back ups, I use ping I3's with Nippon shafts which work for me, also got eye2 beu,with ping shafts not as good as feel as the I3's and a set of g700' with True tempers shaft,which I just struggle with,
Beryllium Copper used on Ping Irons is highly toxic and carcinogenic if sanded and inhailed. I don't know how they made the club at the time, I just hope Ping employees had proper protection.
I have a full set of these ISI. Just now returning to golf after a 15 year no golf. Went to the range and never a solid feel shot from any club. Maybe more hitting or to another more current (2024) irons. ??
Nice copper beryllium clubs! I still sometimes use such a1 iron eyes2 clubs. But if i soon get a TAKOMA iron set, than i will buy a new drivings iron to blend them with the set. My problems in golf are others, i front habe such a natural ball striking likes Christian has....
I play a set of beryllium copper eye 2s. I love them. I have every club as well.1iron through lobe and 1wood through 7wood. I recently picked up a isi 9wood it matches the set as it is maple. the lobe wedge lets me down the most often. Its just not as versatile as I am so I try to leave it for 70 yard shots and out of rough chip shots.
It’s great to see Laura and the pups. She looks super. When is the baby due?
I’m 6’4” and I had green dots. It might help explain the tendency to go left (before trying to compensate).
Owned a set of ISI-K (the oversized model). Graphite shafted. They were the last of the "funny looking" PING irons. Kept them until PING released the i3 irons.
I own a set of the square-groove Eye2’s, and a set of becu Zings. I’ve tried several other sets down thru the years, but always go back to the old reliable Pings.
They are grate set of iron I've always find it hard to move the ball left or right when I take my 5-cent swing to the course.
I think different irons feel better or worse depending on the player. I just re shafted some old Macgregor Golden Bear irons. I went to hit them and I liked them so much I decided I'm gonna game them for a while. I do have a more modern wedge set in there though. But the irons themselves are bangers. My dispersion has been the best it's ever been.
Got a set of red dots in the basement. Loved them
I loved my ISI's....I have since gone the single length route, but I'll never sell the Pings
Still game a set 3-pw. Might look at making a change to something more modern. Struggle with the new drivers sizes, find it harder to find the sweet spot as opposed to the older ones.