Ping

This is purely speculative. My current clubs are great and my scores are coming down, but I am a dreamer, and am always hankering after the 'next aquisition' (I have no real belief, it's worth saying, that it'll make me play any better... )

Several sets of Ping clubs on Ebay state about how they can be 'changed' by Ping either at a demo day or at Gainsborough.

Just wondering what that actually meant? Surely they don't swap the clubs? But equally, surely they don't change the lie and loft because then the 'dot' information on the club will be no longer correct?

Is there a way without going to a Ping fitter of finding out what dot I need, or does the above mentioned 'changing' system make this redundant? I just feel a bit guilty going to a Ping fitter, and then buggering off to Ebay. I suppose I could always pay for the fitting...

Lastly, I don't want some crusty old 80's effort. I'm sure Ping Zings are great clubs and all, but it would look like my grandad had lent me them. Can anyone suggest any relatively recent ones that will suit my game (at the moment, HC22, hoping to be 15/16 by the time I get round to buying them!) and I can still expect to be relatively cheap (around £200) on Ebay?

__________________
~_~_~_~_~
Personal bests 2007;
Best 18: 78 (+12)
Best 9: 37 (+4)
Best Stableford: 45 pts
Best total putts: 28
Best total length sunk putts (ft): 54

Club tourney history this year: Captain's Day - 1st; Club foursomes - 2nd; Dimex Stableford - 2nd; Club Championship - 13/28 gross, joint 5/28 nett; Ferebee Shield - 2nd; Sept Medal 2nd; Autumn Stableford - 1st

hi
as to what ping will do. they will change the lie of your clubs + or - up to 2% if you want them changes or they can check out all your clubs for lie to see if thay are still in speck and if not ajust them. i had this done last year at the ping caravan at the scottish golf show in edinburgh. the also will reshaft clubs if you need that done. i needed my 7 iron reshafted as it showed it was weak on there monitor, most ping pro's send ping clubs back to ping to get there lie changed and it takes just over a week. but will often do it at demo days and the like.
my pings are orange, 2% flat and i find i play a lot better than with the black spot (normal) i use to play with.
i use ping zings and there great clubs the best i have tried so far, i would think G2s or g5s will suit you or maybe I3, go to a ping pro and try them out first before you buy on e-bay and he will tell you your colour code and what grip and shaft you need.
hope this helps.
bill

Massively, Bill - thanks for taking the time to reply.

On reflection, reading what I'd written about Zing's was intended to be tongue in cheek but came across as misplaced snobbery which wasn't what I intended! Apols.

Can you or anyone point me in the direction of somewhere I can find out the playing characteristics of each of the models in the range?

hi again
i use the zings as they are the most forgiving clubs i have ever hit even a bad shot tends to go where i want, if i hit off the toe i tend to lose about 5 or so yards but i still get the high fade i want, i dont really know of any site other than the ping site, "pingeurope.co.uk" it does tell you a bit about the types of changes and whats new and old.
it's ok? i'm use to people slaging off my zings, often refered to as shovel heads as there so big but i love them, i use to use the older k1s and they had small heads, been playing pings for over 25 years now and ones before that were cristy o'conners jr. i have tried G2s and i did hit longer, about 7 yard with a 5 Iron but i play ok with the zings and am gettng a bit old to try and get us to newer clubs.
i have always felt i had the best clubs in my hands when i play and have never blamed the clubs on a bad shot i know it me that hits a bad shot, my friends are alays blaming there clubs, not pings i have to say.
i would urge you to go and try hitting a few shots with diffrent clubs i know the S59s and S58s are for the lower handicap players and are less forgiving than the G2s and G5s, and you can get I3 on e-bay for about £150 for a set of irons.
bill

Howdy Dog...

I have Ping's as well. And, I got em off ebay...

My set are Black Dot ISI Stainless 3-P and came with an Eye 1 iron and a Hogan SI copper 60° SW.

Like Bill, I love them and happily recommend the brand to anyone who will listen.

Used to have a set of Red Dot Eye 2 irons and a Zing 2 1 iron and it was those clubs that got me hooked on the brand. They were fantastic. I'm told you can still buy them new from Ping should you wish to.

Lee Westwood used to use Eye 2's up until only recently, think I read somewhere he has recently upgraded to the S58's, but, don't quote me there.

Good luck in finding a bargain...
Cheers

__________________
Look at the Target, Look at the Ball, Swing... Dr Bob Rotella...

hi scragger
yes lee westwood used ping zing2's up till the start of the year and he has changed to the s58 irons and doing well too, i think he use to use ping eye2 wedges but now use's ping tour wedges, ping have been trying to get him to change to more modern clubs for years but he liked how the zings felt and looked, think it would be harder to switch to the s58 as there more a blade but they seem to be working well for him.
bill

Ok - further to this, the clubs that seem generally affordable (to me, that is. My girlfriend doesn't think they're affordable at all...) are;

1) Zings (what's the difference between zing's and zing 2's?)

2) G2's

3) i3's

4) ISI's

What I don't know is the relative characteristics of each, and which is higher/lower up and down the Ping range. The best answer in an ideal world along with a 2 state solution in the middle east and no yellow BMW's would be to hit all four and see which suit me, but being as they're (a) on ebay and (b) older clubs, I don't really have this option.

Any thoughts?

I think I'll have to commit to shelling out the £35 for a ping fitting at my nearest Ping fitter (not that far away) - think it'll be interesting and enjoyable anyway - but is there a version of the 'dot chart' online anywhere? My current clubs were fitted as being flat lie, which didn't surprise me as I'm 5' 10" - average height. Any idea what dot this would correspond to?

__________________
~_~_~_~_~
Personal bests 2007;
Best 18: 78 (+12)
Best 9: 37 (+4)
Best Stableford: 45 pts
Best total putts: 28
Best total length sunk putts (ft): 54

Club tourney history this year: Captain's Day - 1st; Club foursomes - 2nd; Dimex Stableford - 2nd; Club Championship - 13/28 gross, joint 5/28 nett; Ferebee Shield - 2nd; Sept Medal 2nd; Autumn Stableford - 1st

Sorry - further to this, the Pingeurope.co.uk site filled in some of the gaps - and it's black dots I'm after I guess, though what happens if ping change the angle of clubs? Do they then change the dot colour as well?

Still not sure which most suit my needs though...

there are currently 5 set available on ebay at different prices

worth a look i saved over £200 getting my mizzie's off there

hi
the best i can work out with the clubs you name are, the zing2's are made a little thiner at the toe and have a thiner top line to zing, and the isi's are the zing2's but with a star on the back that makes it more forgiving to offset hits, the g2 has a lot smaller head and the g5 is a tweeked g2 with bigger sole, the i3 are a sort of blabe come cavity and with the i3's you can shape shots more but are not as forgiving as the others, all the clubs you have spoke about are great clubs and so are the ping eye2 and are still sold new but not in any great number. with the zings and the isi the clubs are very forgiving and means your on the fairway more, the i3 and g2's and g5's you are a bit longer but not as forgivging but still better than a lot of other makes. you really should try them to find out how they fly, with the zings and isi you do tend to have a very high flight and i dont know if the g2 and the g5 are the same.
hope this helps
bill