Old Ping Putters

[bcstones]

@Joe S  I'm thinking that perhaps the whole label is a different color, not just the Ping Man...could be that that was tried first but too many buyers never noticed (I sure didn't till you pointed it out). If you really want to know, why not contact Ping customer service direct & ask?

[tripanfal]

The putter shaft arc color codes, like many of the ping color codes both vary and are not continuous through different ranges of manufacture. Earlier shaft labels usually denote the series/market of the putters; I.e. the classic refinish/reissues tend to have the black and gold play your best shaft stickers and may or may not have dot color codes denoting lie angle on the back of the face, older released putters of the same molds may have green shaft labels (pacific market) and probably won’t have lie angle dot codes on the head. None of these will have the arc shaft stickers, they came later at least after the G5i series which is the newest Ping I own. 

[tripanfal]

top to bottom: classic reissue Anser 4 ss in gyson finish, Anser 5bz mgbrz for pacific market, Anser 4 ss 80s/90s in tumbled finish

[MichaelJames]

On 2/2/2024 at 6:26 PM, Mr. Clean said:

Eye 52

B60 Brand new Becu

B61 Brand new steel

B61 Becu

B60 5BZ

B62 steel

Awesome!  I'm still using my 1980something Steel B60.  I recently picked up a BeCu B60 as well.  I'm also lefty 😉

[Mr. Clean]

On 6/19/2024 at 6:14 PM, MichaelJames said:

Awesome!  I'm still using my 1980something Steel B60.  I recently picked up a BeCu B60 as well.  I'm also lefty 😉

 

It is so hard to find quality equipment left handed.  I have yet to see another Becu B61 pop up since I acquired mine. The B60, 61 and 62 are for me the best Ping putters.

 

 

[MichaelJames]

On 6/28/2024 at 5:55 PM, Mr. Clean said:

 

It is so hard to find quality equipment left handed.  I have yet to see another Becu B61 pop up since I acquired mine. The B60, 61 and 62 are for me the best Ping putters.

 

 

 

The B60 plus Titleist wound balatas (Tour Balata) had the greatest feel IMO.  It earned me a college scholarship because that putter saved me given I missed a LOT of greens in regulation.  

 

My brother said the L.A.B. DF3 plus Accra shaft is the closest replacement feel out there with the modern balls.  I got a DF2.1 to see if I like this putter and I am told the DF3 is smaller and doesn't have the clunky sound.  It's really something special with the face balanced tech.

 

That said, I still can't get over the B60 plus tour balata feel.  So much so that when I play scramble, I always bring an old mint tour balata and my B60 with me to putt with.  That feel is engrained in me eternally.

[ColinKelvin]

Thought some folk in this corner of the forum might like this find. It's an Anser 5 from the early 90s with the "black oxide" finish.  Usually when these show up the oxide has worn off.  This one looks *really* nice with the black Ping graphite shaft.

[NardDog]

7 minutes ago, ColinKelvin said:

Thought some folk in this corner of the forum might like this find. It's an Anser 5 from the early 90s with the "black oxide" finish.  Usually when these show up the oxide has worn off.  This one looks *really* nice with the black Ping graphite shaft.

 

For it being that old, that's in amazing shape. It's giving me PLD vibes. 

[ezgoer]

1 hour ago, ColinKelvin said:

Thought some folk in this corner of the forum might like this find. It's an Anser 5 from the early 90s with the "black oxide" finish.  Usually when these show up the oxide has worn off.  This one looks *really* nice with the black Ping graphite shaft.

Pretty cool, i don’t remember ever seeing black oxide PING’s then. Thanks for posting!

[tripanfal]

That finish is gorgeous - what an immaculate putter. Mine is a bit more world weary but I love it just the same. 

[ColinKelvin]

7 hours ago, tripanfal said:

That finish is gorgeous - what an immaculate putter. Mine is a bit more world weary but I love it just the same. 

That still looks classy imo. You don't see many of them around. Also as you may know, it's a 1978 release with the pat pend stamp. 

[ColinKelvin]

Here's another rare one I picked up recently. Eye 2 copper. For some reason PIng produced very few of these compared to the other becu models.

 

 

[Maine Golfer]

1 hour ago, ColinKelvin said:

Here's another rare one I picked up recently. Eye 2 copper. For some reason PIng produced very few of these compared to the other becu models.

 

 

very nice

[tripanfal]

1 hour ago, ColinKelvin said:

Here's another rare one I picked up recently. Eye 2 copper. For some reason PIng produced very few of these compared to the other becu models.

 

 

Crisp. That looks fantastic in becu, love it. 

[tripanfal]

Found some wish list putters recently to add to the thread as well! I am blessed for sure. I haven’t had much chance to clean them up/even out patinas but that’s on the docket. 
(L to R: Beni J Blade 3, Becu J Blade Green Shaft band, Mgbrz J Blade 5 with Sandvik Ti shaft)

[golfunderpar18]

On 5/17/2024 at 11:04 AM, Binson said:

My Favorite BeNi... For some reason, it has a satin, tumbled look.

From left to right, comparison between a Stainless, normal BeNi, and the satin BeNi Zing 2.

 

Also, shoutout to these grips.  I love its length and everlasting material. Love seeing them on old Ping putters and Irons.  I know I'll never need to regrip them. 

 

Your stainless zing 2 isn’t the standard stainless.  It has the guyson finish which is a soft satin and has black paint fill which is also the indicator of the guyson finish.  Standard stainless has white paint fill 

[Eric267]

Found my grandfathers old ping pal in my parents basement when I was home a few weeks ago and decided to restore it, throw a new grip on, and see how she rolls. Guess I kind of committed sacrilege cleaning it up so much but truth be told I had no idea it would be so shiny underneath. It’s already starting to darken after just a week so think it will get a good even bronze going in the not too distant future. 
 

So question 1, about what age/year do we put it at? He died around 2000 and the club ID was from a club he belonged to in the 70-80s. Had an aftermarket Winn grip on it that was in pretty rough shape itself. Maybe early 70s?

 

Question 2: it’s long, measured it at 36”. He wasn’t really tall, maybe 5’11, so is there a reason why the length? We’re these just standard at 36”?

 

Thanks for any info

[tripanfal]

1. It has an earlier shaft band, so hopefully someone with a book or something can narrow it down - I would guess pretty confidently it’s probably an earlier version rather than later.

2. I have heard a few explanations for their increased length - both on here and other forums so take it with a grain of salt… Karsten designed his putters for a more upright swing and the length was also necessary to keep the swing weight optimal, lighter the head longer the putter must be to maintain swing weight. If you randomly selected an unaltered ping putter from my little collection made before the early 2000s it’s generally going to be around 36 with a head weight of around 300 grams give or take. 
 

On the Ping Pal: what a great putter with a winning pedigree, one of my golf buddies still rolls one and he has great precision with it - particularly his distance control. I have a Pal 2 I take out sometimes when my putts are crisp and the greens slippery; it’s my scalpel. 

On cleaning up Bronze (or copper) pings: Play it how you want it but know you can easily restart the Patina if you like. There’s commercial products out there you can use, but more simply you can use an alkaline bath to do it - I have done a few with baking soda/pool neutralizer (sodium bicarbonate) that turned out great. (I usually soak them for a few days to restore, and if I didn’t like how it turned out I cleaned them up and redid it) I use some neodymium magnets to suspend the putter from my basement supports so the head is just covered by the liquid in a container on the floor. 
Before (although this is after trying the boiled egg method - my least favorite but did add a little color)

After 28 hours in pool alkalinity booster

Edited September 22, 2024 by tripanfal

[st1800e]

@tripanfal

nice looking putter and patina.  
 

Whats the story on the Anser 5BZ ? Never seen one before.  

[ColinKelvin]

10 hours ago, Eric267 said:

Found my grandfathers old ping pal in my parents basement when I was home a few weeks ago and decided to restore it, throw a new grip on, and see how she rolls. Guess I kind of committed sacrilege cleaning it up so much but truth be told I had no idea it would be so shiny underneath. It’s already starting to darken after just a week so think it will get a good even bronze going in the not too distant future. 
 

So question 1, about what age/year do we put it at? He died around 2000 and the club ID was from a club he belonged to in the 70-80s. Had an aftermarket Winn grip on it that was in pretty rough shape itself. Maybe early 70s?

 

Question 2: it’s long, measured it at 36”. He wasn’t really tall, maybe 5’11, so is there a reason why the length? We’re these just standard at 36”?

 

Thanks for any info

Love that you have brought your grandpa's old Pal back into use.

 

On dating, this is rarely possible with any precision for any old Pings with Phoenix zips (except early Ansers) but as @tripanfal said, the shaftband is a clue which indicates pre-1978 (roughly).  After that Ping used a black Pingman logo band (first seen I think on early pat pend B60s) then in the early 80s the Pingman changed to red.  The Pal came out in 1971 so we're looking at 71-78, but that assumes that the shaft / band wasn't sold as old stock.

Edited September 22, 2024 by ColinKelvin

[tripanfal]

They came out around the same time as the Anser 5/K/KS, but using the “Big Z” style shaft (I have a set of Cushins with both Big Z and 5BZ shafts and they look identical) as a way to face balance them without a hosel in your eyeline - I believe. I know at least the A Blade, Zing, Pal, B60, Rite-In, STR, and Cushins also came in the 5bz versions. The Anser is available in stainless, Manganese Bronze, and Beryllium Nickel with the aforementioned bent shaft and “5” grip. Feels a little hotter off the face than hoseled ansers, lots of open space looking down on it. I have strongly considered picking up a Beni, but have held off as I already have too many putters in the gaming rotation.

39 minutes ago, st1800e said:

@tripanfal

nice looking putter and patina.  
 

Whats the story on the Anser 5BZ ? Never seen one before.  

Above is a Zing, and the “5” grips.

[ezgoer]

23 hours ago, Eric267 said:

Found my grandfathers old ping pal in my parents basement when I was home a few weeks ago and decided to restore it, throw a new grip on, and see how she rolls. Guess I kind of committed sacrilege cleaning it up so much but truth be told I had no idea it would be so shiny underneath. It’s already starting to darken after just a week so think it will get a good even bronze going in the not too distant future. 
 

So question 1, about what age/year do we put it at? He died around 2000 and the club ID was from a club he belonged to in the 70-80s. Had an aftermarket Winn grip on it that was in pretty rough shape itself. Maybe early 70s?

 

Question 2: it’s long, measured it at 36”. He wasn’t really tall, maybe 5’11, so is there a reason why the length? We’re these just standard at 36”?

 

Thanks for any info

I’ve been told that shaft was used in PING putters from 67-76. I have an early-ish 1A (1A is very small stamped) and Anser (non Dale head) with that label.
 

Pretty sure the PAL won a few majors. Strange and Watson maybe?? Loved putter. I have a well used BeCu one that is so patina’d it looks like dark chocolate. Just a me thing but the only golf clubs I don’t like shiny are BeCu PINGS. Haven’t gamed it yet cuz grip is split. 

Edited September 23, 2024 by ezgoer

[tripanfal]

More than a few, 100 tour wins and 6 majors according to Ping. I bet the becu putter is a sweet one, you can drive a patina on those the same way as the bronzes should the need arise. My first one turned out more purple hued and the second a shiny brown but they evened out air drying in the basement (low humidity).

46 minutes ago, ezgoer said:

I’ve been told that shaft was used in PING putters from 67-76. I have an early-ish 1A (1A is very small stamped) and Anser (non Dale head) with that label.
 

Pretty sure the PAL won a few majors. Strange and Watson maybe?? Loved putter. I have a well used BeCu one that is so patina’d it looks like dark chocolate. Just a me thing but the only golf clubs I don’t like shiny are BeCu PINGS. Haven’t gamed it yet cuz grip is split. 

B60 right out of bath

B60 and Pal 4 after some curing in the basement 

 

Edited September 23, 2024 by tripanfal
Lost the before picture of the Pal 4 - it was blind you like a glacier shiny.

[ezgoer]

Again just a me thing. Not saying I’m right but this is how I like em. I really should throw some white paint fill in them someday. The Anser is minty fresh and looks like it’s 1 month out of the pro shop. Has that mentioned black shaft label so we’re talking closing in on 50 years old at the youngest. Not a valuable one but cool putter non the less. 

Edited September 23, 2024 by ezgoer

[ezgoer]

So I’ve fallen in love with Napa style putters and that’s what I’ve pretty much switched primarily too. These interest the hell out of me. Has anyone ever seen a BeCu of these?

[tripanfal]

That is a beautiful collection, the patina on the Cushin is fantastic - one I wouldn’t even bother ever trying to recreate. You can’t do that, only experience and time can. 
The B60 looked like something had fallen off the chemical shelf in the garage, and I have a cheap torch and need to rebuild an old one so I burnt the color off the hosel on the Pal 4 and had to fix it. My view on the patina is; if it is original or even more than a few years old leave it alone - you’ll never get it back. I just am happy I have a process I can do to get my cheaper (I have about 125$ limit on putter price without shipping and a mean price of 42$) putters into gamer shape. As far as the Napa’s - I have looked for a G5i Tess quite often and almost pulled the trigger - as I have never seen a BECU one but have considered making a tecu insert for one.

23 minutes ago, ezgoer said:

Again just a me thing. Not saying I’m right but this is how I like em. I really should throw some white paint fill in them someday. The Anser is minty fresh and looks like it’s 1 month out of the pro shop. Has that mentioned black shaft label so we’re talking closing in on 50 years old at the youngest. Not a valuable one but cool putter non the less. 

 

Edited September 23, 2024 by tripanfal

[ezgoer]

Thanks, I’m with you on not paying much for putters and especially the natural patina. Other than thrift stores seems like almost any old PING can be had for $20-40. The Cushin was a huge surprise. I hated how it looked but putted pretty damn good with it when I’d game it. ZING has long been my favorite PING. 1A makes everyone smile, my dog hates the sound of it though. Gotta be really lucky finding one under $100 so one of the more expensive ones. Don’t pay a fortune cuz I think you can still buy ‘em brand new for about $200. There’s an anniversary one that’s cool but people ask too much for them. Haven’t tried the Echo 2 yet but it’s a fabulous small mallet feeling but not a mallet putter. Hard on the eyes though.

I’m always on the lookout for BeNi Anser 4’s & Dale heads.

Edited September 23, 2024 by ezgoer

[ezgoer]

Just double checked all mine with the magnetic test. Didn’t stick to any of mine so they are all BeCu instead of Manganese. Have no idea if there’s any difference on feel between the two. Not a ton of feedback on these so I doubt it matter’s much. BeNi’s seem to be different though but maybe that’s just mental.

[ColinKelvin]

3 hours ago, ezgoer said:

Just double checked all mine with the magnetic test. Didn’t stick to any of mine so they are all BeCu instead of Manganese. Have no idea if there’s any difference on feel between the two. Not a ton of feedback on these so I doubt it matter’s much. BeNi’s seem to be different though but maybe that’s just mental.

If you mean the nice collection in your picture above, they are definitely all MgBrz - because none of those models were ever released in BeCu (Pal 2, Zing 2 and a Scottsdale Anser remake were BeCu releases, but not the OG models you have).

[JungleJimbo]

4 hours ago, ColinKelvin said:

If you mean the nice collection in your picture above, they are definitely all MgBrz - because none of those models were ever released in BeCu (Pal 2, Zing 2 and a Scottsdale Anser remake were BeCu releases, but not the OG models you have).

 

8 hours ago, ezgoer said:

Just double checked all mine with the magnetic test. Didn’t stick to any of mine so they are all BeCu instead of Manganese. Have no idea if there’s any difference on feel between the two. Not a ton of feedback on these so I doubt it matter’s much. BeNi’s seem to be different though but maybe that’s just mental.

"+1" on BeCu = not magnetic (but Manganese Bronze "MnBrz" can be weakly magnetic)

 

@ezgoer: What sort of magnet did you use? I prefer a super-strong neodymium magnet (can be found cheap on amazon), to test on these putters i.e. otherwise might not prove/dis-prove whether the putter metal is magnetic or not.  

 

...p/s: I've just re-tested my neodymium magnet on my collection of Manganese Bronze putters

e.g. Anser 2, Scottsdale Anser re-issue with the sound slot, etc (and they didn't stick to the putter head per-se ... albeit did stick to the steel wheel-weights i stuck to the putter cavity! 

 

So the MnBz magnet test = not fool-proof / can depend on the specific batch of putters/ their metal composition!

eg The magnets immediately clung to my 2014 Ping "Karsten TR" Zing (and it was an effort to pull away the magnets).

 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2024 by JungleJimbo