Shallowface

Nah, there's nothing typical about me. Eccentric. Chronically disappointed. Kind to animals. It's complicated. You have been the long term prolific apologist for Ping and their travels down this road, and once again you didn't disappoint. As I said, it's just an opinion. We disagree. Nothing personal.

I have. This tool really helps. https://www.golfworks.com/the-ultimate-grip-installer-tool/p/bbgit/ And it was using aftermarket Taylormade grips made for those shafts. I'm not sure anyone is selling those anymore. But I recall one Saturday morning where I watched the pro at the course I was playing at that time install one with no installer tool and no vise, and with a audience as there were more watching than just me. Might be the single most impressive club repair job I have ever seen in person. It might be possible to install normal grips on those, but at the end you'll have something significantly oversized. One might think it would be easier to just reshaft the clubs, but if memory serves on most of those they had oversized tips. One would need to acquire shims or shim ferrules made for the purpose to complete that job. Some of those clubs played well but one is left to conclude they weren't meant to be played long term. The term "planned obsolescence" comes to mind. If something is difficult or impossible to repair, then it has to be replaced. But does your customer choose to replace it with another of your products? That's the gamble. Back then TM liked the term "visible technology." I called it "visible gimmickry."

Not looking to start a debate here, because we both have our opinions and we're not going to change each other's minds. But there is no way I will ever believe that chrome plated 431 stainless, particularly of today's origin, is more durable than American made 17-4. I've been in this game 52 years and looked at tens of thousands of used clubs. I would have no trouble purchasing and playing a set of I3 blades or I5s or S59s (at this point I don't care about groove rules). But when I look at used Ping irons of more recent origin, it just makes me sad.

Unfortunately no spec sheet providing lengths on the fairway woods or standard loft on anything, but some fun stuff nonetheless.

There are Ultradyne II Woods on Ebay. Laminated heads. Molded whipping covers, often cracked. Epoxy inserts with a weight imbedded in them. Also often cracked. From the same era as the Wilson 1200 and similar in a number of ways.

I've purchased a lot of books on Ebay and never had an issue. Often for very little money and often with free shipping. Did you have a negative experience with a purchase?

This is from a 1995 catalog. 1994-96 is the correct time frame for these. There was an ADX Tour wood prior to that, but it looked more like the other ADX offerings, which were good clubs as I recall. Back then I traded a very slightly used ADX 200 driver straight up for a brand new Callaway Big Bertha. For that brief moment in time the ADX was more coveted, at least according to that particular salesperson. I lived to regret it. I never liked that driver (or any other Callaway driver until an FT-9 Tour that was part of a rental set in Hawaii in 2009), but I wanted it because I did like the original S2H2 driver, which was a rocket launcher even if it wasn't a whole lot bigger than the ball itself. I caved the face in on that one. I had one of these Tour woods for a time. Very much like a traditional persimmon in size and shape. I really liked the dark green color. I have no experience with the irons, but I do like the loft gapping on them. The 47 degree club is a 10 iron and they offer a true pitching wedge at 52 degrees.

Here's one for the older stuff. Out of print but you can still find them.

Here's a link to a 90s era MacGregor set with the DW, for Don White, stamping. https://www.ebay.com/itm/376416459424?_skw=Macgregor+%2B+"don+White"&itmmeta=01K0M9VYE9DR7VS37BBJ5HS03Y&hash=item57a42b5aa0:g:zcoAAeSw0UZoe4U0&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1fkSggcX1TfMvHUY%2Fo8H7nNbon0cjT4%2F5g%2FaVeNI9GPM3YoJ6%2FvyTIyCnJZsdTm41rFJaMkMRu0wjkYYGQjB15E71q3p4ElzWLqv363YmSu%2BIWA8zQQjfRijRlzH5Z4CJ48Zvd52DzaiyuAHTX4HibJ6iEjwAQY7FBxoArttL1h%2BDf4aFv9eCyCtdfH0N2wzIJ3lGcItArJDRnV6Vc1AR6YCydY8Jorn09pr1g4%2FcAO0VpiqW5p7lbWIBxsCxTFsuM%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR57n74mFZg While I am fully aware that one could request old MacGregor stampings on newer custom irons, the above set had a stamping on them that I had never seen prior to the 90s. That was the logic I applied when offering the opinion on their age. I also knew that the DW on the sole was for Don White and not for a player, having seen that on numerous occasions. The LJ irons I mentioned had that stamping on the back. Whether or not that was for Lee Janzen or someone else, I only know what i was told by the salesperson. I don't trust any salesperson of any product any further than I could throw them, which at this point isn't very far.

The paint fill is the only difference between the ladies and mens models. The heads are the same. I don't know if three inches worth of extensions is a good idea or not. I've never done more than two inches, and that was ok for me. I've cannabalized old shafts for extensions as well as buying the ones from The Golfworks. The shafts in those are .370 and are an easy replacement if you choose to go in that direction.

I think I see what looks like a step below the shaft label, so I agree with bc that it's probably pyratone coated steel. The only stepped graphite shafts I've ever seen came from Wilson (via Babcock & Wilcox) in the 70s. I don't believe any of the fiberglass shafts had steps. As far as I know fiberglass were invented in the 1960s and were made by Shakespeare. I don't know if anyone else offered that product or not, and the Shakespeare shafts weren't around for very long at all. Those heads look more like something from the 30s or 40s as well. GIGO is a great label for AI. It's no better than the people producing it. Try reading the AI generated descriptions some lazy people use on Ebay. Brutal. It does make for a convenient scapegoat. "It's not us. It's the AI!"

The "Tourney" font on those looks like it's from the 90s. There is a set on Ebay called the Tourney FMT that is from the 90s and has that font. Bandit is either right on or very close as to when Watson switched to Ram. The "DW" stamp on irons wasn't "a thing" in the 70s. Don may have been working there at the time but he hadn't yet achieved the fame that would come later. In the 90s I saw a MacGregor set in a Play It Again store in Florida that had the DW stamp. They were also stamped "LJ." I was told that was for Lee Janzen and given the time frame it could have been. A beautiful set that had the thinnest soles I have ever seen on a modern iron. That's a very nice set from their custom shop, even if they never belonged to Watson.

I did something similar with and Eye 2 1 iron in the early 90s. Brown color code and extended to 41.5 inches. D7 swingweight so still manageable back then. That thing was money. There were courses on which I played entire rounds without a wood ever leaving the bag. I still have that club. i would try it again but I just had a new crown installed on one of my teeth.

The thing that stood out to me was no whipping thread on the hosel.

https://www.golfmonthly.com/features/my-unpopular-golf-opinion-its-time-to-outlaw-four-balls