Time to start stockpiling Ping Eye 2 Wedges! These are going up in value faster than The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brian coffee mugs. You see, some of the boys on the PGA Tour figured out a loophole to the new rule (as of January 2010) that forbids the use of square grooves. You see, way back in 1990, Ping sued the USGA over square grooves, and it was settled out of court. Under the settlement, any Ping Eye 2 (that has the non-conforming grooves) made before April 1, 1990, is grandfathered in and is still approved under the rules of golf.
Phil Mickelson and John Daly, among others, have exploited this loophole and have gone back to these old wedges because they give you an advantage, providing you with better spin especially out of the rough. Other pros are speaking out, calling Phil a cheater and challenging him to be a better ambassador for the game.
Whatever your opinion is on whether this is cheating or not, there’s no argument regarding the value of these retro irons. The Ping Eye 2’s were ahead of their time and are one of the few designs that might compete with the modern technology of the day. But heck, they started the whole thing.
You see back in the mid 80s we were still swinging stupid blades. Ping was the first to make a club that somebody other than Jack Nicklaus good hit. They made the face bigger, moved the weight out to the perimeter, and voila – the cavity back was born. This technology was to irons as the metal wood was to, well woods. Now novice golfers could find clubs that weren’t impossible to hit. The cavity back, of course is now the predominant design in all the irons of today. Even most of the pros are moving towards the cavity back, once they figured out that they could still work the ball using them.
That’s another nice thing about the Ping Eye 2 – while they are geared for the higher handicappers - you can still work the ball. The club isn’t so large that it can’t be played by single digit guys (and the aforementioned pros like Phil and John).
Your game can benefit from this as well, although you needn't worry about playing with your trusty Vokey Spin milled wedge that makes your ball dance on the green -- not unless you are teeing it up with the pros. The new rules banning square grooves do not apply to us amateurs. Thus you don’t need to start surfing eBay quite yet. I always recommend to everybody that they take advantage of the modern technology. If you are not breaking 100 yet, than that means bigger is better, whether it’s your driver, your hybrids, your irons, and even your wedges.
But still, it can't hurt to have a few of these Ping Eye 2 wedges on hand, as the pros are snatching them up like hotcakes. You might just get a call from Long John!
Find this club on eBay:
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