I have been looking at some older irons lately and noticed that some of them mostly the pings were available in copper. I have searched and haven't found the answer. Are they a softer feel? If so, how do the grooves hold up being a softer metal, wouldn't they not last as long? Thanks for the help.
Copper Irons, why?
KickaPoo
It's So Cold In The D...
my dad had a set of copper Callaway Bob Jones irons a few years ago. very very pretty irons.
JPsuff
Banned
Copper?
Are you sure you don't mean Beryllium Copper?
Because pure copper would get chewed up in one round.
Beryllium Copper (BeCu) irons were Ping's stock in trade way back when. I thought they were very hard and "clicky", but they were very popular.
-JP
Fourputt
Head Rules Official
Beryllium copper is very hard. Harder than cast stainless steel. I think it was more of a look than any real playing benefit.
I had a set of MacGregor RPM manganese bronze irons back in the early 90's... kind of wish I still had them. Nice clubs. Felt good to me. I used them for about 10 years... wore them plumb out.
I had a set of MacGregor RPM manganese bronze irons back in the early 90's... kind of wish I still had them. Nice clubs. Felt good to me. I used them for about 10 years... wore them plumb out.
CharlieMoy
Well-known member
i think it is quite clear that he meant beryllium copper, and you guys forcing the fact that he didnt say it shows that you are intentionally trying to make him look stupid.
MO_Hacker
At the drag strip
Osahar
Working on the swing
Actually, I didn't see any spelling corrections. JP just asked to make sure the OP intended to say the Beryllium Copper, as opposed to other possibilities. And after clarifying that, JP went on to give his impressions of the clubs.
Which is more than you managed to do with your post.
Now, getting back to Sodakrep's question - I always thought the clubs were more about their look than any performance benefits, since the non-Beryllium Copper Pings seems softer. But they were very nice looking clubs, by far my favorite from a purely aesthetic sense at that time.
JPsuff
Banned
Nothing "snarky" here.
Karsten Solheim was a somewhat weird dude who was outside the box long before anyone even knew there WAS a box, so for all I know, it's entirely possible that he may have actually made some copper clubs back then (his company makes a gold putter after every Ping win to this day).
So I wasn't berating anyone and if you read it that way, then I apologize.
Here's a quick "Ping" story to make up for it:
Way back when Karsten Solheim first introduced the "revolutionary" Ping BeCu Cavity Back irons (the cavity back being the "revolutionary" aspect of these irons) to the PGA Tour, the only player to sign up for them was Mark Calcavecchia.
The story goes that when Mark finally debuts these new irons during a televised tournament (they weren't all televised back then), Solheim wants to get as much exposure for his new clubs as possible. But the first time that an on-course camera zooms in on the back of the irons, instead of getting a nice closeup of the cavity backs and the Ping name, all Solheim sees is a huge blob of lead tape stuffed into the cavity.
It turns out that Mark preferred a heavy swingweight and the stock Ping's were too light. So Mark took advantage of all that room in the cavity area and loaded them up with lead tape to get the clubs to swingweight heavier.
According to the story, Solheim basically flipped out and ordered that a set of custom molds be made just for Mark to allow for enough extra material so that, when finished, they would weigh in to Calcavecchia's liking, so that he wouldn't have to use any tape (and cover up the Ping name).
Today of course, Ping swingweights its G-10 and G-15 irons using the badge in the cavity. Each club is weighed at the factory and according to the customer's order, a badge of a certain weight is selected and glued into the cavity to produce the final swingweight.
So, in a way, Mark Calcavecchia is basically responsible for the birth of the custom-fitted iron.
-JP
Karsten Solheim was a somewhat weird dude who was outside the box long before anyone even knew there WAS a box, so for all I know, it's entirely possible that he may have actually made some copper clubs back then (his company makes a gold putter after every Ping win to this day).
So I wasn't berating anyone and if you read it that way, then I apologize.
Here's a quick "Ping" story to make up for it:
Way back when Karsten Solheim first introduced the "revolutionary" Ping BeCu Cavity Back irons (the cavity back being the "revolutionary" aspect of these irons) to the PGA Tour, the only player to sign up for them was Mark Calcavecchia.
The story goes that when Mark finally debuts these new irons during a televised tournament (they weren't all televised back then), Solheim wants to get as much exposure for his new clubs as possible. But the first time that an on-course camera zooms in on the back of the irons, instead of getting a nice closeup of the cavity backs and the Ping name, all Solheim sees is a huge blob of lead tape stuffed into the cavity.
It turns out that Mark preferred a heavy swingweight and the stock Ping's were too light. So Mark took advantage of all that room in the cavity area and loaded them up with lead tape to get the clubs to swingweight heavier.
According to the story, Solheim basically flipped out and ordered that a set of custom molds be made just for Mark to allow for enough extra material so that, when finished, they would weigh in to Calcavecchia's liking, so that he wouldn't have to use any tape (and cover up the Ping name).
Today of course, Ping swingweights its G-10 and G-15 irons using the badge in the cavity. Each club is weighed at the factory and according to the customer's order, a badge of a certain weight is selected and glued into the cavity to produce the final swingweight.
So, in a way, Mark Calcavecchia is basically responsible for the birth of the custom-fitted iron.
-JP
Fourputt
Head Rules Official
In 1989 (I think) when I bought my MacGregor RPM's, I tried out the Pings, and didn't buy them for the same reason. They only came in a C8 swingweight (although you could get them in different lies), and I need a D1 or D2 to feel comfortable. I've never even looked at Pings since then.... :confused2:
Just a side note... Beryllium is a primary material in the trigger mechanism for a nuclear bomb. I had a couple of friends who worked at the Rocky Flats plant here in Denver where they made those triggers, and they said that was some of most difficult metal to machine that they ever worked with. I imagine that it would make a very durable golf club, but not one with very good feel.
KickaPoo
It's So Cold In The D...
Beryllium (a Beryllium Sphere) is also the matierial used to power the NSEA Protector in the movie Galaxy Quest!
- Thread starter
- #13
Sorry must have missed that movie...
MO_Hacker
At the drag strip
Fourputt
Head Rules Official
I'm going out on a limb here and saying you didn't miss much.
AT least my reference was founded in reality....