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Ping Anser Irons – First Large Production Forged Iron EVER by Ping!

Now you might think this is the first forged iron Ping ever made but actually it’s not.  The first forged irons ever produced by ping (1961) were actually forged blanks that Karsten milled cavities into.  They were his first cavity back irons and only a couple hundred were produced before he turned to investment casting that would revolutionize the industry.

Will Be A BIG Hit in Japan & US As Well (In Fall)

The Ping Anser Forged 2010 Iron I think will be a massive hit when they are released in April in Japan.  And as far as we know when they are released in the US later in the Fall they will fly off shelves as well.  I feel it was the next logical step for Ping to make…although when we heard the rumors about this a few months ago I was shocked to hear about it.  That is because Ping had stuck to their guns for so long when it came to casting there clubs…and the quality of their castings were done so well.  But this allows them to grab a piece of the market that they might not have been able to in the past and will open more doors down the road I feel.

What They Are Made Of

The Ping Anser 2010 irons are made of 8620 carbon steel with a partial tungsten sole.  They have a larger then average sole width and offset as well.  So you might ask why forged and why now?  Well the Japan market prefers forged irons and this will in our opinion dramatically grow their market share in that market.  And why the wide sole and offset on a forged iron…well the Japan market prefers this style a little more then a pure blade as well.  I also feel that they will eventually come out with a more traditional forged blade in the US in the coming years.  Well as long as they feel it will improve on the other blades on the market.  Because that is what Ping is all about.

The looks are similar to the Ping i15’s and when we tested the i15 irons there was not much you could say bad about them really.  The only way they could improve on them might be the feel and the 8620 forged version will surely improve on that.  Even though Ping’s castings are some of the best in the business when it comes to feel already.

So guys what do you think about the “1st Ever Large Production Forged Iron by Ping”?

“Top 25 Golf Books of All-Time!”

A couple weeks ago you guys might remember we sent an email out to the  subscribers of our email list.  We wanted to get your opinion on what your favorite golf books of all-time were.  And after going through literally thousands of responses from you guys (took us a while to sort them) we have put together the MGS readers “Top 25 Golf Books of All-Time!”

We wanted both instructional and non-instructional books and you guys gave a great assortment of both for the all the readers to see.  The Top 2 books were overwhelmingly the winners by leaps and bounds.  Both getting almost 3 times more votes and of the Top 5 books chosen.  And those were Five Lessons by: Ben Hogan and Little Red Book by: Harvey Penick.

A Tip On How To Get 7 of These Books For Under $1!

We have linked all the books to the Amazon Store if any of you are interested in picking up a few of these to add to your collection.  (TIP:) A lot of people don’t see on the product pages on Amazon the used book link on the right hand side of the page.  Where many times you can get some of these books for as cheap as $0.01…yes one penny.  Actually 7 of the 25 books in this list can be gotten for less then $0.50! So make sure to check the right side of any of the ones you are looking for to see if you can get them on the cheap.

P.S. - I just finished reading a great book…it didn’t make the list but some of you might be interested.  The book is called Karsten’s Way: The Story of Karsten Solheim…a great book if you want to see how one man changed the golf industry from the ground up.  And yes you can get this one for $0.01 too

#1 – Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf

#2 – Little Red Book

#3 – Golf is Not a Game of Perfect

#4 – A Good Walk Spoiled

#5 – Dave Pelz’s Short Game Bible

#6 – Golf In The Kingdom

#7 – The Match

#8 – The Greatest Game Ever Played

#9 – Golf My Way

#10 – Any Book by Bob Rotella

#11 – Search For The Perfect Club

#12 – How I Play Golf

#13 – Secrets of the Short Game

#14 – Who’s Your Caddy?

#15 – Golf For Dummies

#16 – Paper Tiger

#17 – The Putting Prescription

#18 – Just a Range Ball In a Box of Titleist

#19 – Swing The Clubhead

#20 – Training A Tiger

#21 – The 7 Laws of the Golf Swing

#22 – Inside The Ropes

#23 – Your 15th Club

#24 – The Green Road Home

#25 – Fearless Golf

Article written by: Shane Smith

Today’s DIY GOLF project comes to you from one of the MGS readers…Shane Smith.  He wants to teach the MGS readers how to hand stamp your own golf clubs by using some simple and cheap tools that any of you can pick up at your local hardware stores.  If you have a DIY project you would like to post on MyGolfSpy, simply send us an email to contact@mygolfspy.com.

Simply submit your idea to contact@mygolfspy.com and we will email you the DIY guidelines. Every published DIY author will receive a prize from MyGolfSpy! (cash, equipment & apparel prizes to be awarded)

DIY- Hand Stamping Golf Clubs (w/Paint Fill)

Tools Needed:

• Masking Tape
• Ball pin or standard hammer (not rubber mallet, must be of good weight – 4lbs)
• Steel Stamps (1/8”) – Available at most Ace Hardware or similar stores. (Letters are about $25 and numbers are about $10)
• Sturdy, flat surface.
• Model Paint (about $8 at most hobby stores- Hobby Lobby, Michael’s) or Tamiya Paint
  
• Acetone (paint thinner, finger nail polish remover)
• Q-Tips
• A-West Needle Applicator or Golf Tees

Step-By-Step Process

(STEP 1:) – Apply masking tape to both the face of the club as well as the surface in which you will be working on. This will help keep the club in place as it tends to jump after you strike the stamp with the hammer. Also, apply a piece of masking tape over the area you wish to stamp.

(Tip:) – You can use a pen and free hand what you want to mark. However, it does not have to be perfectly straight. The uneven, dancing look is the true essence of a hand stamp.

(Step 2:) – Hold the desired stamp over the area and strike with the hammer 5-10 times. The reason the strikes vary in number is because clubs vary in hardness. This Cleveland CG 14 that I stamped took a lot more hits than the Titleist. With a Ping wedge, I needed safety goggles cause it took quite a bit of effort and I thought the stamp was going to break. Once your first round of strikes is complete, you should see a stamp through the tape and on the club.

You can see the first round of strikes going through the tape and making a shallow stamp.

(Step 3:) – If your first round of strikes have not made a deep enough stamp (depth similar to those made by the manufacturer), remove tape and place the stamp in the existing mark and continue stamping in repetitions of five.

(Step 4:) – Once proper depth has been achieved, you may paint fill the stamp with a color of your choice. I prefer Testor’s Model Paint. I have used Testor’s on all my fills and the paint has held up even on wedges that I use out of bunkers (you can also use Tamiya Paint). You can apply the paint using a golf tee or A-West Needle Applicator. Allow a drying time of 4 hours. However, I have used a hair dryer on cool air to help speed the process. Anything on high heat will heat the club and cause the paint to set incorrectly.

(Step 5:) – Once paint has dried, use q-tips dipped in acetone to remove any excess paint that has spilled over the stamp. Here is the final result:

(TIP:) – As with any DIY golf project, practice makes perfect. These wedges were old back-ups. It’s best to hone your skills before marking up your gaming set. If you are wanting to use multiple colors for paint fill, it is best to do one at a time.

Want to post your own DIY project on MyGolfSpy?  Simple send your idea to contact@mygolfspy.com and we will email you the DIY guidelines. Every published DIY author will receive a prize from MyGolfSpy! (cash, equipment & apparel prizes to be awarded)

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