Lot # 42: Ping 69 Dot Sight Putter

Starting Bid: $150.00

Bids: 8 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Fall 2022",
which ran from 11/3/2022 7:00 PM to
11/19/2022 8:00 PM



Ping 69 putters were introduced in 1961 to no fanfare.  After all, Karsten and John Solheim were making putters in the garage of their Arizona home.

As noted in the book And the Putter Went Ping, Karsten tried making the Ping 69 putter with various alignment aids—lines, red dots, white dots—before quickly settling on no dots and the single alignment line found on the vast majority of PING 69 putters. John Barnham used a Ping 69 white dot putter to win the 1962 Cajun Classic. Barnham's win marked the first time a Ping putter was ever used to win a PGA tour event.  

This particular putter does not have the red paint in its site dot, but significant amounts of its original red paint are found in the back cavity and in the stamps on the heel and toe.  Karsten tried trimming the early 69 putters with a touch of color, usually red or gold.  The full page picture of Karsten on page 54 of And The Putter Went Ping shows Karsten in 1961 dressed in a suit and holding his newest creation—a Ping 69 putter with paint-filled letters on the heel and toe. Most model 69 putters did not use the red paint.  The couple of Model 69 putters with red paint trim seen by the auctioneer had the red sight dot. Note that not all red sight dot putters were paint trimmed.

The 35 1/4" original shaft has its original green Golf Pride Informer grip with original green grip color.

This is a rare putter found in very few Ping collections.

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