A replica of the Pal 2 putter used by Jeff Sluman to win the 1988 PGA Championship will be available Tuesday at 2 p.m., the second in the extremely limited-edition series commemorating Ping’s sweep of all four major championships in 1988 – the only time it’s happened for any putter brand.
During each of the four major-championship weeks in 2023, Ping is releasing a new model from its “Ping Slam” collection as part of its PLD Limited program. Precision-milled versions of the four winning models – Pal, Pal 2, Zing 2 and Anser, respectively – will be released each Tuesday of this year’s four major championships, giving collectors a rare opportunity to own a part of Ping’s storied putter history.
Only 88 versions of each handcrafted putter model will be available via pingpld.com for $990 (limit one per customer) during the corresponding major’s week. Each putter is serialized for authenticity and includes a custom headcover unique to each of the four major events. The Pal 2 (303 stainless steel) will drop Tuesday, May 16, at 2 p.m. EDT at pingpld.com.
The replica Pal putter used by Sandy Lyle when he won the Masters in 1988 sold out in minutes. Lyle used a version of it to putt out in his final competitive round at Augusta National in April.
“It was Sandy’s win with the original Ping Pal putter at the 1988 Masters that put us on the path to this amazing accomplishment,” said John A. Solheim, Ping executive chairman. “That brought back some very special memories for me, and we were very honored by his gesture on his last hole.”
Sluman completed the Ping Slam in 1988 when he won at Oak Tree Golf Club in Edmond, Oklahoma, shooting a final-round 65 to overtake Paul Azinger and win by three strokes. Sluman is a Rochester, New York, native and member at Oak Hill Country Club, where he helped plan the restoration of this week’s PGA Championship venue.
“It was a tremendous accomplishment,” said Solheim of the 1988 putter slam. “When we realized we were one win away from having a Ping putter in the hands of every major champion in the same year, the PGA Championship took on added interest for us. When it happened, it was very special, and we celebrated by running one of our iconic yellow ads under the headline ‘Ping Putters Used To Win The Grand Slam Of Golf.’ What made it even more rewarding was that four different models of putters were used in the victories.”
Ping’s engineers meticulously re-created the precise specs of each putter based on company archives, old images and measurements taken from the Ping Gold Putter Vault, ensuring that the late Karsten Solheim’s original designs remained intact.
The remaining two models – commemorating the 1988 major wins by Curtis Strange (U.S. Open) and Seve Ballesteros (Open) – will be released at 2 p.m. EDT on the Tuesday of each corresponding major. The Zing 2 (303 stainless steel, natural finish) drops June 13; and the Anser (aluminum/bronze alloy) drops July 18.
On Dec. 5, collectors will have the opportunity to purchase one of 35 complete sets of the PLD Limited “Ping Slam” putters for $4,990 (limit one per customer), which will include a custom-designed display unit.
“Whether golfers want to purchase one of the 88 individual putters during the week of the major or wait until the end of the year to collect all four at once, we expect the putters to go fast, so we encourage those interested to plan accordingly,” Solheim said.
PHOTOS COURTESY PING