PING ISI and I-3 Hosel Adapters

For those of you who have fretted with whether or not to tackle the job of reshafting the Ping Titanium drivers, fret no more. No longer will you have to step drill the original shafts to complete the job; no more will the clubs have to be sent to Ping for a costly reshaft job – the new Ping Hosel Adapter (Suggested Retail Price $4.00) makes short work of reshafting the Ping drivers and fairway woods. The adapter allows drivers to be reshafted to a “standard” set of specifications related to lie and face angle. The adapter may be filed to create custom angles,but installed in its stock form, will create a face angle just slightly closed and a lie angle that is close to 58 degrees. The adapters will work with ISI Drivers, TEC ISI, the New S I-3, I-3 drivers, ISI and I-3 fairway woods. Please Note* (the ISI New s I-3 adaptor for the driver only will work only for right-handed models and will work in left handed models but will off set the shaft a little bit ,also the New S I-3 driver has a lower back and has the same receiver hole as the ISI you may need to adjust it because the edge of the adaptor may sit up a bit.

To utilize the Ping Adapter, the original thermoplastic hosel, with the shaft intact, will be removed from the head.The shaft does not have to be cut in order to use the adapter. Patience is a virtue, especially in removing the original thermoplastic hosel from the club. You will experience much greater success using the “slower” heat from a heat gun than you will trying to accelerate the job through the use of a torch. The torch may actually melt the original hosel, leaving some of it still in the hosel hole of the head. A Dremel tool is required to remove the melted thermoplastic hosel remains from the head. Trust us from experience; this is not something you want to do!

The step-by-step process of the use of the Ping Adapter is detailed as follows:

STEP 1: Prior to removing the thermoplastic hosel from the head, place the club in a specifications gauge to
measure the club’s face angle and lie. It will be important to duplicate these when installing the new adapter and
shaft, assuming you want to maintain the original specifications of the club. Record the specifications for future
reference.

STEP 2: Using a metal-sided vinyl shaft clamp, place the clamp approximately 1” above the club’s thermoplastic
hosel and secure the club in a vise. The face of the club should be pointed toward the ceiling. Place a wet paper
towel over

STEP 3: Use a heat gun on its high setting and heat the head of the driver on its face and sole. Apply the heat toward the heel side of the face and the heel side of the sole. Be careful not to heat the painted surfaces of the head directly. Heat for periods of one minute. At the 1-minute intervals, attempt to remove the head from the thermoplastic hosel by pulling the head straight off. The hosel piece – as you will find upon its removal – is not round. Do not twist the head; doing so will only put stress on the shaft, possibly leading to breakage. Most likely
you will have to heat the head several times before it will separate from the thermoplastic hosel. Remember:
Overheating will likely melt the thermoplastic hosel and leave residue inside the hosel hole of the club head. This will be a time consuming situation to remedy. By applying heat from the heat gun in 1-minute periods and
attempting to pull the head straight off head immediately thereafter, the thermoplastic hosel will most likely come out in one piece.

STEP 3: Use a heat gun on its high setting and heat the head of the driver on its face and sole. Apply the heat toward the heel side of the face and the heel side of the sole. Be careful not to heat the painted surfaces of the head directly. Heat for periods of one minute. At the 1-minute intervals, attempt to remove the head from the thermoplastic hosel by pulling the head straight off. The hosel piece – as you will find upon its removal – is not round. Do not twist the head; doing so will only put stress on the shaft, possibly leading to breakage. Most likely
you will have to heat the head several times before it will separate from the thermoplastic hosel. Remember:Overheating will likely melt the thermoplastic hosel and leave residue inside the hosel hole of the club head. This will be a time consuming situation to remedy. By applying heat from the heat gun in 1-minute periods and attempting to pull the head straight off head immediately thereafter, the thermoplastic hosel will most likely come out in one piece.

STEP 4: As the epoxy bond between the thermoplastic hosel and head breaks, the head can be pulled straight off. The thermoplastic hosel will remain intact on the shaft; the head (after it cools) will be ready for the installation of the new Ping adapter.

STEP 5: Test fit the Ping adapter into the head. Should there be any material remaining from the original thermoplastic hosel in the hosel hole, clean it out with a Dremel tool, round file or other similar object. When fitting the Ping adapter into the hosel hole, expect it to fit rather snugly, especially toward its final installation position.

STEP 6: Place a shaft in the adapter and place the club in the specifications gauge. The adapter is designed for use with a .335” parallel shaft. If the shaft will not fit into the adapter at this point, the Ping adapter bore may be drilled with an “R” size or 11/32” drill bit to accommodate the .335” parallel tip shaft. Depending upon how far down the Ping adapter is drilled; the bore type of the shaft installation will become a blind bore, an M2 or somewhere in between. The Ping adapter can easily be enlarged to .350” through drilling if so desired as well.Compare the specification measurement now with the original (or desired)pecifications. If thepecifications match what is desired, the PING adapter can now be epoxied into place. If the club requires “custom” specifications, the Ping adapter can be filed or sanded to create them at this point. Should a flatter lie be desired, file material from the portion of the Ping adapter that will be toward the toe of the club when in position at the bottom of the hosel hole. You may also have to remove material from the top portion of the PING adapter (that fits inside the head) toward the heel of the club to help create the flatter lie. A more upright lie is created in a similar opposite manner, with material taken off the Ping adapter on the “lower heel area” and “upper toe area” of the adapter. Face angles can be made open or closed by filling the Ping adapter on the sides either toward and/or away from the target. When altering the Ping adapter, be sure to proceed cautiously, rechecking the specifications in the gauge often to ensure accuracy in the finished product.

STEP 7: Once proper specifications are achieved, the Ping adapter and shaft are epoxied into the club at the
same time. Using 24-hour cure epoxy, put epoxy on the outside of the adapter and inside the hosel hole of the head. Any type of fast set epoxy, regardless of type, is not acceptable for this process. Position the Ping adapter into the hosel hole and tap the top of the Ping adapter on the workbench to secure it into place. The shaft is now immediately ready for installation.

STEP 8: Again using the 24-hour epoxy, put epoxy on the abraded shaft tip as well as in the hosel hole. Also abrade the hosel hole due to the fact that the hole is smooth and needs to be rough up for proper adhesion. Seat the shaft to the bottom of the bore and align any shaft graphics in relation to the club head as needed.

STEP 9: Wipe way any excess epoxy and examine the PING adapter and the new shaft for proper positioning. Set the club aside to cure overnight; the club will then be ready to cut to length and grip for final play.

The Ping Hosel Adapter will make short work of right-handed Ping reshafts. Now you will be able to offer your customers virtually any shaft that may best fit them in their Ping driver. Determine the club’s specifications prior to beginning the job, be patient in the heating and removal of the shaft, customize the adapter as needed by rechecking the club’s specifications and finally 24-hour cure epoxy the shaft and Ping adapter into the club.The result is a best-fit shaft in a very popular driver!

Hope this helps

Bill Blankenship

Billy Bob