On certain straight shafted Ping putters, Ping inserts a small ball bearing that is cooled, then inserted down to the bottom of a tapered tip shaft (.355) so that when it returns to room temperature it expands and forms some sort of mechanical lock. Removing the broken shaft can be a problem. There have been several solutions posted on various forums on how to solve the problem.

1. Freeze the putter head and apply heat (I have had zero success at this)
2. Drill out the ball (I feel because of the hardness of the ball this is also zero success)
3. Send back to Ping (100% success if the customer does not want a small hole drilled in the bottom of the hosel)
4. I have had a lot of success with this method, which involves the following steps:
   1. First get the customer's consent to drilling a 1/8” hole in the bottom of the hosel.
   2. A padded vise or tape the hosel to protect it in the vise.
   3. Place the head hosel down with the back edge resting on the top of the vise.
   4. Use a center punch to mark a spot in the center of the hosel.
   5. Using a 1/8 drill, drill a hole in the bottom of the hosel.
   6. A Pin Punch can then be use to dislocate the ball. A heavy solid hammer is recommended along with safety glasses and gloves for your protection.
   7. Depending on how much of the shaft is left you have several choices to remove the shaft
   8. Broken off flush 1) Heat and an easy out 2) If the 1/8” hole is drilled off center you can use a punch and knock out the shaft from the bottom 3) If all else fails it can be removed with carbide tipped reamer (.355). Drilling will only compound your problems
   9. Small section vise grips and heat
   10. Long section may have to be cut in order to perform the punching option depending on the type of vise you have.
   11. Other forums have suggested saving the shavings from drilling or going to a local hardware store and getting some key shavings to mix with epoxy for covering the hole. The key shavings work or just a spot of black epoxy doesn’t look that bad