Gear: Ping putters (2022)
Price: $300 each
Specs: Milled stainless steel, tungsten inserts and aluminum bodies with 10 head styles available, including heel-toe weighted blades, mid-size mallets and high-MOI mallets.
Who they are for: With 10 different head styles to choose from, along with different neck and hosel configurations, Ping is trying to offer look and feel options that can appeal to a wide variety of players.
The Skinny: Instead of spreading one technology across a range of putters in a family, Ping’s newest putter offerings have been built to provide options for golfers who have different types of strokes and who prefer different shapes and alignment aids. With the help of a fitter, there should be something to please almost every golfer here.
The Deep Dive: The bedrock of Ping Golf was created when its founder, Karsten Solheim, developed the Ping Anser putter back in 1966. He had made putters before that model, but the Anser put the company on the road to being one of the most successful and influential brands in the industry.
But a funny thing started happening about five to 10 years ago. Ping started developing a reputation as a brand known for extremely stable, high-performing drivers after it brought out the G, G400, and, more recently, the G410 and G425 drivers. Bubba Watson, Viktor Hovland, Tony Finau, Cameron Champ, Tyrrell Hatton and others have used those clubs to win PGA Tour events, major championships and Ryder Cups. They also proved popular with recreational golfers and influential in the industry.
As great as that is for the Phoenix-based company, the wood success may have started to overshadow Ping’s putter heritage. The release of the PLD Series, 2021 Putters and PLD Custom program have helped to re-establish Ping as elite putter brand to many players, reminding them in addition to giving your more yards off the tee, Ping can provide you more feel and control on the greens.
Now Ping is bringing out 10 new putter models and not pigeonholing them into a family. With a combination of chrome and dark finishes, they are cosmetically cohesive, but the goal with the release of these clubs is to create a stable of putters that can provide golfers with several options that will optimize their stroke but give them choices when it comes to looks and feel.
“What’s most exciting about our new Ping putter models is how different they are from each other,” said John K. Solheim, Ping’s CEO and president. “For example, several of the new models offer milled faces for a firmer feel, and others provide a softer feeling insert.”
While there are heel-toe weighted blade, mid-size mallets and ultra-stable high-MOI mallets, Ping classifies these putters by the stroke type they are designed to help: straight, slight-arc and strong arc. Putters for golfers who make for slight-arced strokes have some toe hang (approximately 30 degrees), while putters designed for golfers who have a strong arc have significant toe hang and models for straight-stroke players are face balanced.
Slight Arc
Anser (345 grams)
This update of the classic blade has tungsten in the heel and toe to increase stability and forgiveness, while the shallow milled face creates a firmer feel and familiar sound at impact. The contrast between the silver-toned topline and dark cavity helps with alignment.
Anser 2D (360 grams)
This is Tony Finau’s putter and its PEBAX insert, along with shallow milling, creates a softer feel and sound. It also has tungsten in the heel and toe to boost forgiveness, along with a white alignment line and a ball-width cavity.
Shea (360 grams)
A mid-mallets with tungsten in the heel and toe, the Shea plays bigger than it looks. The shallow milled face has a firmer feel and its longer alignment line should help to focus the golfer’s eyes on the ideal path.
DS72 (365 grams)
This is Viktor Hovland’s putter shape of choice and it can fit either a slight arc or straight stroke type. The milled face create a firm feel and the long white alignment line should help players aim more easily. The back of this mallet is slightly squared off.
Strong Arc
Kushin 4 (355 grams)
The short flow neck of this putter creates more toe hang, while the slightly larger body, along with tungsten in the toe and heel, boosts stability and forgiveness in this blade.
Prime Tyne 4 (365 grams)
The wing-like extensions in the heel and toe of this design help to boost the stability. The silver-toned topline contrasted against the black cavity and short, white alignment line.
Straight
DS72 C (370 grams)
A center-shafted version of the DS72, this putter looks very symmetrical at address and has tungsten toe-heel weights for stability, a firm feel and color-blocking to aid in alignment.
Tyne G (360 grams)
This putter has three alignment line and a ball-width cavity floor to make alignment easier, along with a ball-pickup cutout piece that makes retrieving your made putts (and your misses) possible without bending over. The heel-toe weight distribution helps to keep the face pointed straight on mis-hits while the PEBAX insert softens feel and sound.
Mundy (355 grams)
The light aluminum body creates discretionary weight that went into a 304 stainless steel sole plate in this putter that pulls the center of gravity (CG) down and back. The PEBAX insert creates a soft feel and impact while alignment lines extend from front to back to make aiming the face easier.
Tomcat 14 (380 grams)
This boxy, high-MOI mallet is designed to maximize stability on off-center hits. The frame is made using lightweight aluminum, while a 304 stainless steel sole plate brings the CG location down and back. The smooth milled face creates the firmest feel among the newest Ping putters, and slightly faster ball speed.
DS72 Armlock (365 grams)
This mid-mallet is designed specifically for golfers using the armlock method, so it has a longer shaft, longer grip and more loft (6 degrees) to accommodate the forward press the armlock technique creates. It can also be used with a slight arc stroke.
