Karsten Solheim first designed the Ping Anser putter back in 1966 and it has grown to become one of the most iconic putter models of all time. Such is the case that when golfers talk about blade putters, the words ‘Anser-style’ are often used to describe their appearance. The new Ping Scottsdale Anser Putter carries on the familiar shape but features some new technology said to improve the feel and help golfers hole more putts.
While I’ve dabbled in the mallet and zero-torque putter space trying to find my gamer for this year, I always seem to revert back to a blade as I prefer both the looks and feel on offer. However, to make sure I got the perfect Scottsdale putter for me, I used the Ping WebFit Putter app, which gets you to answer a series of questions about what you look for in a putter, such as shape, weight, feel and your regular miss. From here, you’re given your top three matches and of course, mine came out as the Anser!
As you would expect, the Ping Scottsdale Anser boasts the same classic profile as all the other iterations that came before. You wouldn't repaint the Mona Lisa, would you? The smooth shoulders fall onto rounded bumpers at the rear, creating a traditional and timeless look behind the ball at address. I feel as though this model is slightly thicker than say the Anser PLD putter and while I’m someone who typically prefers either a sight dot or alignment cues at all, the white line stands out nicely against the black nickel finish. The electric blue on the sole and surrounding the bottom of face slightly cheapens the look in my opinion, but that’s a matter of personal preference.
The topline on this putter is a darker grey, which blends nicely with the black nickel body yet is prominent enough to help with alignment of the putter face. Where the looks differ from the PLD models, so does the feel. The new one-piece Pebax insert is one of the softest feeling faces on any putter I have ever tested. While I can imagine this is perfect for those playing on faster greens, it certainly took some getting used to on the slower greens I'm currently facing. My only qualm with the new insert is the lack of grooves, which meant when moisture, sand or any dirt got between the ball and the face, the feel and roll looked a little inconsistent at times.
As expected from a blade putter, my feel and distance control were superb with this putter. I felt as though most of the putts I hit during my round from outside of 30ft I managed to roll within 3ft of the hole, meaning I was able to escape every hole without having a three-putt. I wasn't as solid from inside 15ft using the Anser largely down to the line on the flange of the putter. As mentioned earlier, I prefer to use putters with no alignment feature or just a dot as a central reference. I find myself putting with too much of a straight arc when using a larger line on the putter and therefore don't open and close the face properly. This was the case with the Anser and resulted in slightly inconsistent strokes from inside the 10ft mark where I would typically look to hole 50 percent of the putts I look at.
One thing to note if you’re considering pulling the trigger on this beautiful-looking putter is the fact it’s certainly on the lighter side of putters I have recently tested. It’s balanced well with a new SuperStroke 2.0 Pistol Tour grip, which allows for a comfortable hold, yet with a head weight of 345g it’s 15g lighter than the likes of the Kevin Burns 9307 putter - another blade putter I have recently tested.
Overall, I think the Ping Scottsdale Anser putter is a great option for anyone considering upgrading their bladed flatstick. It offers a modern take on the iconic Anser blade with some added technology to help the consistency of performance. At $255/£250 these putters are reasonably affordable compared to other recent competitor releases, so for that reason I feel the Ping Scottsdale range offers competitive value for money.
