it usually means removing it from the head. Once you take weight out of the head you affect your ability get the centre of gravity in the right place for optimal performance.” Ping’s solution was to create an aluminium


hosel sleeve with a titanium screw. Allied to a sleek design, the club represents the brand’s vision of no-compromise adjustability. Offered with four loſts (8.5°,9.5°,10.5°,12°) and four shaſt options with a range of loading profiles, Anser adaptability is an intentional fine-tune. Perhaps influenced by the potential for bewilderment in multi-faceted adjustability – and certainly guided by its own core values of face-to-face custom fitting – Ping has elected to keep it simple. With that in mind, it is perhaps surprising that


they did not go for adjustability through weight ports, which would not require a special hosel sleeve. “We know that loſt is the primary contributor


to fitting and changing launch conditions, and that is why we unlocked the ability to fine-tune loſt at plus/minus 0.5°” explains Marty Jertson, Ping senior design engineer. “Players can expect to see changes in launch angle and spin of up to 1° and 400 rpm between the ‘plus’ and ‘minus’ positions, without changing the straight bias characteristic of the driver. The importance of loſt means that even this kind of loſt fine-tuning can create significant distance gains.”


FORGING AHEAD: the new Ping Anser iron, featuring stabilising bars


New technology, new retail prices W


ith its reduced-spin 460cc head and medium- to-high launch weighting, the driver has


been designed to appeal to current fans of both the better-player i20 and mass-market G20 ranges. It sits alongside an adjustable fairway wood (14.5°, 16.5°, 18.5°) crafted to add a little extra penetration and versatility, and a hybrid series progressively weighted to optimise flight in each of the four lofts of 17°, 20°, 23° and 27°. Hefty RRPs of £220 and £180, around £20 more than the i20 equivalents, will no doubt raise the odd eyebrow and lower the odd bank balance. “We are not the first to hit these kind of price points,”


Clark defends. “We realise it’s moved the clubs into a segment of the market, but it’s a higher-end range with plenty of features our standard product doesn’t have. When you look at the features and benefits we believe the range still offers value for people who really want to play their best.” Ping’s first forged iron, the 2010 Anser, has been


replaced by an updated version with stabilising bars progressively angled to further optimise centre of gravity for feel and launch. Positioned somewhere between the i20 and S56 models, these compact-yet-forgiving irons feature less offset than the game-improver models and are in the stronger iron player zone. Completing the Anser range is the Tour wedge,


complete with Gorge Grooves cut and milled in-house at Ping’s Phoenix HQ to ensure the precision needed to nudge the legal limits. While the sole of the Tour wedge is shaped for versatility, Ping has gone a stage further in offering three different sole widths – Standard, Wide and Thin. “You need varying sole widths to fit wedges for turf interaction,” explains Jertson. “The timing of when the


sole interacts with the ground and turf relative to when the face impacts the golf ball is the most important factor in hitting consistent shots. Getting the right sole width allows us to perfect this timing for different golfers and turf conditions.” Elsewhere Ping has also announced


telescopic adjustability in its Nome 500 long putter. “I think more than in any other area of the game, putting is where the golfer is hoping to find a new feel, a new something,” Clark argues. “Our long putter adjustability gives the ability to experiment.” Clark confirms Ping’s commitment


to both this longer putter and the 405 belly-anchored Nome, despite the recent conjecture about the place of long putters in the game. “The comments I hear relate more


to how the putters are used rather than the putters themselves,” he expands. “The issue appears to be with anchoring, and how that is defined. That’s the hard part of this. In the meantime, we feel our Nome putters present an option for players looking for the best solution for them.” In recent times the infamous Ping Eye II lawsuit of 1990, in which the brand sued the USGA for outlawing square grooves, has been mentioned with increasing regularity as the reason for perceived leniency in golf equipment development over the past two decades. “I don’t know if that is actually the case,” Clark muses.


NEW GROOVE: Ping’s Tour wedges have their Gorge grooves (below) milled at the company’s Arizona HQ


“That was back in the 80s and 90s, and I don’t know how relevant it is. My own feeling is that in any sport, some parts are traditional, and other parts need to move on. Working out which items should be kept and which should be allowed to move on? Those are difficult decisions to make, in any sport. “But certainly it should be taken into account that legislating on what’s right for the pro game will have an impact on the ordinary golfer. He or she has a vested interest in the decisions made. In looking at the pros, the ruling bodies should not lose sight of the average player.” Ping will be showing off these products and more through early October at the Nordic Golf Sow in Malmo and at the TGI Golf/ Foremost Harrogate Show. “The sell-in for the Anser range has


gone well, and while it is very early to comment on sell-through we have very good reason to be positive,” says Clark.


“With its shaft options and customising ability this is a range that calls upon the expertise of the club pro. We believe Ping clubs should be sold face-to-face in a custom-fitting environment, and we do a lot of business through PGA pros who are able to advise in what they believe is right for their customers. “Consumers are increasingly technically minded


and looking for this kind of advice, so there is a great opportunity for our authorised Ping accounts to use their expertise to guide the customer to the right product.” www.ping.com


SGBGOLF 23


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28