Hit the Ping Anser Irons!

I got to hit these wonderfull clubs yesterday! They feel amazing! and look just as good.
Only bad news about these clubs is that I here when they hit the golf stores, they might be around 290$ Per club.....

But these are great clubs, the best ping have ever made, I think!

I hope you are referring to Hong Kong dollars.

Pricing that I've heard is around $1400 USD for a set, 3-PW. Who knows if that will hold true though. At that price point, you might as well get a set from Scratch or Miura though.

Yeah, it sucks that the only iron set they make that interests me costs an arm, a leg, and a kidney.

Thinking the same thing here. Not that I'm looking for a new set of irons but 1400$ for Ping clubs is a waste of money to me.

If I'm not badly mistaken, all PING is made in China now, but still assembled in the U.S., somebody correct me if I'm wrong?

I've heard the same thing from the local pro though there might be someone who known more about it.

Why would you buy Scratch or Miura if you wanted the Ping Anser irons and were prepared to pay the money?

Because Ping makes horrible clubs in comparison to Miura or Scratch? No, but the quality of Miura or Scratch irons is superior to those of Ping. Plus, why buy a club from a company that hasn't made forged irons in ages when you can buy a better product from companies that have mastered the art of forging?

Really? What evidence to you have of poor quality PING irons versus Scratch and Miura?

All things being equal I wouldn't buy any of them because they're all out of my price range.

I never said that Ping makes poor quality clubs in comparison to Miura or Stratch, hence the NO after my question (making it a joke). I just said that the other ones are better. Most importantly, I would trust a brand that has made forged irons for a long time over one that just started, making them way overpriced to steal more money from its costumers.

I bet my 710 AP2s are just as good, if not better, than the Anser forged and cost 600 dollars less.

You've both implied and stated that these forged PING irons are likely inferior to other forged irons. Even the 710s which are basically a bunch of pieces, some of which are forged, glued and welded together. Whatever floats your boat.

Are the Ansers overpriced? Abso-freaking-lutely they're overpriced. Just like an off the shelf Scotty Cameron putter is considered overpriced to many people in the market for a new putter for daily use on the course. Maybe you're referring to "value" rather "quality" - value is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to hobbies like golf.

From March when Ping first made these available for some of their tour reps:

Matt Rollins, a Ping tour representative, said Monday [in March], "The clubs are as forgiving as our i15 irons, but they are a little sleeker looking and they've got the word 'Forged' on the back, which we've never had." He explained that in the Japanese market, irons need to be forged in order to be perceived as high quality. "Irons that are not forged simply don't sell well." - Source Golf.com

So what their own tour rep is saying is that for about 3x the price you get a club as forgiving but has a little word stamped on the back. And that their motivation of introducing a forged iron isn't to create a blade or player's iron but instead simply overcome a marketing perception in Japan. Hmmm, I think I'd either stay with their cast clubs or if I wanted forge I'd just go to Mizuno or Titleist and save a whole lot of $$$.

What a load of BS. Give us one piece of evidence to support this prejudicial garbage. "The art of forging"? FFS, that's an advertising slogan. All clubs were forged before the 70s. You've been reading too many ads. I'll bet you've never hit Miuras or Scratch clubs. And if you had, you'd know that all good quality irons feel good anyway and it comes down to personal preference. None are "better" than the others. Some have more cachet amongst people who are more interested in golf clubs than golf. What does that mean? Nothing.

The person who said he wanted these clubs said he wanted these clubs. He didn't say he wanted a set of forged clubs. Everyone knows that Mizuno makes fantastic forged irons. I use them and would probably never change. But if someone said "I want some Ping Anser irons" why would someone say "Then get Scratch or Miura." ? It's not a thread about saving (or wasting) money. I would love to see someone like yourself with a microphone in front of him being interviewed by a Ping designer, where you could "explain" the shortcomings of their processes. You'd probably get a freaking tuning fork out. (And if you don't get the reference, you can find out what it means with a little research).

While I don't concur with Andef's response either, your scathing attack seems over the top. We shouldn't expect such vitriol from any forum member, let alone a "Forum Leader" - it denigrates the desires of all to debate with some civility.

That is probably a fair comment. But I think it is over the top to denigrate a highly respected company and be the proponent of "opinions" which are based on nothing other than prejudice and marketing spin.

Regarding the "art of forging", a foundry creating investment cast pieces looks a lot more high tech than does a forge. I know that I am prone to fly off the handle at times, but I really do think that it is quite wrong to be critical of a manufacturer's products when that opinion is based on nothing. Also, to claim that a boutique company like Scratch makes "better" irons than a high volume producer. Why? Because of Ryan Moore's quirky and highly stage managed approach to marketing that makes him noticed because he pretends he's not trying to be noticed? It all reeks of someone new to the game claiming that Taylormade makes "the best" clubs becuase they're so highly promoted or that Miura clubs are fantastic, even though 99.9% of golfers have never laid eyes on a set. Or... a newbie poll on "the best" irons where Mizuno isn't even an option.

I generally agree with your assessment, just not the way you originally expressed it. But I (and probably others) appreciate your objectivity looking back at it. Part of the problem with instant e-communications....it's all to easy to quickly dash off ones feelings and hit "send" too quickly!

Back to the Pings, I wonder if Ping really has shelled out the capital investment needed to establish a quality forging operation for what will likely be a relatively small quantity of clubs, or if they have simpled subcontracted out the head manufacturing to someone with already established operations. I'd be willing to bet it's the latter.