No progress at PING?

First of all, that looks like a Rapture V2 (not an original Rapture) that Louie is using.  Second of all, having owned G10 and G15 drivers, and currently owning and playing an original Rapture and K15 drivers, they are all oustanding in their own right, such that I can't see playing one over the other being a "condemnation" of any of them.  And the Rapture V2, the only one I haven't owned, gets raves as well.  They're all outstanding, but the pros can get attached to certain equipment just like the rest of us, and not want to move onto the latest and greatest (much to the OEM's chagrin I suppose).

 

That said, I find your post a bit funny, as I was perusing Ping's facebook page earlier today, and almost all of their pictures from practice rounds at the Open prominently featured G20 headcovers in the pros bags, intimating that many of them were playing the new G20 woods.  Now, that may be true for some of them, but apparently not for all.

Remember that G-Mac won the US open with a 5-year old driver. Many pros hang on to clubs for years once they've found something they trust.  Take a look at how many V-Steel fairways you see in players bags who aren't on a full-club endorsement.

 

This isn't to say that improvements in 'modern' clubs are trivial, but that for many accomplished players moving away from a club they know well is a gamble.

Ping's current crop of drivers and irons simply haven't changed much in a while. When they find a driver they like (whether that be the G5 or the i15), they stick with it because the newer ones offer very little other than a learning curve.

Whatever tournament Lucas Glover won this year, he did it with a SQ driver from 2006.  I used to play the same one before buying a burner.  It was a first generation SQ tour.  This isn't just Ping.

Anyone spot the new G20 irons on tour yet? They usually make their debut at the Scottish Open but I didn't notice any.

Trusting that the wood matches the headcover in a pro's bag is akin to trusting a politician to fulfill thier campain promises...

 

 

 

 

I'm going with this. Just because there are a ton of Ping G20 head covers, doesn't mean there are a ton of Ping G20 drivers. 

 

G20's are FUGLY.

 

They now have an even WIDER sole.....terrible IMO

Try fitting those fuggos into a compact carry bag - not gonna happen. Somebody gonna get hurt real bad!

 

 

 

 

I agree but i saw 3 guys in a row at the john deere classic with Ping G15 irons in the bag and they were sponsored by Taylormade and other brands besides Ping. Was a little surprised by it because the soles are so wide at the same time tho there were tons of guys with blades.
 

 

Yeah this happens quite often, Tiger used the original SQ for a good 3 years.

We have to come to the realization that wide soles vs narrow soles, cavity back vs blade, topline etc. is all just personal preference, and often just visual preference.  Pros can play equally well with either, and they can work the ball with either.  I prefer blades or narrow sole thin topline player's cavities, but sometimes my wrist and thumb injuries dictate that I'll go with cavity backs.  I'm a 6-7 and can switch no problem, for these guys it's really nothing at all.

 

Addressing the OP's question, the advances every year in golf equipment are not completely illusory, but they are driven largely by marketing and the desire for top dollar.  Good for them, they should try and sell as many $400 drivers as they can.  But I've hit all the major drivers from the last 7-8 years, and again, it's largely just personal preference.  If I hit the 909 or 910 noticeably better than my 907 I might switch, but I'd be lying to myself if I said I did.
 

 

I agree, but why wouldn't they be?  It's their big GI club.  I15/I20s are smaller, and S56 irons are similar to a blade.
 

 

 

yea not to mention it was the last day and those players were like 12 under par so its working for them. Ive read you can hit like a foot behind the ball with the G15's and the ball still goes, Those pros I saw with them seemed like they were just trying to get better any way they could which is probably why they have them in the bag, They make bad swings too, it just costs them 1,000's of dollars when this happens,

Not quite. But, if they feel they get better performance from a GI shovel, that's what the guys will play. A lot of folks chuckle at certain players playing GI irons, or having a bag full of hybrids. But the PGA tour, especially for 'average' guys, isn't like other pro sports. You only make what you win at tournaments. For those guys, if it's a choice between vanity and staying on tour, they'll choose to stay on tour. I'd rather pay my mortgage than play blades.

As far as the original premise of the thread goes...I'd say that there's a higher percentage of guys with 'dated' equipment in their bags than guys that don't. Many if not most of the old school equipment contracts (that tied a guy to a certain product and lead to many horror stories with guys having to play irons they couldn't hit or work or score with at all) don't really exist anymore. Steve Stricker comes to mind. Here's a guy sponsored by Titleist, a fine equipment manufacturer, and I don't think he plays their current line of anything except for wedges if you can really count those.