PING golf knows a good thing when the see one; and that is exactly what they had in thier S56 irons. Those clubs have been used in more than 30 tour wins since they debuted including one at the Open Championship. That is why the company wasn’t out to overhaul its lineup or start from scratch. However, what the company did do was listen carefully to the pros that it has on staff and make a few changes here and there that improved workability, control and forgiveness to the point that a vast majority of their players have made the switch to PING’s new S55 irons.
Among the pros that made the switch right away were Bubba Watosn, Hunter Mahan, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Angel Cabrera. According to John Solheim, PING Chairman and CEO, pros with the new S55 irons are “able to work the ball more easily and flight it up and down like never before.”
This is due to a number of key features and benefits of the new clubs. To start the club features a 17-4 stainless steel body with tungsten toe weighting with helps to improve the overall forgivness of the club as well as a vertical stabilizing bar wich helps with distance control and feel. To further enhance the feel and sound of the club, the new S55 irons have a new, larger custom tuning port made from thermoplastic elastomer wich softens the sound at impact. This new CTP sits deeper in the cavity of the club helping to improve launch conditions.
The new clubs come in a stock set of 3-PW and have two different stock shafts. For those wanting a steel shaft, PING offers its own CFS shaft in either soft R, R, S or X flex. Those looking for a graphite shaft will get the PING TFC 189i shaft in either soft R, R, or S flex.
The clubs will be available in stores starting in early November and have an MSRP of $138.75/club with steel shafts or $166.25/club with graphite shafts. Per set that is $1110 for steel or $1330 in graphite.
In addition to the introduction of new irons, PING has also expanded its line up of the Scottsdale TR putter line to include three new models. For those that aren’t familiar with this line, the TR stands for True Roll. According to Solheim, “True Roll technology has proved to be very popular because variable-depth grooves offer consistent ball speeds and unmatched distance control.”
The three new models are the Anser T, the Craz-E and the Senita B. The Anser T uses the Anser head with the addition of an arched, bridge style alignment. The head of the Anser T comes in at 365 grams and according to the company it fits tose with Slight Arc putting strokes.
While the Anser is without a doubt the most popular putter that PING has created, the mallet-style Craz-E has done very well for itself since it was introduced 10 years ago. This version of the Craz-E features the same alignment and shape as previous versions of the club and weighs in at 365 grams. The club can be ordered to fit any stroke shape (Strong Arc, Slight Arc, or Straight).
Finally there is the new Senita B, which according to PING provides the feel and performance of a belly putter without actually being anchored. The putter features a stock shaft length of 38 inches and is counter balanced using a 50 gram weight in the grip end of of the club. The clubhead itself weighs in at 400 grams. The weight in the grip creates a higher balance point on the club wich encourages a more pendulum style stroke and helps to release the putter head. The 17 inch grip is designed with reference lines so the player knows where to best play their hands to optimize the benefits of the club. Like the Craz-E, it can be ordered to fit any stroke type.
All three of the putters can also be ordered to with an adjustable length shaft for a $35 up charge and can have the lie adjusted (+/- 4° on the Anser T, +/- 2° on the Craz-E and Senita B). MSRP of the new putters is as follows: Anser T, $162.50; Craz-E, $192.50; Senita B, $215.00.