PING Golf Visit: Q&A With Engineers, Submit Your Questions!

[mvmac]

The 2015 Newport Cup is next week in Phoenix!. Before the matches begin both teams are visiting PING's campus and we have a Q&A; scheduled with a couple of the engineers.

In this thread, post what questions you think we should ask the PING engineers.

Let's try to come up with some good ones that only engineers would be able to answer.

[phillyk]

How was the design for the turbulators first brought up? How significant was the change?  What does the angle at which the lie towards the center have to do with the overall function of the turbulator?

[JazzFatCat]

A couple of days ago I stumbled across the thread from 2013 when TST asked questions to a Ping designer.

http://thesandtrap.com/b/throwing_darts/18_questions_with_ping_senior_design_engineer_marty_jertson

"If we can take the average golfer out there, and give them a driver that allows them to launch it at 18-20 degrees with 1500 RPM spin (Bubba Watson-style), while even just maintaining ball speed, they would hit their driver another 30-40 yards!"

If Ping's goal two years ago was to have average golfers hitting the driver with a 18 degree launch angle why doesn't Ping offer the G30 driver in a 12 or 13 degree head? Are there any statistics on how many degrees the average golfer usually adds to their driver by "hitting up"?

I think I've read many times that the average golfer's driver swing speed is about 95 MPH. Is 18 degrees the ideal launch angle for that swing speed?

Not Ping related but I read in another thread where Taylormade thinks the average golfer should be teeing off with a 12-14 degree club. This seems to back up my experience and the few other guys I've played with who use mini drivers. I guess the shorter shafts and higher lofts help. I always feel better when my drive hits the fairway.

http://thesandtrap.com/t/74429/evolution-of-high-launch-and-low-spin

[JazzFatCat]

Not a Ping question as I think might be being dense.

If 18 degrees is my ideal launch angle for my swing speed why wouldn't I just try to defloft my 20 degree hybrid by two degrees? I'm trying to deloft my irons anyways so the swing would feel more consistent.

[mvmac]

Not a Ping question as I think might be being dense.

If 18 degrees is my ideal launch angle for my swing speed why wouldn't I just try to defloft my 20 degree hybrid by two degrees? I'm trying to deloft my irons anyways so the swing would feel more consistent.

OT but loft and launch angle aren't the same things.

For example, I would hit a Titleist MB 5 iron (27 °) lower (or about the same) than a Callaway BB 5 iron (23°).

[shooter]

Why don't they make forged irons and why does there current iron line up lack in any blade options? Also, tell them they engineer solid drivers and should keep on keeping on in that department.

[mvmac]

Why don't they make forged irons and why does there current iron line up lack in any blade options?

Also, tell them they engineer solid drivers and should keep on keeping on in that department.

http://www.ping.com/clubs/ironsdetail.aspx?id=13993

[shooter]

[URL=http://www.ping.com/clubs/ironsdetail.aspx?id=13993]http://www.ping.com/clubs/ironsdetail.aspx?id=13993[/URL]

I'm aware, but it's kind of miss leading. The club says forged, but what is actually forged on the club head. Only the face. Then they glue on tungsten weight,polymers, etc. I'm talking about a true 1020ish steel club head smashed from a solid billet of metal,into it's final shape. Like titleist mb cb. I know there engineers (and others) will say because you can't feel the difference. That's bs.

[Golfingdad]

I'm aware, but it's kind of miss leading. The club says forged, but what is actually forged on the club head. Only the face. Then they glue on tungsten weight,polymers, etc. I'm talking about a true 1020ish steel club head smashed from a solid billet of metal,into it's final shape. Like titleist mb cb. I know there engineers (and others) will say because you can't feel the difference. That's bs.

Hmm, I don't know. Perhaps they've known all along what Titleist is just figuring out??? .....

[shooter]

OK. That answers my question. Fricking technology is ruining this game

[iacas]

… I know there engineers (and others) will say because you can't feel the difference. That's bs.

It's not BS. LOTS of tests on that…

Anyway… a few more days until we get to ask PING your questions. Let's keep adding them!

[phillyk]

What other types of metals are being tested to help improve the quality of both drivers and irons besides tungsten? Where do you foresee club design going to next?

[Pretzel]

What is the design process when creating either a new product (such as the Anser irons) or a new edition of an existing line (such as the s55 irons) and is there a difference between the two processes? To follow up on the previous question, what areas of the golf market (ex: scratch golfers, golfers who struggle with a hook, other demographics that may have specific needs) does PING currently feel are not filled by their current product offerings and do they have any plans to fill those holes in their market coverage?

[ZappyAd]

I read something recently about how the grooves on the front of a PING putter varied in depth away from the sweet spot in order to improve consistency.  Is that something that has been tried on irons and (if it was allowed) could changing the size or alignment of grooves towards the heel/toe be used to reduce 'bad' spin on mis-hits?

Also if there was no rule about size is there an optimal size/shape for a driver head and how different would it look to existing drivers on the market today?  Would we be getting drivers the size of dinner plates with fins and wings etc or is it pretty close to the best you can get?

[boogielicious]

Does Ping use consumer testing to determine esthetics of there new club designs or are designs determined by company experts?

[Pretzel]

Is a write-up of the Q&A; session on the way, hopefully soon?

I only ask because I saw it was posted for the PURE grips Q&A.;

[mvmac]

Is a write-up of the Q&A; session on the way, hopefully soon?

I only ask because I saw it was posted for the PURE grips Q&A.;

Video posted here.