[PHOTO: Sean M. Haffey]

Question: I was watching the US Open with the pro at my club who said the extra length on Bryson DeChambeau’s wedges helped him pull off the bunker shot at 18. Is that true?

Answer: It certainly didn’t hurt, and DeChambeau believed it, saying afterwards, “That bunker shot was the shot of my life. I’ll forever be thankful that I’ve got longer wedges so I can hit it farther, get it up there next to the hole.”

Perhaps that is why DeChambeau’s caddie, Greg Bodine, was so confident in DeChambeau’s ability to pull it off. “G-Bo just said, ‘Bryson, just get it up and down. That’s all you’ve got to do. You’ve done this plenty of times before. I’ve seen some crazy shots from you from 50 yards out of a bunker.’ I said, ‘You’re right. I need a 55-degree. Let’s do it.'”

That 55-degree was a Ping Glide 4.0 model. As with all of DeChambeau’s irons, his wedges check in at 37.5 inches in length. That’s the length of a 6 or 7-iron and 2.25 inches longer than Ping’s standard 54 or 56-degree Glide 4.0.

Still, does it really make sense that a longer shaft helped with a shot that noted statistician Lou Stagner estimated at less than 1.7 percent chance of success? We reached out to Sonny Burgo, master clubfitter for Pete’s Golf, a perennial Golf Digest 100 Best Clubfitter for some context.

US Open 2024: Bryson DeChambeau called it ‘the bunker shot of my life’. Here’s the stat that proves it

“It would make sense in theory that the longer length would help, but there are always trade-offs,” Burgo says. “What you would gain on that random long bunker shot might well affect the full shot in terms of distance control or turf interaction. Wedge shots will probably fly higher, too.”

Most pros prefer to flight their wedges into greens on the lower side, and distance control is paramount. However, we are not here to nitpick a two-time US Open champion’s equipment decisions but to answer your question. In that regard, the longer shaft appeared to provide more speed and more height, which resulted in one of the great shots in US Open history.

MORE GOLF DIGEST US OPEN COVERAGE

The post Did a longer wedge shaft help Bryson DeChambeau win the US Open? appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

[PHOTO: Fred Vuich]

My home course has endured a stretch of wet weather recently, which has led to almost every shot resulting in a fair amount of mud being caked on the ball after landing. My foursome decided to combat that by playing preferred lies (a.k.a. lift, clean and place) throughout, but it did make me wonder: how much affect does mud really have on a ball?

Certainly, there has been much anecdotal evidence and some attempts at looking at it from a scientific standpoint. Still, when I want science, I want it to be from a Ph.D, not some Bryson DeChambeau wannabe. Luckily, I stumbled upon an article on the topic from Dr Paul Wood, who joined Ping in 2005 after completing his Ph.D in Applied Mathematics at University of St Andrews in Scotland. A research engineer, Wood has extensive expertise in studying the physics of ball flight and the club-ball impact.

Wood was spurred to research the effect and predictability of mud balls after a co-worker encountered a bad mud ball during a tournament and watched the ball fly wildly offline. Unlike many others who opine on the topic, Wood not only has Ping’s knowledge library at his disposal, but a test range complete with the Ping Man robot.

A theoretical analysis led to a prediction that mud on the right side of the ball should almost always cause the resultant ball flight to curve to the left because mud in the dimples affect the air flow, causing the turbulent wake to be bent towards the mud side. This in turn will cause the ball to curve in the opposite direction. Still, Wood wondered if, during an actual round of golf, with a chunk of mud on the ball, is the effect measurable and repeatable?

A 4-iron was set up on the Ping Man robot and set the swing characteristics to mimic a high swing-speed player. (For the full study, click here.) The club speed prior to impact was set to 95mph, leading to centre hits carrying a little more than 200 metres. Several balls with mud caked on different areas were set up. Some had mud covering the entire surface of the ball, while others had mud applied to a specific area: front, back, top, bottom, left or right side of the ball. A healthy amount of mud was applied but most fell off at impact, leaving Wood to reason that smaller amounts would bring similar results.

Of course, everyday golfers don’t want to hear about the science, they just want to know how the ball is going to react. Does it move a certain way consistently? Does it fly shorter? Wood answers those questions with his research.

Rules Review: Can I clean mud off my golf ball while playing a hole?

Wood found balls with mud on the right side landed about 20-25 metres left of the target on average but with a wide variation in results. With mud on the left, the ball landed almost 30 metres right of the target. With mud all over, the balls went mostly straight but with a similarly wide variation in results. In short and perhaps unsurprisingly, the mud is making the ball flight less consistently.

Now, the consensus has been that the ball flies in the opposite direction of where the mud is, but Wood’s research shows just how dramatic the effect can be. His research on distance is similarly eye-opening.

While a clean ball hit with a 4-iron at 95mph goes a little more than 200 metres, but it flies shorter – sometimes considerably so – when mud is applied. With mud on the left or right side, the distance drop is 20-plus metres. If mud is on the back of the ball, the loss is an eye-popping 60-65 metres. It’s not so bad if the mud is on top of the ball as it is only a 12-15-metre loss.

I know where to aim and to take more club. And now, thanks to a little science experiment, you do, too.

The post The truth about mud balls appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Ping introduces two new irons, the G730 and i530, designed for distance but geared towards different player types. The G730 is more of a game-improvement offering while the i530 serves better players seeking to regain some lost distance.

PRICE & AVAILABILITY: Available immediately for custom fittings and pre-order, the G730 is $350 per iron (steel), $380 per iron (graphite). The i530 is $380 per iron (steel), $410 per iron (graphite).

3 Cool Things

1. Metalwood performance in an iron. Ping’s first hollow-body game-improvement iron was in 2018 and in the ensuing time the company has improved on its efforts. For the G730 that means an enhanced metalwood-style variable face that uses a special heat treatment to significantly thin (seven percent thinner than the G430 iron) the 17-4 stainless steel face.

The large head and wide sole ups the moment of inertia in both directions (heel-toe, top-bottom) mitigating the negative effects of mis-hits – the kind of shots players in the game-improvement iron category hit with frequency. The rear badge is a 10-piece construction that uses two different plastics and has five bending regions to assist face flex.

2. Shaft story. Attention was paid to the smallest of details in the G730, including the shaft lengths. “The set starts at the 5-iron and we used .75-inch length increments for the 5 and 6-irons instead of .625-inch to get more ball speed and height on longer irons and to blend better with hybrids,” said Ryan Stokke, director of product design for Ping.

3. Good players need speed, too. The players-distance i530 uses a blade-style, hollow structure and high-strength maraging steel face to allow for significant bending of the face at impact compared to a standard cast iron. That bending leads to distance increases, because not only does the ball launch faster off the face, but the face also bends in a way that launches shots higher.

“Maraging steel is used in landing gear systems on aircraft,” said Travis Milleman, design engineer for Ping. “Because that material is so strong, you can go really thin. It’s a constant thickness face but the centre of the face is thinner than i525. It’s almost like a forged metalwood construction. We’re using the whole iron design to get as much movement as you can. As you get thinner in the face you’re taking more mass that you can redistribute, so you’re also getting a boost in moment of inertia [off-centre hit stability].”

An arcing sole cascade aids in the flexing and combines with stronger lofts (29-degree 7-iron, 42-degree pitching wedge) to ensure max height that delivers enough stopping power to hold greens. Four grams of precisely placed EVA polymer improves feel and sound without hindering face flexing.

The aesthetic was cleaned up, too. A shorter blade height had the added benefit of helping drive the CG low while a new machining technique thins the back wall some 40 percent, saving more weight.

The face and grooves are designed with tighter spacing and a geometry that results in an average of four extra grooves on each iron. A hydropearl 2.0 chrome finish combines with the grooves to help ensure lower launch angles with high spin rates.

The post Ping G730 and i530 irons: What you need to know appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

[PHOTO: Brennan Asplen]

PGA National’s Champion course is a tee-to-green, grind-it-out kind of golf course, and no one played that bit of real estate better that Austin Eckroat, who won the rain-delayed Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches overnight (Australian time) for his first win on the PGA Tour.

On a course laden with thick rough and water, Eckroat kept the ball in position then capitalised on it. The 25-year-old ranked fourth in strokes gained/off the tee, gaining more than 3.5 strokes on the field based highly off his accuracy. He was T-3 in the field in finding fairways, hitting more than 80 percent, while using his 10.5 degree Ping G430 LST driver, the lowest-spinning version in the G430 family. Eckroat’s driver, which has a 45.25 inch Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green 6.5 shaft, uses the adjustable hosel to bring the loft down to 9.25 degrees.

Austin Eckroat continues his rapid ascent with victory over Min Woo Lee at the Cognizant Classic

Eckroat’s iron game also was spot on as he ranked third in strokes gained/approach the green, gaining more than six shots on the field, while being first in greens in regulation with his Ping Blueprint T irons and Ping Glide Pro Forged wedges. How accurate was Eckroat? Consider that all five of his birdies during the weather-delayed final round came from inside 12 feet. Eckroat’s irons have Project X 6.5 shafts. Among the key shots with the clubs were a stiffed 8-iron from 162 metres to seven feet on the par-4 12th followed by a lob wedge from 81 metres on the next hole.

Once on the greens, Eckroat paid it off, ranking third in putts per green in regulation with his Ping Redwood D66 putter. The blade has a black finish and measures 34 inches with 3 degrees of loft.

What Austin Eckroat had in the bag at the 2024 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches:

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Driver: Ping G430 LST (Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green 6.5), 10.5 degrees

Fairway wood: Ping G430 Max, 15 degrees

Irons (3): Ping Blueprint S; (4-PW): Ping Blueprint T

Wedges: Ping Glide Pro Forged (50, 54, 60 degrees)

Putter: Ping Redwood D66

The post The clubs Austin Eckroat used to win the 2024 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Ping’s most extensive and versatile wedge line to date, the s159 line, features 25 loft/grind options. The grinds and shape were the result of direct feedback from the company’s tour staff. Cast from 8620 carbon steel, the wedges feature machined grooves and an elastomer insert that assists in achieving the proper swingweight. A new web-based app can help golfers find the best fit for them.

PRICE & AVAILABILITY: $370 (steel), $400 (graphite); s159 wedges are available now.

A Tour Wedge. Fit for All. Introducing #s159 — Six grinds custom engineered to change your short game.

Learn more: https://t.co/8Zr1AVl4Y2 pic.twitter.com/h9i75r2wdh

— PING GOLF (@PingTour) February 13, 2024

3 COOL THINGS

1. In control. When it comes to wedges it’s not always about achieving the most amount of spin possible, but the proper amount of spin. That’s because lower-lofted wedges are essentially full-swing-only clubs while the higher lofts serve multiple purposes.

For the s159 line, “wheel-cut” grooves are precision-milled to ensure consistency while minimising the variations in spin in various conditions, leading to more control. The 54 to 62-degree options feature more tightly spaced grooves because on short shots you want more groove edges to engage with the ball. On the 46 to 52-degree wedges, the grooves are less tightly spaced as they are designed to work better on full swings. A face blast the company refers to as “Starblast” adds surface roughness for added friction.

2. Grinds galore. With 25 loft/grind options, the s159 is Ping’s most extensive wedge line offering to date. New this year is the addition of the H and B grinds. The H is a “half-moon” and works well in soft conditions or for players with a steep angle of attack. The B is a low bounce, wide sole wedge (with a lot of camber removed from the sole) that works well in firm conditions.

“The H was inspired by the 4-degree bounce W grind,” said Jacob Clarke, design engineer for Ping. “It has a leading edge that sits close to the ground when the face is squared and is a good option for those who prefer to hit dead-handed approach shots.”

Ping PLD Milled putters for 2024: What you need to know

The T grind is more versatile with leading edge bounce to prevent digging. The W grind has a slightly bulkier look and provides forgiveness for those with a steep angle of attack who might also have a lot of shaft lean. The venerable E grind, based off the iconic Eye2 wedge, is almost foolproof from bunkers, while the S grind is a “bread and butter” grind for the widest use for a variety of techniques.

Perhaps as important, each grind is available in 58 and 60 degrees, and with reason. “We make all the grinds available in the highest-lofted wedges because that is where use is more variable and the variety of shots are greater as opposed to full swing gap wedges,” Clarke said.

3. An app for that. With options, however, can come confusion. What grind do I need? What should my loft gaps be? It can be enough to make golfers want to throw up their hands and say, “Enough, already.” Ping understood that concern and has developed its WebFit wedge app to give golfers a quick, easy method to narrow the choices.

Golfers answer a series of questions about their short game, including their typical playing conditions and technique, which results in two grind suggestions. They can then take those recommendations to a fitter who can help validate them and further fine-tune the specs of the wedge. The app, which takes just a few minutes to complete, also provides gapping information to help the player build out their wedge set. The app was developed in-house by Ping’s data scientists and relied on a vast collection of wedge data, much of it from the company’s relationship with Arccos,

The app doesn’t require downloading, logging in or signing up for anything. It will be accessible via a QR code in golf shops and on ping.com.

“Wedge fitting is so important,” Clarke said. “If you’re in the wrong grind it can be as much as a 2,000rpm difference in spin.”

The post Ping s159 wedges: What you need to know appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Ping PLD Milled line-up expands to include two classic Anser blade additions (notably Tony Finau’s Anser 2D) and three mallets, including the DS72 model that Viktor Hovland used on his way to winning the FedEx Cup last year. The new line also includes PLD Milled Plus, a customisation platform that lets users personalise designs through an interactive online form.

PRICE & OPTIONS: $870 for PLD Milled and PLD Milled Plus. The line-up includes three mallets (Ally Blue 4, DS72, Oslo 3) and two blades (Anser, Anser 2D).

Ping s159 wedges: What you need to know

3 COOL THINGS

1. Tour-level milling. While the original Anser design and its most precise re-imagining are part of this next line of PLD Milled putters, most of the five new models got their shapes and specific milling inspired by the input of Ping’s staff of tour players.

Anser 2D

“It’s really been about emphasising how we’re working within our engineering team with the tour player,” said Ryan Stokke, Ping’s director of product design. “We’ve had a principal engineer within our team that is focused making products directly for tour players, and we’re better at grabbing those insights and then having those lead into putters.”

Stokke said it’s also been instructive to see how those ideas have led to small quantity releases (PLD Limited) that might be sold out in minutes that then become some of the wider release models like this group.

Anser

Like the originals, each putter is made through a precision CNC milling process that takes between 75 and 100 minutes per head. That process includes a deep aggressive milling pattern (AMP) on the face. The heads are largely milled from 303 stainless steel (Anser, Anser 2D, DS72 and Oslo 3), with the exception of the Ally Blue 4, which is milled from aircraft-grade aluminium with a heavier steel sole plate.

Oslo 3

2. Roll your own. The five PLD Milled models are matched to specific stroke types based on their hosel type and weighting. The plumber’s neck Anser and wide-sole, heavier Anser 2D (365 grams vs 350 grams on the Anser) are blade-style models that favour strokes with a slight arc. The mid-mallet DS72 uses a double bend shaft for a face-balanced feel that favours more of a straighter stroke. The Oslo 3 uses a heel-shafted flow neck hosel on its compact mallet frame and should resonate with slight arc strokes. Finally, even though it’s the larger of the mallets in this new group, the Ally Blue 4 uses a slant neck to favour those with a strong arc stroke. Both the Oslo 3 and Ally Blue 3 feature heavier heads (370 and 375 grams, respectively), while the DS72 is the same heft as the Anser 2D at 365 grams.

3. Getting personal. The PLD Milled lineup expands to include a new array of personalisation options, all presented through an interactive customer website. Called PLD Milled Plus, the platform will let users choose their preferred alignment aids, paint fills, custom graphics and paint-filled grips through an online selection tool on the Ping website. Golfers take their unique design specifications to an authorised Ping PLD Milled Plus retailer who places the order with Ping’s customisation specialists at company headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, where the design is brought to life.

“The customiser was designed to be relatively easy, allowing the golfer to experiment with different ideas throughout the process,” said John K. Solheim, Ping chief executive and president. “With all the alignment options and combinations, we wanted to have a performance benefit as part of the experience. After that, it’s all about colour, custom graphics and creating a putter they call their own. They can keep it simple or take full advantage of all the options. We’re looking forward to seeing what people come up with.”

The post Ping PLD Milled putters for 2024: What you need to know appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

[PHOTO: Orlando Ramirez]

Jim Knous played in his first PGA Tour event at TPC Scottsdale seven years ago. He gained entry into the field that week as a Monday qualifier. This week, he played in what he’s said is probably his last PGA Tour event – his 44th – because it’s time for him to get a regular job. Yes, he gained entry into the WM Phoenix Open this week as a Monday qualifier.

Knous, 34, starts a job with Ping in two weeks as a club fitter and education engineer. He’s been told he has a cubicle waiting for him. He’s excited about that.

He’s also excited about his play in the Phoenix Open after a second-round 66 helped him make the cut, then followed that with 70-68 to finish the week at eight-under par and inside the top 30. The finish is good for a payday of more than $US60,000.

Speaking of good, Knous produced many memorable moments during the week with his family tracing almost every step with him. During the second round he holed a bunker shot on the 18th hole for birdie. During the final round, Knous was one-over for the day through 12 holes, but made four birdies over the last six holes – including birdies on both 17 and 18 – to shoot 68.

A moment he'll never forget

Monday qualifier @JimmyHardK holes it from the bunker to move onto the cut line. pic.twitter.com/sJkZIgwINR

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 9, 2024

“Yeah, got on a little heater there,” Knous said. “That was fun… I couldn’t ask for much more, to be honest.”

Knous, who attended college at Colorado School of Mines and lives in Littleton, Colorado, started his ‘heater’ with a two-putt par on the par-5 13th hole, then drained a 48-footer for birdie on the par-4 14th hole. After pars on the next two holes he had a kick-in birdie on 17, then made a six-footer to close out the round on the 18th hole.

The highest-ever ranking for Knous was 414th in 2019 after he tied for 13th place at the Wells Fargo Championship. His best finish on the PGA Tour was a 10th-place tie at the 2018 Safeway Open. He also played in 85 Korn Ferry Tour events in his career with two fourth-place ties his best finishes on that tour in 2018.

Now it’s time to move onto his new job with Ping, which begins on February 26. But he will still attempt to remain competitive, just not at the PGA Tour level.

A wave of emotions for @JimmyHardK in what could be his last PGA TOUR start.

He will play the weekend @WMPhoenixOpen pic.twitter.com/9g7hLyCAJi

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 10, 2024

“What can I take from this moving on? I don’t know,” he said. “I’ll keep playing. Obviously, I’m going to try to play in the PGA section, the PGA of America, and go that route, keep the competitive itch that way, play all that, all those events once I transfer my membership.

“Professional golf is incredible. It’s hectic, it’s hard, it’s trying at times, but what a great week this was.”

The post Pro leaving tour life to take job with Ping makes four late birdies in Phoenix to cap incredible week appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Ping G430 Max 10K, the latest in a long lineage of forgiving drivers from the company, arrives as the company’s driver with highest measured moment of inertia. That stability on off-centre means more consistency in distance and dispersion both heel to toe and up and down the face, and it’s enhanced by a lower centre of gravity for higher launch with less spin. What makes possible both the lower CG and the size, which is barely a tenth of an inch shy of the R&A and USGA limits for heel to toe and front to back dimensions, is an eight-layer section of lightweight carbon composite that covers the majority of the crown and wraps around the heel and toe sections of the skirt.

PRICE: $1,150; 9, 10.5, 12 degrees (with eight-way adjustable hosel, +/- 1.5 degrees).

3 COOL THINGS

1. Stable genius. No manufacturer has consistently pushed the idea of forgiveness, specifically the measurement of off-centre stability known as moment of inertia (MOI), the way Ping has throughout the company’s six-and-a-half decades. So when a driver sets a new company standard for stability, it becomes a moment for the industry, too.

The G430 Max 10K, as the name implies, measures out at a combined MOI of approximately 10,100 grams-centimetres squared, according to the company. That measurement reflects an MOI in the heel toe direction of just a hundred points or so shy of the limit set by the rules of 6,000. It then adds to it what the company believes is the most stable head in the high-low direction to push that total combined MOI well beyond the 10,000 territory, a number that in terms of mainstream drivers has only been realised this week.

What does that stability mean? Briefly (and, deep breath, semi-scientifically), we’re talking about how much the head twists on an off-centre impact. The more stable a design, usually by pushing mass far back from the face, the less the head will recoil on a hit towards the toe, heel, crown or sole. Less twisting means less energy is lost and more energy is delivered to the ball. The result is off-centre hits can fly closer in distance and direction to centre strikes.

By comparison, the G430 Max 10K’s combined MOI is about 2.5 percent greater than that of the G430 Max, said Ping’s Ryan Stokke, director of product design. But for all that achievement, Stokke thinks focusing on the 10,000 number isn’t what really makes this driver special. It’s about pushing that stability and how it contributes to getting the ball to finish in a place that makes scoring easier. In other words, further and straighter.

“We’re really looking at how we design consistency,” he said, mentioning efforts to change the curvature on the bottom half of the face towards less loft. That yields lower spin from mis-hits that normally would produce high spin, and that improvement is what the company calls “spin-sistency”.

“Sure, we’re progressing along that continuum of forgiveness. But we’re looking at other levers that help us produce effectively tighter dispersion. Our high-low MOI number is really giving us a driver that produces more consistent launch and spin. So when we couple that with spin-sistency, now we have a driver that is more consistent for ball speed, spin and launch and effectively pushes it even higher than just what its MOI value might be.”

The improvement in MOI from the previously introduced G430 Max came about because the G430 Max 10K borrows from the learnings of the low-spin G430 LST. That driver achieves a lower centre of gravity by saving weight through the use of an eight-layer carbon composite section that covers much of the crown and overlaps into the heel and toe sections of the skirt. That allows the frame to stretch to within a tenth of an inch of the R&A and USGA’s rules, which limits the size of drivers to a five-inch-by-five-inch box.

A 28-gram fixed back weight pushes the stability number higher, but the saved weight from the carbon composite crown (five grams) also helps to lower the centre of gravity for higher launch and less spin. A slightly shallower and thinner face design also saves weight that beefs up stability while also lowering spin.

Ping Blueprint S and Blueprint T irons: What you need to know

2. Lofty aspirations. The all-around efforts to improve consistency of flight, distance and dispersion gives the G430 Max 10K some new fitting opportunities for players of all types, Stokke said. Players could play a lower loft driver without worrying about distance-sapping lower launch.

“The ability to be a half to a full degree higher launch angle at similar lofts is going to be one pathway to success for a lot of golfers,” he said. “At the same time, we know a lot of golfers might already be in a good launch window, but since this driver gets them a higher launch angle for the same loft, they can get into a driver with less loft. This could help a higher handicap player who plays a lower loft, an extremely high MOI driver with low spin. He’s going to get more ball speed by going from a 10.5-degree driver to a 9-degree with the same launch and less spin.”

3. Higher heights. The G430 Max 10K still incorporates the familiar technologies from past Ping drivers, most notably the aerodynamically focused turbulators toward the front of the crown. Designed to improve airflow, they’re designed to reduce drag otherwise caused by the larger bodied head. Another technology emphasising speed and introduced with the G430 driver line will be part of the Max 10K offering, as well. The HL option, which targets moderate swing speed players, features a lighter head weight with a lighter back weight, a lighter grip and a lighter Ping Alta Quick shaft (38 to 45 grams).

“Because of the bigger overall size on our lighter build, it actually ends up being more efficient for MOI,” Stokke said. “It actually is pound for pound more forgiving at the same head weight as what we produce in G430 Max HL.”

The post Ping G430 Max 10K driver: What you need to know appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: When you think of Ping, “forged” is not a word that comes immediately to mind. That might change with the introduction of its latest Blueprint irons, the S and T. As Ping chief executive and president John K. Solheim said, “Our two Blueprint irons represent a new strategy for us in the forged-iron category. With the forged and forgiving cavity-back design of the ‘S’ and the traditional muscle-back shape of the ‘T’, we’re targeting a wider range of golfers who prefer tour-style forged irons.”

PRICE: Available for pre-order immediately, the Blueprint S and Blueprint T each cost $420 per iron in stock steel and $440 per club in stock graphite.

3 COOL THINGS

1. Problem solved. The company claims an industry first with its ability to forge a pocket into the cavity of the 3, 4 and 5-irons in the Blueprint S. The pocket saves 10 grams of weight, which is re-allocated to increase the moment of inertia (which helps mitigate ball speed loss on mis-hits) and optimise the centre-of-gravity position for more distance and trajectory control. To assist sound and feel, an elastomer insert is concealed in the pocket of the these irons.

“The ability to design a pocket into a forged iron in this way is an industry first,” said Solheim. “We developed a solution to a never-before solved problem. Until now, this level of long-iron forgiveness and the forging process have been mutually exclusive.”

Ping G430 Max 10K driver: What you need to know

2. Not your grandfather’s forged iron. Ping’s S-series irons were long known as the company’s irons for better players, so it’s no surprise the company would lean in on that heritage in developing its Blueprint S iron.

A forged, cavity back iron, the S boasts a compact shape in its 8620 carbon-steel head with a thin topline and minimal offset – or what one would expect in an iron geared at better players. The forged irons are essentially two sets in one. In addition to forged pocket long irons, the shorter irons are single-piece forgings that encourage more ball flight control.

The irons are more than just shape, however. They employ toe screws ranging from 1 to 11 grams to assist CG placement while the face and grooves are milled to precise tolerances into each head. The HydroPearl 2.0 finish also assists shots perform better in wet conditions. While the lofts are fairly standard for a forged iron (45-degree pitching wedge), the company has made its Retro Spec (weaker lofts) and PWR Spec (stronger lofts) available.

3. The T should stand for talent. The S model can be played by a wider swath of players. The T, however, should be viewed solely by those with mad skills. A classic muscle-back design in look, the single-piece, 8620 carbon-steel clubhead was developed to put a premium on trajectory control and feel. By concentrating mass through the impact zone to ensure a pleasing sound and feel with the workability better players desire.

A shorter heel-face height allows the hosel transition to blend smoothly into the top rail, creating a clean, distraction-free appearance at address. The narrow soles enable consistent turf interaction from all conditions. Precision-milled grooves ensure the preferred launch and spin for players who rely on such things for control. A high-density toe screw and shaft tip weight provide precise swingweight control and a slight boost in MOI. Adding to control is a shaft length a quarter of an inch shorter than the S model.

“Traditionally, an iron like the Blueprint T relies as much on the skill level of the player as it does on the technology,” Solheim said. “We understand that, but we’re always looking for ways to improve every iron we design. In the Blueprint T, every detail is extremely precise and calculated to ensure the performance demanded from a forged blade.”

The post Ping Blueprint S and Blueprint T irons: What you need to know appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

[PHOTO: Orlando Ramirez]

With one round to play at the Fortinet Championship, Sahith Theegala said, “I feel like I’m just scrambling my butt off a little bit.” It was more of the same today en route to the 25-year-old’s first career PGA Tour win. Holding on a five-shot lead at one point at Silverado Resort’s North course, Theegala kept the momentum going with a big up-and-down from 32 metres for par on the par-4 13th hole. He followed it with a huge left-to-right sweeper from 20 feet for a birdie on 14 that left little doubt who was going to win in California.

Although Theegala never let up in the final round—he made seven birdies while posting a closing four-under 68 for a two-shot win—there was no denying his short game and work with the putter kept things from going awry during the week. He got up and down 14 of 18 times with his Ping Glide wedges to rank third for the week in scrambling.

Sahith Theegala’s gallery was loud – and proud – as the rising PGA Tour star grabs his first win

Although Theegala uses the Glide 4.0 for his 50 and 54-degree wedges, he sticks with the older Glide 2.0 TS (thin sole) for the lob wedge. “I’ve always preferred less bounce and a thinner sole on the lob wedge,” he told Golf Digest in 2021. “It’s pretty much the only club I use around the greens, even on a long pitch. I’ll just turn it in and hit a hook spinner. I don’t mess with the grinds. I love the way it sits on the ground. I feel like I can really get under the ball.”

He also was good at getting the ball in the hole, too. After ranking 118th in strokes gained/putting last year, he finished second in that category this week, picking up more than nine shots on the field. Theegala’s putter is a Ping TR 1966 Anser 2 model at 37 inches in length and 3 degrees of loft.

Also of note: Theegala switched irons this week to Ping’s Blueprint S model with True Temper Project X shafts.

Closer look: Ping G430 drivers

Theegala averaged 302.8 yards (276.9 metres) off the tee with his Ping G430 LST driver, which is the low-spin version in the G430 line. “I’ve always fought spin a little with my driver,” Theegala said. “In fact, it was the worst club in my bag until the summer between my freshman and sophomore year of high school. Then I got fitted with the right head, shaft, length and it was game-changing. I’ve always hit down on the driver, so spin has been an issue, but LST is a low-spin driver so things are really good now.”

Even better with PGA Tour win No.1 under his belt.

What Sahith Theegala had in the bag at the 2023 Fortinet Championship:

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Driver: Ping G430 LST (Project X HZRDUS TX), 10.5 degrees

5-wood: Ping G430 Max, 18 degrees

Irons (3): Ping i210; (4-PW): Ping Blueprint S

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 (50, 54 degrees); Ping Glide 2.0 (58 degrees)

Putter: Ping TR 1966 Anser 2

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com

The post The clubs Sahith Theegala used to win the 2023 Fortinet Championship appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.