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2021 PING Putters
Today we see the official release of the new PING 2021 putter line-up. If you paid close attention to the Most Wanted Blade Putter and Most Wanted Mallet Putter articles, you have had a glimpse of some of the new models. Though not even released yet, two of the new PING putters scored top-10 finishes in the mallet category and a new blade finished fourth overall. Obviously, it’s tough to keep something a secret when it performs so well.
Thankfully, we can now spill all of the beans about these new PING putters. In fact, there are quite a few beans that we need to discuss. In 2021, we see the return of the grooved insert, a continuation of the multi-material construction, a solid mix of new and old favorite head shapes. Like I said, lots of beans.
Let’s take a look at the general features of the new PING 2021 putter line and then explore some specific models.
2021 PING putters: The Return of the Insert
One of the most striking things about PING’s 2020 Heppler putter line was the complete lack of face grooves. PING wanted the Heppler line to be a firmer complement to the softer Sigma 2 putters. Since these 2021 putters will essentially be the replacement for the Sigma 2 line, it makes sense that the insert would return.
Like the Sigma 2 insert, the 2021 PING insert is once again made of dual-durometer Pebax polymer. The surface of the insert is soft for appropriate feedback on short putts. When you swing a little harder for a long putt, you now interact with the harder internal portion of the insert. This harder section will give you the feedback you need for longer putts. I found that though soft, there is still a nice tone at impact. The strength and pitch of the tone varies with the model. These new faces are definitely softer than the Heppler putters. Though it sounds impossible, you get a soft feel with a firm roll.
Face grooves are back with the 2021 PING putters, though not the TR grooves of previous inserts. Instead, these new grooves are uniformly shallow across the whole face of the putter. PING is promoting these grooves as producing a soft feel and consistent ball speeds. It sounds a bit like the TR language, but not quite. Remember that the TR design promoted a face that was a little hotter near the edges to achieve equal distances on center and off-center strikes. It seems like the goal of this new insert is similar, just without the TR groove pattern.
2021 PING Putters: Multi-Material Construction
All of the putters in the 2021 PING line feature bi-metal construction. The main body of the putter is either cast 17-4 stainless steel, cast aluminum or milled 6061 aluminum. The second metal component is used in to dial in the weighting. All of the blades and a few of the mallets feature tungsten weights embedded in the face. These weights look very similar to the tungsten plugs previously only available as a custom option through PING WRX. The non-tungsten putters are those made from cast aluminum. These putters feature stainless steel sole plates to position the weight in the head. In general, the use of the tungsten and stainless plates allows PING engineers to position weight where it will boost MOI and promote ideal center of gravity positions.
2021 PING Putters: Grips and Shafts
These new PING putters will come with one of two stock grips. The Anser 2, Harwood, Fetch and Oslo H feature the PP60 grip. This grip is a mid-sized pistol with flatter surfaces than the more traditional pistol-shaped PP58 found on the other models. A straight taper PP58-S is also available as a no-cost option. These grips feature classic PING looks. Black and white with the iconic PING Man is all you will see here.
The overall aesthetics of the 2021 PING putters are pure business, right down to the black shaft. Speaking of shafts, these putters do not feature the adjustable shaft as the stock offering. You can still order one custom with the adjustable shaft but your shop will have fixed lengths. Perhaps the ability to adjust the shaft wasn’t worth the price to the consumer or PING wasn’t able to engineer the firmness to their liking. What do you think about this change? Was the adjustable shaft a must-have feature for you when shopping the previous lines?
Regardless, with the black grip, black chrome shaft and black PVD finished black head, you are one black Sharpie away from murdered out DIY customization.
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The Models
The line-up features new designs created through our Tour-focused PLD (Putting Lab Design) program, including versions inspired by PING professionals Viktor Hovland (DS 72) and Cameron Champ (Tyne 4).
John K. Solheim, PING President
One of the real strengths of PING putter lines is that they always feature models for all stroke paths. This time around it’s no different. You can see from the chart above that you can start the selection process based upon swing path and also head weight.
PING once again has given you a whole bunch of heads to choose from. You have the classic Anser designs, some modern favorites like the Tyne, and also brand-new heads like the Harwood, CA 70 and DS 72. All in all, you have 11 heads to choose from. Three heads—the Harwood, Fetch and CA 70—also come with shaft options, bringing the total configurations up to 15.
If you know your length, path and dot color code, you are just a shape away from fit. Let’s take a closer look at a few of the new models.
Anser 4
The Anser 4 was the blade that placed fourth in this year’s Most Wanted Blade competition. The Anser 4 replaces the Sigma 2 ZB as the strong arc blade in the line-up. It’s a classic head that I believe has not made an appearance since the Anser Milled line.
Kushin 4
While we did see the wide-body blade Kushin in both the Sigma G and Sigma 2 lines, this is the first time that it will be available with the slant neck. As you can see from the model chart above, the Kushin 4 now gives golfers a mid-sized option with a strong arc path. I expect this model to be quite popular as it fits nicely into the mallet that plays like a blade theme of recent putter cycles.
Tyne 4
Did you figure out my secret theme yet? All of the models we are looking at are “4s” in honor of their April release. That, and I wanted to show all of the strong arc options. The Tyne 4 is not a new head. It’s been in previous lines and even got the fancy limited-edition treatment last year. Its persistence in the releases likely speaks to its popularity. Of the three strong arc options, this was my favorite. The balance is exceptional and it is very easy to aim. The popularity of the Tyne 4 is definitely justified.
Harwood
Mixing it up a bit, we take a big turn with the new Harwood. This one is not for strong arcs but it can be built in either slight arc or straight configurations. The Harwood is the outlier model in the cohort, being the only one made from milled aluminum. Putter aficionados know to pay attention when PING rolls out milled aluminum mallets lest we be caught by surprise when the next Ketsch rolls out.
The Harwood is the largest of the 2021 offerings, though the aluminum keeps the weight reasonable. Speaking of weight, this putter has tungsten in the corners to boost that MOI to the sky. This one is pretty much just “point and shoot.” It took sixth in the Most Wanted Mallet competition primarily because of issues at the five-foot range. Maybe the look at address takes some adjustment. If you can dial in the short putts, the Harwood easily moved into the top three.
2021 PING Putters: Redline?
The one oddity about the new 2021 PING putter line is that it doesn’t have an official name like Sigma 2 or Vault. It’s the “2021 PING putters.”
Well, I have decided these will be called the PING Redline putters, based upon the red line at the bottom of the face and my homage to the Redline BMX bike that I always wanted as a kid. That redline was sweet, as are these putters. These days, I’m far less likely to get a concussion with the Redline putter.
What do you think about this new line from PING? Like I mentioned, the heads submitted for Most Wanted testing this year did very well. The Harwood performance surprised me a bit because that one is not a typical shape but PING does know how to mill aluminum. Do you like the all-business looks of these or do you miss the colors and pop of previous lines? Which head are you going to try first? I’m intrigued by the Fetch as the top now looks like the Ketsch and yet it still has the ball-snatching hole on the bottom. Perhaps it should have been renamed the PING “Mullet” as it is business on the top, party on the bottom.
Regardless, I’d suggest you check these out when they hit your shops. The pricing is “modern reasonable” with a MSRP of $249 for all models, except the Harwood where the construction costs bumps the price to $349.
Find out more at PING.com
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