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PING PLD Milled SE DS72 Hovland Edition Putter
PING just announced the release of their new PLD Milled SE DS72 Hovland Edition mallet putter. The announcement gave me a feeling of deja vu since PING released a limited-edition Hovland DS72 just last October.
Why are they releasing a putter that they already released?
One could speculate that the summer heat has finally got to the folks in Phoenix. It’s either that or this DS72 must be different from the one offered last year.
While I will never downplay the impact of the Arizona sun, the new PLD Milled SE DS72 Hovland Edition mallet putter is in fact different from the previous release, and that’s a good thing.
This DS72 is Hovi style (mostly).
PING is calling this new putter the Hovland Edition, and with good reason. In many ways, this new PLD DS72 is just like the one that Viktor Hovland uses on the PGA Tour.
Many specs are the same as Hovland’s own putter. The head is 360 grams, it is milled from 1018 carbon steel, features a top-edge alignment line and has the same patina finish.
From there, PING changed the specs a bit to be less Hovland-specific and more appropriate for the general golfing public.
The new PLD Milled SE DS72 Hovland Edition mallet putter will be offered at a stock length of 35 inches rather than Hovland’s 36-inch length. Standard loft and lie specs will be at three and 20 degrees, respectively, but can be altered a few degrees in either direction to meet a player’s needs.
The more standard length allowed PING to replace the extra-long Winn grip on Hovland’s putter with a standard-length black and orange PING PLD Tour M grip. The topographical map-themed headcover matches the black and orange of the grip.
This new DS72 replaces the limited-edition’s “Hovi” sole engraving with a more utilitarian “Hovland Edition” graphic. Arguably a step down in coolness but the new graphic scheme does let one know that this putter is a Hovland-flavored DS72.
All in all, this new Hovland DS72 is very similar to both the previous limited-edition version and the putter that Hovland plays on Tour.
Two other big differences
There are two other ways the PLD Milled SE DS72 Hovland Edition putter differs from the limited edition.
First, this putter will be available at PING retailers. To grab one of the limited-run Hovi DS72 putters, you needed to be online when they were released and more than a bit lucky with your position in the queue.
The other big difference is price. The 100 limited-edition putters sold out at $900 apiece. This retail version will only set you back a bit more than half of that at $485.
Yes, that essentially means this is still nearly a $500 putter but that is much better than a putter that cost almost a grand that was difficult to even get in the shopping cart.
By the way, that $485 is the same price as the stock PING PLD Milled putters. If the stock PLD DS72 was not quite right for you, now you have another (cooler) option.
The milling is amazing
As one should expect from the PING PLD putter line, the milling on this putter is amazingly precise. Take the “flat” face for example. When I unboxed the putter, I initially thought the face was smooth like the 2020 PING Heppler putters.
The firm “pop” off the face also led me to think the face was smooth. Though the body is carbon steel and the impact is crisp, not mushy.
It was only when I really studied the face that I saw the milled ridges. The grooves are so narrow! I was more than a little shocked when I saw them. The face is so smooth to the touch. Though I expect PING’s PLD milled putters to be crafted with precision, the milling on this DS72 was startlingly precise.
At a store near you
The PING PLD DS72 Hovland Edition mallet should be at a store near you soon or at least available for order from your local PING retailer. As cool as the putter is, it is even cooler that this is a retail offering with the same price as the stock PLD Milled models.
A special-edition putter that is the same price as a stock model is not something normally observed in the putterverse.
Hopefully, one will be available for demo in your local shop soon. The DS72 is an interesting shape. It is a round mallet that has very square elements. Spend an afternoon comparing this version to the stock version and see what you find. I wonder how the top edge versus cavity alignment lines will influence your targeting.
Ask your local shop’s PING pro for more information or head over to PING.com
FAQ: PING PLD DS72 Hovland Edition Putter
Yes. Each model is a bit of a different take on the head. The limited edition is the closest to the putter Hovland plays. The other two are more for the needs of the golfing public.
As far as putter steels go, carbon steel is softer than other steels. That said, the shape of the putter and the milling pattern on the face will also influence perceived softness. A flat face will feel firmer than a face with deep grooves.
I had that question as well. He was so dominant in 2023 and then not so much in 2024. Maybe it is simply a story of pressure. It could be that there is more pressure on your game when you are the champion than when you are trying to become the champion.
They did. I’ve not seen one yet but it is on my “must roll” list. I’m not seeing it on the PING site any longer so it may have been a short production run.
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