Equipment
PING Nome Putter Review
by getmeouttajersey
The PING Nome was released in early April after it exploded onto the scene when Hunter Mahan dismantled the field at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. It then gained even more praise a few weeks later when he putted his way to an impressive victory at the Shell Houston Open. Needless to say, the hype and demand have been through the roof with the success the Nome has seen in the past couple of months, so let’s take a look at this new release from PING.
Click here to see more pics and read the discussion in the forums
Tungsten Weighted Sole – a lightweight frame made of high-grade aluminum features tungsten sole weighting that optimizes the CG (Center of Gravity) and creates a high MOI (Moment of Inertia).
Alignment Bar, Sightline – A black alignment bar with white contrasting sight line make it easy to aim and align this mallet-style, precision milled head to improve accuracy.
Fit For Stroke – The Nome 355 Putter is available in 3 different shaft bends to fit YOUR putting stroke, whether it’s Straight, Slight Arc, or Strong Arc.
PROS
Looks -Ping really made an effort to ensure that this putter is easy on the eyes. Its smoother lines are a vast improvementover the Sydney (released in 2011) and the Alignment Bar is absolutely perfect without being overbearing. Feel – PING also nailed it in the feel department. The C805-aluminum design feels soft yetresponsive, everything we’re looking for in a putter. For those that prefer a non-insert designlike me, this could be an option for you… Fitting – Having the option to choose from 3 shaft bend designs, best fit for your stroke is invaluable, something no other company can offer. Typically, all face-balanced putters are designed to promote a SBST (Straight Back, Straight Through) putting stroke, but PING has changed all that, giving the mallet option to players with varying stroke types…
CONS
Weighting – For me, a face-balanced mallet needs to have some “heft” to it. I would attribute the lighter feel to the Midsize WINN AVS grip (a very, very nicegrip). Despite how great the grip felt, I was surprised to notice that the heavy grip took away from the heavier feel of the putter head. Obviously, this is something that can be easily remedied with a lighter-weight grip of your choice to give the club head a little more of a heavy feel.
REVIEW
For a player that is interested and/or tends to gravitate towards a face-balanced putter, I really think that you should give the PING Nome a long, hard look. When I’m looking for a Mallet-design, I’m looking for something that can give me the forgiveness and confidence I need on putts inside of 10 feet. In my testing, if I mishit a putt, I found that I was still able to consistently start the putt on my intended line, which is a huge benefit. In terms of the alignment aid, I couldn’t ask for a better design. As you can see in the pictures, the long, white sightline makes lining up short putts a breeze. In the 4 rounds I played with the Nome, I didn’t miss those short, pressure-filled putts. That, in combination with the exceptional balance and high MOI catapulted this putter to the top of my wish list.
While I don’t always use a mallet, when the pressure is on,nothing is more forgiving than a face-balanced, high MOI mallet. I’ll definitely be giving the Nome a chance to stay in my bag…
Click here to see more pics and read the discussion in the forums
LOOKS
We’ve all seen the photos and by now, I’m sure many of you have seen it in person. In my opinion, if you’re a “mallet guy”, it is one great looking putter. With all the wacky-looking mallets on the market today, it was nice to see a simple but functional design with the Nome. The biggest hit for me, other than the incredible balance, is the alignment bar. As someone who has always utilized a line on my ball when putting, PING has hit a home run. When I’m looking for a putter, I’m always looking for something that will give me confidence in my intended line and the Nome delivers. The white line contrasts perfectly off of the black bar and creates an impressive blend of good lucks and functionality. For those that liked the performance of the PING Sydney last year, you’ll be even more impressed with the Nome. I was impressed with the Sydney in 2011, but I couldn’t bring myself to game it based on the looks. With the Nome, you get the same performance packed in a great looking and improved design.
PERFORMANCE
Like I said earlier, if you’re in the market for a mallet-style putter, you’re usually looking for two things, face-balanced and high MOI. With this putter, you’re getting the total package. As part of my initial testing, I took the Nome out to my club’s practice green and dropped 10 balls at about 4 feet. For me, if I can get these in the hole, the putter has passed the first test. As we all know, those pesky 4 footers in a tournament, your club championship, or even your Saturday skins game are what can make or break your round. So, for me, if I can get comfortable sinking the short ones, I know I’m on the right track. The next order of business is to stretch out the length to the 25-30 foot range to see how well I can control speed and get putts on-line when I’m not as close to the hole as I’d like. This portion of the review is typically where an insert putter (for me) loses my confidence. With the Nome however, the feel off the putter face was consistent and I was regularly hitting my desired line. After getting a feel for the speed, I was definitely intrigued by the putter.
**One note I wanted to mention. Since I happen to fit into the “Straight” stroke category, PING designed this model with a fairly noticeable amount of ‘forward press’. For example, when I sole the putter, the grip is much, much farther in front of my hands than I would typically be comfortable with. Initially, this took a few hours to get used to, but once I was comfortable, I started to really benefit from the concept of ensuring that your hands remain in front of the putter head as you make your stroke. I did a little research and visited my local retailer and noticed that the “Slight Arc” and “Strong Arc” did not feature this same hand positioning as the “Straight” model, so that maybe something to pay attention to when you’re looking into the Nome. **
THE BOTTOM LINE
The PING Nome will be in my bag (if they let me!) I tend to play on fast, undulating greens in the Spring, Summer, and early Fall. With the unmatched balance and exceptional alignment aid built into the Nome, I haven’t found a putter design that has given me a more confidence on the putts that matter. If you’re a mallet fan and even if you aren’t, please take the time to demo this putter, you may be surprised at how well this putter performs.
For years, I was putting with toe-weighted blades (nothing wrong with that), but only after I spent a few bucks on the iPING cradle did I realize that I was better off with a face-balanced mallet design. I think that it’s critical to your success on the greens to take the time to either get fit at your local retailer or invest in the iPING App and Cradle to get a better idea of where your putting stroke stands. After analyzing your stroke and pin-pointing your weaknesses, give the PING Nome a shot. I think you’ll be extremely impressed with the forgiveness, alignment aid, and feel. In my opinion, it’s the best all-around mallet putter released in 2012 and trust me, I’ve tried them all…
Click here to see more pics and read the discussion in the forums
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Equipment
A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic
Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.
Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.
We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.
Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).
See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here
Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge
Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.
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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.
See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here
Turning Back the clock
Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.
But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.
For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.
Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.
The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.
The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.
Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter
Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.
Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.
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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.
If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.
Brilliant.
See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here
Stricker’s unrecognizable putter
Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.
Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.
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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates
Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.
Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.
It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.
Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines
Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.
Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.
FitzMagic teams back up
Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.
See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here
And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.
We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!
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Whats in the Bag
Alejandro Tosti WITB 2024 (April)
- Alejandro Tosti what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Srixon ZX5 Mk II LS (9.5 degrees @10.5)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 75 6.5
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black 80 TX
Hybrid: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour Rescue (22 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 6.5 100
Irons: Srixon ZX7 Mk II (4-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Cleveland RTX6 ZipCore Tour Rack (50-10 MID, 54-10 MID, 58-10 MID, 60-06 LOW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Tour Issue X100, S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron
Grips: Golf Pride MCC Plus4
Check out more in-hand photos of Alejandro Tosti’s WITB in the forums.
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Whats in the Bag
Drew Brees WITB 2024 (April)
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Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (10.5 degrees)
Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper (13.5 degrees)
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (19 degrees)
Irons: TaylorMade P790 (4-8, PW), TaylorMade P760 (9)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09, 56-10, 60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 Prototype
Check out more in-hand photos of Drew Brees’ clubs here.
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garywrice
Jun 19, 2012 at 6:03 pm
Just a note of support for the review of the Ping Nome. The author’s comment struck home because I have been a blade user for the past 50 years of golf and have had little to do with the mallet until this Nome came along. I picked it up at my local golf shop about 6 weeks ago and it has not left my bag since.
I have had much more confidence in the 5 to 10 footers since I started using this putter.
Also, I have an arc to my stroke, so I use the slight arc model Nome. Be sure to get your stroke analyzed before getting this putter…..a little pricey but it has been worth it for me.