Connect with us

Equipment

2012 PING Anser Irons: All you need to know

Published

on

For the complete write up on GolfWRX’s trip to PING HQ, click here.

by BJackson

Having arranged plans to travel to Phoenix, I was fully expecting to see the successors to PING’s S56 irons. It seemed a natural fit as October marks 2 years since the S56 release and with rumors surrounding an ‘S55’, well…turns out I was dead wrong. While at PING headquarters, Wyatt (SheriffBooth), Greg (pga43), and myself were able to get a preview of the forthcoming Anser line. Boy were we surprised!

Initial impressions are simple –
S56 meets i20, but forged. It’s a slimmed down version of the previous Anser iron. Personally I have gamed S56s, i20s, and currently have 712 AP2s. These new Anser irons remind me exactly what I’ve been looking for – they remind me exactly of Titleist’s AP2s. I know that many complaints surrounding the previous Anser irons involved them being too large, too much offset, etc. Well trust me when I say that PING addressed those complaints. They have soft lines, low offset (just barely more than S56, less than i20), and a crisp feeling at impact and going through the turf. Forged from 8620 steel, with some tungsten in the sole, the feeling at impact made me think of a cross between i20 and a typical forged blade. Very solid. It comes in a brushed satin finish, come stock with your choice of PING CFS or Project X shafts – but get this – can be ordered with ANY shaft offered through PING WRX at no upcharge, save Project X PXi. That’s right, ANY SHAFT upgrade, as offered by PING WRX (they have a rather large selection), except PXi, free of charge. Pretty cool, eh?

As for performance, I had limited time with them. Just a little warm up in the morning before hitting drivers and the game of ‘WRX’ Wyatt and I played against Marty Jertson. I did enjoy my time with them at PING’s range, but would really benefit from more time with them to give a fair review. Let me say I find them very intriguing, very similar to my AP2s, and a set I really, really want to try out. I think this is a set of clubs that will get plenty of positive feedback from those that use them. An overall balanced, stylish, performance based set of irons that provide the best of everything possible from a technological and aesthetic perspective. Multi-material, high MOI, stabilization bars that help flight the irons so long irons fly higher and short irons fly lower. These clubs are really the complete package and I only wish I had more time to test them out side by side with something I’m more familiar with to get a baseline comparison.

That all said, here is what you boys want, pictures! Included at the bottom are comparison shots with the previous generation Ansers.

VIEW WHAT OUR MEMBERS OUR SAYING ABOUT THE PING ANSER IRONS IN THE FORUMS.

[youtube id=”abn-ZOpzrgM” width=”600″ height=”350″]

  • Launch the ball higher with the long irons and lower with the short irons for precise, consistent shot making
  • 8620 steel body combines with a dense tungsten weight and hollow sole to optimize the CG and elevate MOI
  • Predictable ball flights are achieved through progressive stabilizing bar technology
  • Bars angle out wider and are thinner, lowering the CG to launch the ball high in the long irons
  • Bars get vertical and thicker through the shorter irons to bring the ball in lower and more penetrating with high spin

 

Your Reaction?
  • 10
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

19 Comments

19 Comments

  1. Eric

    Dec 26, 2012 at 3:44 am

    Ive hit em inside off a mat. They seemed to me more solid than anything else I hit.1400.00 is bit steep though, and not sure how Ping justifies the price. If I could get a set tossed my way for free, they would most likely be the ones in my bag.

  2. seb

    Sep 16, 2012 at 7:31 pm

    hdc 8

    Played those for the last 6 round, got them with px6.0. So far they seem more forgiving than ap2 but the feeling is as good, I loved the weight of the clubs.

  3. Jake

    Sep 4, 2012 at 11:49 pm

    The reason the Pings are $1400 is because they say “Ping” and or “Anser” on them. If they were stamped “Wilson Staff” they would be $700 bucks. If they were stamped “Wishon” you could get them custom spec’d with KBS C Taper, Nippon Modus, or Dynamic Gold Tour Issue for $700. Just the way it is.

    Good lookin’ sticks, for sure.

  4. Ping fan nc

    Sep 3, 2012 at 11:51 pm

    I just hit them side by side vs. Ping anser 2011 version and 712 ap2. Anser both had project x 6.0 and ap2 had Greg xp r300. In a work, answers superior in every way. Now difference between answers, very close call. I like the color scheme of 2011 but like then look at address of the new anser.

  5. strongbear0

    Aug 18, 2012 at 2:20 am

    I was all exited to order my new anser irons today expecting no shaft upcharge after reading this, but to my surprise there is an upcharge for everything including Dynamic Golds and even a grip upcharge for GP tour velvets. KBS C Tapers cost me an extra 21.00 a club. Big retailers ars charging 30-35.00 per club for the C taper upcharge, I ordered mine through a local pro shop. They felt amazing though, but at at almost 1,800 after shaft upcharge, grip upcharge and tax I’m starting to second guess my decision. Hopefully I’ll forget all that once they are in my bag.

  6. Scott

    Aug 9, 2012 at 8:01 pm

    Releasing next week at my local shop. Ping rep is there. I cannot wait to see these. Could be pulling the trigger!

  7. Billy

    Aug 7, 2012 at 10:41 am

    Well I have 2 sets of Anser irons 1 for show and 1 for play and just by looking at the new anser irons I know I must have a set because I do love my pressent set of anser irons

  8. Scott

    Aug 6, 2012 at 8:46 am

    Very curious to read some feedback on whoever gets a hold of these first.

  9. rj

    Aug 2, 2012 at 6:14 pm

    they remind me of the adams cb2 moreso than the a4. i love the feel, playability and forgiveness of my cb2s. so much so, that i truly believe they are the next “classic” iron. i wonder how they compare to these ansers.

  10. Scott

    Jul 27, 2012 at 3:50 pm

    I’m also curious. The author mentioned that these clubs “remind me of the AP2’s.” Then why not save $500 and just go with the AP2’s? What puts these clubs ahead of the AP2?

  11. Jordan Spangler

    Jul 25, 2012 at 11:11 pm

    So are they going to be less forgiving than the prior anser irons? I actually enjoyed a forged forgiving iron. I hope they are as good as last years.

  12. Scott

    Jul 25, 2012 at 10:13 pm

    Why are they so expensive? $1400????!!!!! What makes them $1400? The author says “they remind me of my AP2’s.” Why would someone buy these over the AP2’s and save around $500? Not disputing the writeup just trying to understand what these clubs are all about.

  13. Scott

    Jul 25, 2012 at 9:18 pm

    One question…..when.

  14. Mike Keck

    Jul 25, 2012 at 7:28 pm

    I can’t believe this, I wanted ping, I wanted forged, but the current Anser irons were a little big for my taste so I went with the S56. As I do LOVE them, i miss that unique forged feel and now even though I just dropped a wad of $$$ for my S56 not even 2 months ago, Im going to have to figure out how to get my hands on these. I need to stop visiting GolfWRX.

  15. georgia golfer

    Jul 25, 2012 at 4:40 pm

    Reminds me of Adams A4 tech with the stabilizing bars. Still, I am in the market for new clubs and I like ’em!

  16. Troy Vayanos

    Jul 25, 2012 at 3:21 pm

    I bought the S56 irons late last year and have enjoyed playing them. If PIng have made any improvement in them this can only be a good thing.

    An impressive looking iron!

  17. 2putttom

    Jul 25, 2012 at 3:01 pm

    Wow They are smaller then the previous ANSER and I love the report of no up charge for shafts excpt PXi which I can’t swing anyway. P.S I love my ANSER stix.

  18. Landon Waters

    Jul 25, 2012 at 2:01 pm

    So what’s the word on the release of an S55 iron?

    • johncoll62

      Jan 28, 2013 at 2:06 am

      I was told by my local pro that Ping are consolidating their range of irons. The new G25 has features that are a blend of the G and I series. The next I series will be a blended design with fetures of the I and S series. The next Anser will then become the new tour blade design pitched at the low to no handicapper market. The K series will be discontinued. Bottom line they will be reducing their options from 5 models to 3. That seems to be trend in the industry. Even TM & Callaway have limited their 2013 releases to 2 models

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Equipment

Spotted: Tony Finau’s driver shaft change at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open

Published

on

Tony Finau has always been known as one of the longest players on the PGA Tour, but he has recently been working on adding a little more distance. Last year, Finau averaged 118.3 mph club head speed and 178.08 mph ball speed, all while playing a Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX driver shaft. This year, he has increased his club head speed to 123.93 mph and his ball speed to 183.32 mph.

However, Finau’s overall distance has decreased by two yards in that time. From a fitting perspective, something was amiss. We asked Tony about the shaft change at the Texas Children’s Hospital Open.

“[I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin. My driver’s been a little high spin for me over the last month or so, and so I just figured it was time to probably check out the equipment,” Finau said. “And it definitely showed me that I was using a shaft that’s maybe a little too tip-stiff for me, the way I load the club now. [I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin.”

Finau switched from the Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX into the Diamana GT 70 TX. The newer Diamana GT has a slightly different profile than the D+ Limited with the stiffest handle section in the Diamana lineup. The mid sections between the two are similar stiffness but the tip is just slightly stiffer in the Diamana GT. Both shafts are within one gram of each other in the 70 TX. The torque rating on the GT is 0.1 higher than the D+Limited’s 2.7 measurement.

Mitsubishi lists the Diamana GT as a shaft between the mid-launching Diamana TB and the new low-launch Diamana WB shafts. For most players, it would be considered a mid/low launch and low-spin shaft option. Mitsubishi’s Xlink Tech Resin System makes sure the maximum carbon fiber content is there for smooth feel without reducing the strength of the shaft. MR70 carbon fiber is used for reinforcing the shaft and boron is used in the tip for its high strength and compression properties.

Finau is still using his trusty Ping G430 LST driver in 9 degrees and has the adjustable hosel set to -1 degree of loft (standard lie angle). Finau’s long-time favorite Lamkin UTX Green grip is installed. He definitely has a few extra wraps of tape under that grip as you can see the bulge down where the grip meets the shaft.

One final note: Per Ping’s PGA Tour rep Kenton Oates, Finau’s driver is also adjusted to play with an additional degree of loft to help dial in his desired launch.

We’ll see how he fares with the new setup this week in Houston!

Your Reaction?
  • 11
  • LEGIT1
  • WOW2
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

Whats in the Bag

Zac Blair WITB 2024 (March)

Published

on

Driver: Titleist TSR2 (10 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Red 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade M5 Rocket 3 (14 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 757 Evolution V1 X

Utility: Titleist U510 (3)
Shaft: Aldila Tour Blue 85 X

Irons: Ping i210 (4-6), Miura MB-001 (7-9)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (46-10F, 58-08M @57, 60 @61), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (52-M)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 105 X

Putter: Scotty Cameron prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Your Reaction?
  • 3
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW1
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

Whats in the Bag

Martin Trainer WITB 2024 (March)

Published

on

Driver: Wilson Staff Staff Model (6.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Kai’li Blue 70 TX

3-wood: Wilson Staff WLabs Prototype (13 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Orange 80 TX

Irons: Wilson Staff Staff Model (2, 4-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Wilson Staff Staff Model (52, 56, 60)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Putter: Bobby Grace Greg Chalmers Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Your Reaction?
  • 10
  • LEGIT1
  • WOW1
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

WITB

Facebook

Trending