Equipment
PING Anser Driver, Fairway Wood and Hybrid: Story, Videos, and Pictures
For the complete write up on GolfWRX’s trip to PING HQ, click here.
…As we entered the conference room, in front of us was an array of clubs. With a full set leaning against the wall and examples cut in half (showing the inner workings) on the table. I immediately went for the driver, the Anser. All I could think of was PING, the foremost OEM yet to offer an adjustable driver, has now gone adjustable.
Of course a popular question is why has PING taken so long to bring an adjustable head to market. The answer is simple – John Solheim, PING’s Chairman and CEO – wasn’t ready to do so until the engineers could get to a point where there was no performance loss. You see, when you modify the head to allow for interchangeable shafts and tweaking of loft, lie, and face angle, there is additional weight allocated to the heel/hosel area that is no longer available for use in the rest of the head. PING is now at a point where that is not an issue.
The Anser driver, which performs tremendously well, is a real looker. The Anser fills a void between the popular G20 and i20, giving the best of both worlds. It has been optimized to give the best of all types of performance – forgiveness, distance, workability – in a manner that trumps anything out there. While the words cannon, beast, rocket launcher, etc. often get thrown around whenever a new driver comes to market, the Anser is truly deserving of these titles. The Anser will be available in 8.5, 9.5, 10.5, and 12 degrees of loft. There are four standard shaft options, PING’s TFC proprietary, Aldila RIP Phenom, Fujikura Blur, and Mitsubishi Rayon ‘ahina – all shafts are the real deal, with none of the ‘Made For’ nonsense that ruffles many feathers here. No upcharge either! The adjustability gives players the ability to change loft (which is main point of the adjustability) +/- .5 degrees of loft. This allows launch conditions to be optimized for wet or firm conditions when a player may want to carry the ball a little farther or have the ability for the ball to run a little more once on the ground. With these stock options, every level of player can find something that fits their swing. To top it off, PING has introduced a 360º round grip, their first non-ribbed grip in forever, for a consistent set up no matter how the club is tweaked. Clean headcover too!
After going through the fitting process, I got put into an 8.5º head with an ‘ahina 70x shaft (very similar to my current setup, just bumping up from 60x to 70x). Keep posted to this thread to see how it’s treating me. Now I’m not quite ‘Bubba Long’, but I get it out there a good ways (not everyone on the internet lies). This driver is the real deal. I know my game quite well and am pretty analytical when it comes to launch monitor numbers, and these are the best launch conditions I’ve ever had. See below for a picture of my launch monitor numbers (click the picture as the numbers are larger when the photo is expanded).
In the fairway wood, PING uses the same adjustability as in the driver. Again this new Anser fairway bridges the gap between G20 and i20, giving a launch and trajectory many players will enjoy. Great club that I thoroughly enjoyed hitting as it reminds me of my i20 3 wood that I like a lot. It has slightly less forgiveness than G20 but retains the penetrating trajectory of i20
In the hybrid, it acts as it should, a hybrid between fairway wood and iron – that said, it is not adjustable. It’s a great club that, again, reminds me of my i20. Solid, solid, solid.
I only had limited range time and did not have any other drivers, fairways, or hybrids to compare. With numbers like I was getting, everyone who has given thought to this club really, really needs to give it a whirl! I hope you enjoyed my write up and please fire away any comments or questions you may have.
I hope that was enough text for y’all. That said, I will let the videos and pictures do the rest of the talking!
CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING IN THE GOLFWRX FORUMS.
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[youtube id=”F9kEEABhosI” width=”600″ height=”350″]
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Whats in the Bag
Sam Burns WITB 2024 (April)
- Sam Burns’ what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage.
Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond S (9 degrees @10)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 7 TX
3-wood: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond T (15 degrees @16)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X
Hybrid: Callaway Apex UW (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X
Irons: Callaway Apex TCB ’24 (4-AW)
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (4-PW), True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 Tour Issue (AW)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (56-14F @55), WedgeWorks Proto (60-T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 Tour Issue (56, 60)
Putter: Odyssey Ai-One #7S
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align
Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour X
Check out more in-hand photos of Sam Burns’ WITB in the forums.
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Whats in the Bag
Will Zalatoris WITB 2024 (April)
- Will Zalatoris’ what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage.
Driver: Titleist TSR2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 7 X (44.5 inches)
3-wood: Titleist TSi2 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T350 (3), Titleist T150 (4-PW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Prototype G.O.S.T. 10 ST X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-PW)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (50-08F, 54-10S @55, 60-04T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Putter: L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max
Grips: Golf Pride Z-Grip Cord
See more photos of Will Zalatoris’ WITB in the forums.
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Equipment
New Level launches new 480-DB irons, blending performance and forgiveness
New Level has been making some really good golf equipment since the company started up in 2018. Offering irons that are more geared towards the better player, precision has been a fundamental philosophy for New Level in creating irons and wedges.
The 480 line of irons has been the flagship of the brand, and the newest member of that team is the 480-DB iron that is now open to pre-orders. A new cavity design is what the whole 480 line is about, and the 480-DB takes advantage of that with added ball speed and a larger sweet spot.
For players who require their irons to offer the best feel, rest assured the DB is a fully forged (from 1020 carbon steel) one-piece golf club. No multi-piece, hollow design with this iron.
While the 480-DB is the next generation of the popular 902-OS, New Level didn’t follow the current trend in golf by chasing distance with the new iron. They actually weakened the lofts on the 480-DB with the spec sheet showing a 33-degree 7-iron and 45-degree pitching wedge. These lofts allow the DB to have less offset while still offering consistent distance off the face.
A traditional design was also at the forefront of the new irons to make sure that golfers with an eye for detail can look down at them with confidence that they will perform under any condition.
A weight low in the back cavity will allow their master club builders to dial in the perfect weight for the golfer, no matter the length or shaft being used. New Level believes that the new 480-DB is one of the most forgiving one-piece forged irons on the market today. A pre-worn leading edge on the sole should get through the turf quickly and with reduced digging for better turf interaction.
You can pre-order the New Level 480-DB right now on the New Level website.
Pricing specs availability
- Irons: 4-PW
- Price: $149/oron
- Availability: Pre-order
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sam
Oct 6, 2012 at 3:14 am
i might be buying the ping hybrid and i have the burner superfast 2.0 so the new ones and i am carrying the superfast hybrids now 140 and the ping answer average carry was 148 and im only thirteen and hoping it will help with my golf
Chris
Sep 25, 2012 at 10:15 pm
I tried the new Ping Anser driver at golf galaxy the 10.5 degree with three of the new shafts all being stiff which I used. I then tried my Ping G20 10.5 and found that I could hit the G20 a little further than the new Ping Anser. You want me to spend $400 for what? I don’t get anymore yardage actually less. One sell they didn’t make and I was very excited about getting the newest Ping Club. Buyer beware and compare with your current club. Unless there is a difference why buy it.
adam
Aug 27, 2012 at 11:34 pm
I am testing out hybrids, with all the talk about the adams xtd I thought that would be the best bet. I was wrong, i get exactly the same numbers with this hybrid, and it looks better and feels better! Awesome hybrid, SOLD
Adam
Aug 19, 2012 at 12:49 am
.5* of adjustability is not even worth looking at. Call me when it’s 2*.
JEFF
Feb 8, 2013 at 12:38 am
WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO ADJUST YOUR DRIVER BY 2*?????
Dave
Aug 18, 2012 at 12:05 pm
They’re in stores, Bought mine yesterday.
Me2
Jul 31, 2012 at 11:38 pm
Awesome numbers dude!
Timfrk
Jul 26, 2012 at 9:37 am
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kevin
Jul 25, 2012 at 7:16 pm
When do they go on sale? Is there a new ping Anser Bag as well?