Over the past few months, I have been slowly disposing of my Scotty Cameron putter collection for reasons I would rather not go through again.

My American Classics III Heavy Flange traded for a Fourteen MT28-V3 wedge.

My Bullseye Pro Platinum traded for a Ben Hogan Bettinardi heel shafted Anser shape (forgot the model).

So I am down to three Cameron putters - two of them are Teryllium putters from a decade ago that I have commissioned gunsmiths in my island to oxidize and I do the disassembling, paintfill, and reassembling. I am been fairly known in the golfing community in my country for being the only one with this hobby (I don't really do it for profit but for the love of it). My putter restoration hobby can be found in this thread by clicking here. My personal putter is the Newport Teryllium. I am in the process of trading it for a few boxes of Pro V1's.

Now its down to my last "classic" Cameron pictured below:




After that putter is all but gone, I will be left with my good old gamer - which is a highly modified Cameron Studio Stainless Mid Sur that I converted to a short putter with a DG SL shaft and Cameron Studio Grip. That one will be pretty hard to replace, but yesterday, a putter I special ordered from Ping just arrived.

It is a Ping Redwood Anser with a soundslot, star-shot finish, and no paintfill. Tungsten was also added in the face to preserve the weight, and a Pingman blackout grip installed which was perfectly straight. It is slightly flat (red dot) and has an overall weight of 515.5 grams. Here are pics:








My thought process was simple. For all this time, I have been putting with a Ping Anser clone made by Cameron. I own a few Camerons that are copies of the Ping Anser (Newport and Santa Fe Two Teryllium). So I felt it was high time to just cut with the xerox copies and just go straight to the source itself. Time to go to the mother ship, to the place where the Anser was invented - to Ping. And I thought I needed the soundslot too, because it is what made the Anser unique and it is something Cameron and other companies don't do for off-the-rack putters nowadays. As I said in another thread, most new putters are copies of the Anser - and the saying goes: "The spring can never go higher than its source." So I went straight to the source.

But I have the Redwood (which is milled), the sightline, and the tungsten weights as a sign of technology and modernization, while maintaining respect and homage to the original Anser and the Ping brand. If this baby puts as well as it looks, I guess my Cameron will get knocked out of the bag. And once my Terylliums get new owners, I will finally be free of the clutches of the Cameron Empire. I will finally have a Cameron-free putter collection.

That looks great. Love the no paintfill look. I received my black satin Redwood Anser yesterday and wondered why I had used the copies for so long and not gone directly to the source.

Great looking putter! I just ordered an anser 2 classic with the floating face and tungsten weights from pingwrx. Couldn't agree more about going to the source!

Whats the headweight? What would you say the color of putter head in one picture it looks like a light gray and the other pictures make it look like a flat dark gray. Congrats on the new putter looks really nice especially without the paintfill.

I like the stealth look of that. Very Classy

Question...Can you specify what type of weight they use? I've seen some like that, and some like the one's they used in George's Ping Anser 4. I like the look of the ones they used in his alot.

Very Clean and Classy Stick you have yourself there Hope she performs good for you

-CHRIS

How do you order a custom putter from the Ping WRX department. On their website they have shafts, grips, and wedge grinds, but I don't see anything about putters.

Love the soundslot and the lack of paint fill!

Cntact our Sponsor Mortons Golf Sales. They are Great to work with and will get you the putter ordered like you want.

-CHRIS-

side note... I've got a new Redwood piper S with Tiger Shark grip - new, never used... I want to trade for a Redwood Anser... anyone?

I will second Morton golf. I just ordered a custom mag bronze anser with tungsten weighted to 350g, no paintfill and to my specs and they were great. I can see once I get one, there will be more to come.
Greg

If my putter didn't treat me so well...I'd be doing a custom order Redwood in a heartbeat!

But you had them put the Cameron/Leica red dot. Just kidding you man. I really hope it does work out. I'm next in line to sell my Cameron collection as well. I just have to find a heavy carbon steel BB2 first to replace my OC Napa.

Since the overall weight is 515 grams, I am guessing the grip is some 60 grams while the shaft another 115 cut weight. That should put the headweight at around 340 grams? I'm just guessing. The color is closer to a dark flat grey.




I am not sure what type of weight they use. I am guessing it is tungsten and only small just to make up for the weight loss in making the soundslot.




You can email Ping with a quote and they go through your local dealer. Being in the Philippines, I could have just ordered from Morton Golf Sales and have them ship it to me. But I went against that and decided to order from our local dealer to support them even if it might come up a bit pricier and the lead times longer.

And as everyone else here has said --- nothing beats going straight to the source! Why go for imitations when the original makers, Ping, already make a milled version and can customize it to your needs right?

Played 18 holes with Jick yesterday.

I must say I love the finish. Classy but industrial looking.

We are not sure if this is the "starshot". Someone else did the ordering.

I'm off to to the Ping site to check if there is a Piper H in the Redwood line.

The finish is really great. It is a darker grey finish. I originally though the "star shot" was just a bead blasted finish like perhaps the Cameron Studio Style or other typical stainless finishes. I was wrong. This is dark grey that looks durable. I'd say its just like the darker finish of the Redwood, but this one is blasted instead of shiny. I'd like to call it a classier version of the Nike Unitized finish.

I will try to post more pics when I can. I have already received offers (here in the Philippines of course) about my Teryllium Cameron putters. So I can dispose of that. As for my Midsur, it is hanging on a thread, about to be replaced by the Ping if all goes well. I had 13 putts in the back nine with it, none of my 5 1-putts being gimmes (and I even had to make some testy comebackers). Then I had a productive practice session with it.

Things are looking bring for me having a Cameron-free putter collection (and I have close to 20 putters!). And at the head of the class would be a Ping Anser - the source of all Ansers but with the modern twist, customized for me, and milled to perfection. I don't think I can ask for anything more.

Just checked no Piper H in the Redwood.

I'm scared of double bend shafts because I have never had good experience on the with straight installations.

What do you think the Piper double bend with a sound slot and with the weights? The Piper is already 355 stock headweight and bendadle by 2 degrees.

My Camerons will be on BST within the week.

Here is a post I made in another forum which I shall reproduce here as it also has more pics of the putter.

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Here is the story of my journey to finding "The Ultimate Ping Anser" putter.


Introduction

I am an avid putter fan with a collection that numbers around 20. In my collection are milled creations by reputed makers like Scotty Cameron, Bob Bettinardi, David Whitlam, Bobby Grace, and Kevin Burns. My equipment geekiness makes me frequent other putter forums to see the rise of the boutique customized putter makers in America like: C&L, Slighter, Byron, Machine, Palombi, and Vons. In the Japan front, Hiro Matsumoto and Gold's Factory mill beautiful custom putters. Many times I have come close to ordering from them.

Then it dawned on me that all these putter companies owe their existence to one man alone, Karsten Solheim (founder of Ping), and one putter model - the Ping Anser. I decided that rather than try the other makers, I should go straight to the source, to the grand-daddy, and to the mother of all modern putters. I would go to Ping.

But I had to weigh in on the pros and cons of the older Ansers versus the current model so I could build "The Ultimate Anser".


The Old Ping Ansers

Pros:
-Soundslot/floating face/slit on the sole that enhances the feedback
-Non-glare look under the sun especially when the beryllium copper or the manganese bronze ages
-Simple and understated with no paintfill on the text engravings

Cons
-Cast, and not milled, hence flatness and tolerances are not guaranteed
-Light head weight (305 to 320 grams versus the modern putters which are 330 to 350 grams head weight)
-No sightline for precise alignment


The Ping Redwood Anser

Pros
-Milled, so tolerances are tight
-303 Stainless steel material, soft and easy to maintain
-Heavy head weight at 345 grams
-Has a sightline

Cons
-No soundslot/floating face, isn't this an Anser staple?
-Black nickel finish glares in the sun
-Winn Grip is too colorful and not durable at all


The Solution: Customizing A Redwood

With the basic Ping Redwood as the starting point, the first thing that had to be done was take out the black nickel glare. The solution was the blasted "star-shot" finish that has a dull dark grey look to it.

Another customization was the addition of the sound slot to the sole of the putter. This just enhances the feel, and gives more feedback. The problem with drilling the slit will be the loss of weight in the head. This was solved by adding tungsten inserts in the extreme toe and heel portions of the face - which not only keeps the headweight heavy - it also increases the perimeter-weighing and MOI of the putter.

The other customizations are just a matter of taste: Red color code for a flatter lie; No paintfill on the sighline to get a cross between the original Anser's no paintfill look, and the modern Anser's sightline alignment aid; No paintfill on the cavity and sole for the classic look, but paintfill on the logo on the face to keep a modern twist; The classic Pingman grip identical to that of the original Anser for more durability and thinner feel for my handsy stroke, but I had the blackout version to make it ala Tiger.


Images of the Putter

For my own personal tastes and preferences, this putter embodies all the best elements of the classic and the modern Ping Anser. So I call this "The Ultimate Ping Anser."


The star-shot finish has a dull-grey appearance.


To my mind, a real Ping Anser must have the slit on the sole, aka the sound slot.


The tungsten weights on the extreme heel and toe enhance the perimeter weighting and restore the lost weight. I also like the extremely light milling marks which can barely be seen. It looks classier and doesn't scream "look at me because I'm milled" like how other putters are nowadays.


The red dot is the Ping color code for a flat lie. Otherwise, the entire cavity and the bumpers would have been paintfill-free. Ping has been color coding their clubs long before Tiger and Cameron started using red dots.


The star-shot finish looks great and protects the putter from the glare of the sun, even at 12 noon when this photo was taken.


A clearer look at the face with the tungsten inserts.

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Beautiful. Did you have to pay extra for the sound slot and the tungsten weights (did you ask for the weights or did they just put them in because of the sound slot)? Also, does the sound slot give the putter a softer feel or does the ball come off harsher?

Thanks...and great looking putter!

Jick,

Beautiful putter and love the custom look. For me you cant beat Ping putters and I'm certainly enjoying gaming mine.

Glad to see you are disentangling yourself from what you regard as the Scotty Cameron empire. Its been a long and arduous process and it's pleasing to see you following through on your criticisms of Scotty (some of which appear in your original post on this thread)

Best would be to email Pingwrx if they can put a soundslot on the Piper, but I think it would be a very good and novel idea.

So you are now selling your Cameron collection too? I am sure your 33"/350g Newport will go for a lot, and so will your rare Napa. Good luck on your disposing of them.




I am not certain yet about the price I paid as our local distributor (here in my country) had such good service that they sent it out to me first, and will bill me after. I did not ask for the weights, they put it themselves to preserve the weight I guess. I am also not sure as to how the sound slot affect the putter because I cannot do a side by side comparison with a Redwood without the sound slot. But the putter feels different and I get more feedback with it. It's close to the Nike Unitized I think (if I remember right).




I don't want to be thought of as a forum troll or as a pure critic with no objectivity or independence. As I am passionate about the topic, I do try my best to follow through on my declarations.

The putter is definitely a beauty and I have no regrets whatsoever in getting it. Honestly, the pictures don't do it justice!

Sad to see the Cameron empire finally come to an end now that you will be selling your remaining Cameron sticks.

I am not so sure yet about selling my Newport MidSur. I doubt there will be any buyers anyway.

But this Ping putter is really something else, the lines and proportions are perfect. Even the shape of the bumpers is much better and more balanced then other putters (some fetching up to 10 times more the price of this).

I wonder what the Black Anser version of this would look like. I am guessing it will be quite sexy.

awesome looking putter. I'm in the process of ordering a custom Redwood now, having drooled over it for the past 5-6 months. Questions: (1) how come you didn't order the custom Ping WRX headcover that they offer for this putter (I've seen others order it instead of the standard headcover, and wondered why): (2) it doesn't look like you ordered the frequency filtered shaft that you can order with this; any reason why you didn't (I'm debating this one too & am wondering if it's gimmicky); and lastly, any reason you didn't order the new black finish that comes on these as of now (I assume it wasn't out when you ordered this one)? Thanks for any responses.

Only the 'starshot' finish is done at Ping's facility. Both the balck nickel and black satin are done overseas in China. Ping also admits that the 'starshot' finish is the most durable of the three options and is the only finish that can be redone/refinished by Ping at a future date. The 'starshot' finish also allows for the most alterations- bending/loft/adding weight. The 'starshot' finish looks awesome and reduces glare. According to Ping it is by far the most played finish by their staffers and other top players.

jick, that is a very attractive putter. I congratulate you on your courage to dispose of the Cameron collection after your posts last year.

It sounds as if you are getting along with it well - only 13 putts in 9 holes!

Good luck.

Beautiful putter, I love that you didn't get the paintfill, very clean.

Do you mind telling us how much it ended up setting you back? I am considering getting a Ping Anser Redwood in the future, and I would love to do some of the customizations that you have done (soundslot, extra weight, etc.).

Thanks

Can you get the starshot finish done to a putter that has a different finish on it?

Love the looks of that, definitely some of the better pictures of the Starshot finish we've seen to date. Makes me all the happier that I went with that finish on my upcoming putter, and especially good to hear about the durability of the finish...even though I have a habit of wiping down my Pings as carefully as my Bettinardis after each putt.

Really great looking putter jick. Thanks for posting, and mucho danke for the pics.

Beautiful Redwood Jick...Just beautiful...love the understated look (limited paint fill). It'll definitely be a silent killer!

Great pictures of a great putter. Because of your post I just ordered my custom Left-handed Anser Redwood putter with the same "starshot" finish and additional weights to make the head weight of 350 grams. I did not have the sounding slot cut in on mine. I went thru Morton Golf and they made the order effortless and within ten minutes of contacting them by sending them a PM, I had a response and a custom order was made. The cost without shipping was $ 425, with a delivery of two to four weeks. I am happy with the order and I look forward to seeing the results. Thanks again for the pictures and your input.

Here are my answers to your questions: (1) I didn't know about the Ping WRX headcover and besides I don't use the stock headcover that comes with it. I make my own headcovers here in my country and actually have it themed after either my college or the Philippine flag. I currently use the Philippine flag cover, here is a pic:



(2) I find the frequency filtered shaft a bit too gimmicky, and I think the floating face takes care of my feel needs.

(3) I have many reasons for not choosing the black finish. One, I haven't seen a black finish that is durable. Two, I wanted a stainless look to pay homage to the stainless steel putters of Ping. Three, I already own a Ping Redwood Zing from a tour player which has a black finish and it seems to pretty to play. Lastly, the black finish reminds me of some of Cameron's earlier work which I would rather not be reminded of as I am selling my Cameron collection already.




I don't want to be a hypocrite to reveal all those things about Cameron and still keep a collection of Cameron putters. Cameron is just one brand among many putters and is just a drop in the bucket. By going to Ping, I went straight to the faucet or to the well or to the source or to the motherhen. It's time to get rid of the photocopy and go with the original one.

I had a three-putt today but still finished with 28 putts today. I also shot my first sub-par 9 hole score of 2008 from the tips (I have done subpar scores from members' tees this year). I have been practicing hard with this putter the past few days, stopping by my course after office hours, or during the weekend I stayed a few hours after my round to practice the putter. It seems there isn't enough daylight for me to practice this putter.




Our pricing is different here because it is in Philippine Pesos. But I would say it cost me roughly 50% more than the standard price. So in USA terms with the putter being $249 streets price, I'd say the extra cost would be $125 upcharge. This is just a guesstimate. If you do a search on this forum, you will find somewhere that someone posted the upcharges for the custom options.



The starshot finish seems to be just beadblasting, but it looks better on the Redwood because the base finish of the Redwood is a dark shiny nickel like look to it. So when it is blasted (or tumble), a dull grainy dark grey finish comes out.




Please promise us to post pics of your upcoming putter. I can't wait to see that myself. As for the durability of the finish, I would rather not vouch for it because I haven't played the putter long enough to comment on that.




The limited paintfill was not to be understated, but it was to pay homage to the original Ping Ansers (or even some of the Manganese bronze models today) which still have no paintfill. Hell, if Ping were willing to stamp their address and zipcode of my Redwood, I would have let them!




That sounds like a very interesting putter. Promise to post pics when you get yours. I am in the Philippines, so I did not go through Morton but based on the reports I have read in this forum, it seems like they are top-notch Ping sellers and give the best service.

I feel very humbled and flattered that my post was able to influence your buying decision. Feel free to send me a PM if you want to discuss putters or need advice.

Again, to everyone there .... thanks for your kind words about my putter. I am very proud of it and I'll keep you posted as I play more rounds with this putter - especially on issues like the durability of the finish and my own personal review.

Are you going to sell any of those covers here, Jick?

I am not a sponsor here, and I reside all the way in the Philippines. It might be too costly to ship it abroad for such a small item. I have sold a ton of these Philippine flag covers here in my country though, as we also have a forum specifically for Filipino golfers.

Now to steer this back to the topic, the Ping distributor told me that me and my friend (who followed my order) are the only ones in this country to have this kind of Ping Redwood putter. Now that should be like 1 of 2 and pretty rare. If only Ping made a COA, but then again, it has a serial number I will check which I will register with Ping.